A wild gray wolf traveled over 500 miles from the Great Lakes region and was found in Cherry Valley, New York—the first confirmed sighting south of the St. Lawrence River in decades. DNA tests proved it wasn’t a coyote or hybrid, but a true wolf, stirring up big questions about wildlife in our area. With wolves legally protected but often mistaken for coyotes, local hunters and officials are rethinking how to track and report these rare visitors. Could this mean wolves are starting to return to New York’s forests? What would that mean for our ecosystem and local communities? #Science #NewYork #Wildlife