The Pennsylvania Dutch Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Wolf Sanctuary of PA have joined forces to hold virtual 5K and 15K events during the month of June. Horse-Shoe Trail District executive Nicole Welch reports that there is a unique connection between the two organizations.

"(The sanctuary) is close enough to (Camp Mack) that we can occasionally hear the wolves howling at night," reported Welch. "Whenever the wolves howl and our Cubs hear it that is really a special moment for them."

The council and sanctuary are encouraging those who wish to participate in the event to run, walk, bike, or hike the 5K or 15K distance on a track or at a trail while following social distancing guidelines. "A virtual race is a wonderful event because people can participate from anywhere, and we are doing it more for fun than to win a prize for coming in first," said Welch. Participants are invited to register online for a nominal fee. Registrants will receive an email with a bib they can print out and a link to the Facebook event page where they can share photos and locations from their run.

Welch explained that the Scouting program, which includes more than 2,000 young people in the Lancaster-Lebanon area, encourages giving back to the community. "The Wolf Sanctuary gets most of their funding from their tours, so when we found out they couldn't do that (because of COVID-19 restrictions, we wanted to help)," shared Welch.

The Wolf Sanctuary currently has 57 wolves according to Michelle Mancini, education coordinator. She shared that a number of them come from domestic situations. "Wolves are very loyal," noted Mancini. "One of the biggest issues in a household setting is separation anxiety." She explained that wolves bond fiercely with household members because in the wild, they rely on that bond to survive. "They don't want a human out of their sight, and they develop bad behaviors and that becomes a reason for people to seek rescue." Taking in a new wolf is dependent on a number of factors, including space, resources, and putting together companion wolves at the sanctuary. Although the sanctuary often rescues older wolves, it has also taken in puppies. The sanctuary was founded by Bill and Barbara Darlington when they began rescuing wolves more than 40 years ago.

As Welch mentioned, tours are a major source of income for the sanctuary, and the organization has not been able to draw large numbers due to COVID-19 restrictions. "We have been doing tours by reservation only," explained Mancini, who noted that both daytime and moonlight tours are currently available for small groups. Those who wish to learn more about the sanctuary may visit https://wolfsanctuarypa.org.

Individuals who wish to take part in the 5K or 15K events may register at http://padutchbsa.org/virtualrace/ through Tuesday, June 15.