Using Indigenous Knowledge and Genetics to Study Eastern Wolf Distribution and Behaviour

Shilah comes from the community of Chippewas of Rama Mnjikaning First Nation, and is an Anishinaabekwe M.Sc student at Trent University, co-supervised by Dr. Jesse Popp (Guelph Univeristy) and Dr. Joseph Northrup. Her research that partners with Magnetawan First Nation, Shawanaga First Nation, and Wiikwemikoong Unceded Territory will focus on using Indigenous knowledge and genetics to study the distribution and behaviour of the provincially threatened Eastern wolf. Before grad school, Shilah completed her B.Sc in Conservation Biology at Trent University, where she did her undergraduate honours thesis on habitat characteristics and human influence on black bear den site selection. She is also a graduate of Fleming College’s Fish and Wildlife program and Georgian College’s Environmental Technician program. Her passion for wildlife ecology, and weaving Indigenous Knowledges and Western Science stems from her cultural background, and she brings a strong heart and a positive influence to the lab. And, as an Anishinaabekwe, her favourite animal is a wolf!