When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors: People and Wildlife Working It Out in California (Paperback)
Wildness beats in the heart of California's urban areas. In Los Angeles, residents are rallying to build one of the largest wildlife crossings in the world because of the plight of one lonely mountain lion named P-22. Porpoises cavort in San Francisco Bay again because of a grassroots effort to clean up a waterway that was once a toxic mess. And on the Facebook campus in Silicon Valley, Mark Zuckerberg and his staff have provided a home for an endearing family of wild gray foxes. Through actions as sweeping as citizen science initiatives and as instantaneous as social media posts, a movement of diverse individuals and communities is taking action to recast nature as an integral part of our everyday lives. When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors explores this evolving dynamic between humans and animals, including remarkable stories like the journey of the wolf OR-7 and how Californians are welcoming wolves back to the state after a ninety-year absence, how park staff and millions of visitors rallied to keep Yosemite's famed bears wild, and many more tales from across the state. Written by Beth Pratt-Bergstrom of the National Wildlife Federation, these inspiring stories celebrate a new paradigm for wildlife conservation: coexistence.
Beth Pratt-Bergstrom has worked in environmental leadership roles for more than twenty-five years, and in two of the country’s largest national parks: Yosemite and Yellowstone. As the California Director for the National Wildlife Federation, she says, “I have the best job in the world—advocating for the state’s remarkable wildlife.” Her conservation work has been featured by the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, BBC World Service, CBS This Morning, and NPR, and she’s written about wildlife for a variety of publications.
A contemporary and exciting view of conservation that we all can celebrate. --Ed Begley Jr.
When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors focuses on a serious problem by presenting meaningful solutions, and is as enjoyable to read as it is informative. --Jeff Fleischer, Foreword Reviews
Here is a book full of essential wisdom. --Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of The Urban Bestiary: Encountering the Everyday Wild
This delightful book details our ever-evolving relationship with Earth's wildest creatures, promising that peaceful coexistence is possible. --Jennifer Holland, author of the best-selling Unlikely Friendships series
When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors focuses on a serious problem by presenting meaningful solutions, and is as enjoyable to read as it is informative. --Jeff Fleischer, Foreword Reviews
Here is a book full of essential wisdom. --Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of The Urban Bestiary: Encountering the Everyday Wild
This delightful book details our ever-evolving relationship with Earth's wildest creatures, promising that peaceful coexistence is possible. --Jennifer Holland, author of the best-selling Unlikely Friendships series