Trusting Wildness is a forum for thought-provoking writings about wildness and conservation in the 21st century. Through exclusive guest essays and interviews, dynamic contributions from our staff and friends, and influential reprints from Wild Earth journal and other publications, we seek to inspire cutting-edge conversation about humanity’s relationship with the living world. As a valued member of the wildlands community, we invite you to read, reflect on, and respond to our blog posts below. Please pull up a chair and join the discussion!
Through the powerful words and images of his “Lord Man” parable, author Tom Butler implores us that humanity must choose between continuing on its destructive path of overpopulation and overconsumption, or rejoining the community of life on Earth.
The resilience of life on Earth and the wellbeing of humanity depend upon a Whole-Earth approach to preserving a healthy biosphere. Photo: NASA
Wolves returned to the North Cascades 10 years ago. Are we giving them a fair chance?
The U.S. Midwest has long been a hole in visionary maps of a rewilded North America. Wildlands Network’s Executive Director, Greg Costello, says it’s time to to fill in the gap. Photo: Bill Thompson, USFWS
Peter Matthiessen’s classic memoir, “The Snow Leopard,” chronicles Matthiessen’s journey with renowned wildlife biologist George Schaller into the remote mountains of Nepal, where Schaller set out to study the mating behavior of Himalayan blue sheep. This gritty pair of adventurers also hoped to catch a glimpse of the rare and elusive snow leopard—an endangered wild cat native to central Asia who still finds limited refuge in some of the harshest alpine terrain on the planet. Matthiessen’s book begs the question: What does it actually mean to SEE a snow leopard? Photo: Snow Leopard Trust
When you think about wildness today, what does the term—and related terms like wilderness, rewilding, and wild—mean to you? We recently asked this question to each member of the Wildlands Network staff, and share with you a few of the varied responses.
Dr. Bill Lynn, research scientist and thought-leader in the field of ethics and sustainability, is especially passionate about human-animal relations. Through his teachings, writings, and presentations, Bill explores the complicated ethical terrain surrounding our co-existence with wolves and other wildlife, deeply probing the difficult questions of why and how we should care for nature and society. In this essay, Bill urges conservationists to think beyond the fundamental science of rewilding and reconnect with its ethical roots. Photo: J. Henry Fair
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., best remembered for his life-changing work and speeches on civil rights, understood the interconnected nature of existence. Only with a global perspective and a common understanding that our shared Earth should be protected can we honor Dr. King’s legacy and take the steps to preserve the planet for future generations. Photo: Dick DeMarsico, World Telegram staff photographer
To bridge the divide between Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, grizzly bears must reckon with roads, housing developments, agriculture and private property rights. The way things are going, these bears will likely face these obstacles without protections under the ESA. We must demand that our elected officials protect what is left of the ESA. Photo: William C. Gladish
In celebration of Thanksgiving, Wildlands Network would like to share the following words of inspiration from writer Terry Tempest Williams. Photo: William C. Gladish
Wildlands Network is pleased to announce our upcoming new blog series, “Trusting Wildness.”
With a nostalgic nod to Wild Earth journal, Trusting Wildness will provide an intellectual home for the blending of conservation biology, activism, and ethics. Photo: William C. Gladish