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2009 Banff Mountain Photography Competition
Mountain Flora/Fauna

Cindy Goeddel: Lone Wolf Howling

“Near the end of 2006, the Slough Creek wolf pack (Canis lupis) lost its alpha male in a territorial battle. An 18-month old male wolf from the Agate Creek pack boldly claimed the alpha position and the breeding opportunity with the Slough Creek pack. In January 2007 he became the youngest alpha male in Yellowstone National Park. The temperature was -10°F. As the morning light swept across the frozen Lamar Valley, there stood the young alpha male. He had just finished feeding on an elk and began howling for the rest of his pack. After 69 years of being without wolves, the howl of a wild wolf in Yellowstone is both miraculous and extraordinary. The wolf has returned to Yellowstone where he has always belonged. Historically plagued by misinformation, fear and hatred, wolves were deliberately exterminated and by 1926 the top carnivore was absent from the Yellowstone ecosystem. The success of the wolf reintroduction will arguably stand as one of the pivotal conservation achievements of our day.”

Cindy Goeddel has lived in Big Timber, Montana, for ten years. Cindy’s passion is creating images that convey the story, mood, and spirit of the wild place or creature and to inspire others to humbly preserve and protect wild places. She began her photographic career in 2005 and in 2008 began a mentorship with Tom Murphy, and currently assists Murphy, leads photographic tours in Yellowstone National Park, and teaches digital asset management and workflow. Her images have been published both commercially and editorially and are in numerous private collections. Cindy's upcoming show is a joint exhibit with Murphy on the Wonders of Yellowstone, scheduled to open October 1, 2009 at the Zoot Art Gallery in Bozeman, Montana.

www.cindygoeddel.com

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