Building a Treehouse for the Future of Wolves
- Jan 7
- 4 min read
By Evan Skytte, Development Director
Published in Wolf Tracks vol. 41, no. I (revised January 2026)
High in the air above Wolf Haven International, red-tailed hawks circle over the prairie, ravens caw in the mossy oak trees, and bald eagles scan the land as they have done for generations. From up way up high, the forest, prairie, and wildlife all fit together. It’s a perspective most people never get to experience. But soon, they will.
Wolf Haven is building a Treehouse Learning Center - an elevated classroom that will sit 17 feet above the ground in a stand of Douglas firs, overlooking a new wolf enclosure and acres of restored Mima mound prairie. Built in partnership with Nelson Treehouse (from Treehouse Masters fame), it will be the only education-focused treehouse of its kind in the South Puget Sound region, created specifically for wildlife learning, sanctuary viewing, and environmental education.
Over the last 40+ years, Wolf Haven has grown to be an international leader in humane animal care and conservation, yet our education classroom space has remained unchanged. Most of our onsite programs still take place in a small staff break room that doubles as a kitchen, lunch area, and occasional veterinary prep room.
Even with that modest space, our education programs reached more than 11,000 students last year through onsite field trips, classroom visits, virtual programs, and public events. Our education curriculum aligns with the public education standards, and our partnership with Colorado State University has helped us develop hands-on science kits that allow entire classrooms to study wolf ecology, genetics, and pollinator relationships! These lessons use wolves as a lens for teaching STEM concepts, giving students a real-world example that makes science come alive, and through our Kids in Nature Fund, we reduce or cover field trip costs for many schools that serve low-income students. The education programs keep growing, but our teaching area has not kept pace. The Treehouse Learning Center will give our education team and visiting students a setting that reflects Wolf Haven’s quality of work.
Wolf Haven’s mission adds even more meaning to this project. We are the only wolf sanctuary in the world accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) and are the recipient of GFAS’s 2024 Outstanding Wildlife Sanctuary Award. Since 1982, we have provided lifelong sanctuary to more than 325 wolves and wolfdogs, and much of this work happens far from public view.
Twenty-six of the 43 animals currently in our care are endangered American Red Wolves or Mexican wolves that are part of Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) programs managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These animals must retain natural behaviors for potential release, so they live in remote enclosures and are monitored through cameras rather than in-person contact. In 2024, a Wolf Haven-born American Red Wolf was even released into the wild, where he found a mate and produced two subsequent litters of eight pups (16 pups total)! These litters increased the wild population of this critically endangered species by at least 30 percent.
Successes like this require quiet and stability. For this reason, Wolf Haven closes each spring for two months during wolf whelping season. The closure is essential for our animals’ well-being... but it also means we miss out on peak school field trip season. The Treehouse Learning Center helps us solve this challenge without compromising care. Because it's located away from the main sanctuary route, we will be able to host students year-round, including during spring closures.
The approach is a 250-foot ADA-compliant ramp that rises gradually through Douglas firs and Oregon white oaks. Small interpretive landings along the ramp will feature bilingual signs created in collaboration with the Chehalis Tribe’s Historic Preservation Office, including the Lushootseed names for local plants and wildlife. At the top, a wrap-around balcony will offer views of the prairie, oak woodlands, and a new wolf enclosure built to GFAS standards that is set at an appropriate distance. Inside, the classroom will provide a consistent, dedicated space for hands-on science learning surrounded by the sounds and movement of the sanctuary.
The treehouse will also support another part of our mission. Across the United States, more than 250,000 wolfdogs are kept as pets, often sold without accurate information about their needs. When they reach maturity, most cannot be safely kept in a home and 90 percent are euthanized. Only a small number of sanctuaries can care for them. Wolf Haven is one of them.
A recent 10-year-old wolfdog rescue, Penn, spent his entire life tethered to a short chain on hard dirt. When he arrived at Wolf Haven, he stepped onto grass as if it were unfamiliar. Learning about and seeing animals like Penn remind visitors what responsible care looks like and serve as a strong reminder that wolves do not make good pets. The Treehouse Learning Center will give us a thoughtful environment to share these stories with students.
Working with local tribes, the treehouse will introduce guests to the ecological and cultural history of wolves in North America and in local tribal communities. Together, the treehouse, ramp, enclosure, and Visitor Center will increase our education capacity by 20-40 percent, transform our operations by extending our public visit season, and create a more welcoming experience for students and visitors.
To complete the project, Wolf Haven must raise $850,000. So far, we have secured $380,583 from supporters, including the Ruth Foundation, Michael E. McGoldrick Charitable Foundation, Ronald Woods Charitable Trust, Dawkins Charitable Trust, West Olympia Rotary, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Lucky Eagle Casino, Squaxin Island Tribe, Nisqually Tribe, and Tulalip Tribe. With additional community support, we are prepared to break ground on construction in fall 2026.
Together, we can create a place where students experience firsthand how ecosystems function and why wildlife conservation matters. Join us today to help us close the final fundraising goal. Let’s build a treehouse!
*to view a 3D scale model of our treehouse learning center, stop by our Visitor Center during business hours!
