Adventures in the Carpathain Mountains of Transylvania

Tuesday, October 30
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.  

Join author Alan E. Sparks for a slideshow and talk based on his award-winning book.  Part travelogue, part memoir, part natural and cultural history, Dreaming of Wolves presents a unique and thought-provoking story of adventure.

Through a series of entertaining vignettes and informative essays, Sparks paints an extraordinary portrait of the lives of wolves, of the researchers who study them, and of the rural people with whom they have coexisted for centuries.

The Carpathian Mountains of Romania comprise the last significant wilderness in Europe west of Russia, and the last major refuge for Europe’s indigenous wildlife – especially for the large carnivores – the wolves, bears, and lynx that still roam the dense forests of the region in significant numbers. Wherever they are found, large carnivores exist in conflict with humans, yet in Romania an ancient coexistence has been maintained until modern times.

In this presentation, Alan Sparks will describe the ecology and behavior of wolves in Transylvania, their historical and present status, and issues of coexistence and conservation as the Romania economy modernizes and development infiltrates the region.