• Researchers call on conservation genomics efforts to better engage with Indigenous communities and knowledge

    Jul 21, 2026 2:15 pm by Claudia LutzNatural History Survey
    A gray wolf howls in a wolf sanctuary in Colorado.

    A gray wolf at Mission:Wolf Sanctuary in southern Colorado. Gray wolves remain endangered in most of the continental United States, especially the Mexican wolf subspecies, Canis lupus baileyi, which suffers from genetic bottlenecking, according to Jenny Thompson.

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    • A gray wolf howls in a wolf sanctuary in Colorado.

    In two new publications, a team of researchers is calling upon their scientific colleagues and society as a whole to approach the use of genomic innovations with ethical deliberation, in consultation with Indigenous Peoples, and with the goal of holistically supporting ecosystems. Nathan Alexander, postdoctoral scholar with the Illinois Natural History Survey, contributed to one of the publications.