Wolfsong Ranch near Rodeo, New Mexico Isn't Singing the Blues

On the southern border between Arizona and New Mexico, you can hear something that most people only get to experience in cheesy horror movies: the baleful cry of wolves. In a place where wolves have been nearly hunted to extinction, these animals find solace in the ass end of nowhere, thanks to a couple of very hard working people.

Wolfsong Ranch is a generous sprawl of acreage near Rodeo, New Mexico. It is owned by Mike and Johanna Trejo, who took over the existing sanctuary several years ago. The ranch exists for wolves and wolf-dogs that have been rescued or donated, mostly from people who thought having one as a pet was a good idea and found out otherwise. The reason I know about it is the work that I do with teenage boys with chemical dependency issues. Twice a year we bring groups of our young men out to Wolfsong and spend a four-day weekend there. It serves a dual purpose. It offers the boys some working experience and growth and education opportunities while helping out the Trejos with much needed help around the ranch.

We all camp out at the north end of the ranch where the wolves' compounds are clustered, each of which contains one or two up to several animals depending on the size of the enclosures and how well the wolves get along with each other. Some of the animals are very large while some are small; some are well socialized with humans while many are not, but all of the wolves appear content, except when someone is mucking about their area. During the day, the wolves stay relatively quiet, going about their time like the rest of us (at least, what we would like to do); keeping to the shade and drinking lots of water, or laying in the water receptacle as some of them did.

The nights are a different story.

Rodeo and the surrounding area is sparsely populated, at best, with only some 200 residents, so, unlike what most of us are used to, there is very little in the way of lights. While the immediate effect of this, for most, is a scrambling to have a flashlight or head lamp to illuminate your way, it is readily apparent that there is a huge, sparkling welkin above you that begs for attention. There was no cloud cover this past weekend, and the silence was amazing.

Throughout the night, usually starting with just one or two, the wolves start to sing, each one adding its voice to the chorus until an elongated crescendo is achieved. There is no describing this with words. If you have heard a group of coyotes yipping in the darkness, this is not it. And this is not the cheesy horror movie howling. This is 150 or so wolves singing into the night, each with their individual voices. The song goes on for fifteen to twenty minutes and then, like turning off a light switch, they all stop, and then . . . silence again.

I often think that I am a hard worker, but when I visit Wolfsong, I realize how much I 'suck at life'. Of course, I appreciate that I am comparing my semi-urban life with ranch life, but . . . woo . . . Unless you have participated in ranch life, you really have no idea how much work has to be done. Just taking care of the wolves is a full time job, but the Trejo's also have several rescue horses that they care for. Mike also trains horses as a side job. But wait, there's more. They also own and operate the local feed store, and, if I'm not mistaken, Mike has a full time job, which keeps them able to care for their charges. Especially now, since President Obama's cuts on tax benefits for non-profits are hurting their donations. Normally, the work falls on the shoulders of them and their children, plus a live in ranch hand named Greg and another recent hire named Andy. During our visit, on the first full day, they and the boys cleaned, repaired, and modified a compound, which included moving out its sole occupant to another. Two male wolves were relocated into the newly repaired compound. This is an interesting, slow process and very stressful on the animals. Afterward, the rest of the day was spent digging post holes for a gate and fence corners.

The second day was spent enclosing about five acres of the property in fencing. A task that would have taken a week normally and included lining out the fence with wire, clearing away brush and trees with a back hoe, putting in another corner post, and pounding in T-post after T-post. Afterward, we were rewarded by a home cooked meal worthy of any restaurant, sitting outside while the sun set enjoying a conversation which included a visual tour of the ranch. From their porch, Mike pointed out the area where Geronimo surrendered.

If you are ever in the Rodeo area, which you probably won't be, so you have to make a special trip, stop by and see the ranch. They do tours when they can and they always need extra help. You might even get a song from the residents.