Safeguarding Our Public Lands
Latest Post: For our final Trusting Wildness post of the year, we leave you with Peter Metcalf's inspirational tribute to (and plea for the continued protection of) America's public lands. Photo: George Wuerthner
Trusting Wildness
Trusting Wildness is a forum for thought-provoking writings about wildness and conservation in the 21st century. 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!
Carnivores in the City: Making Friends with Our Wild Neighbors
Dr. Robert Long, Senior Conservation Scientist with Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, reminds us that being neighborly to urban carnivores is good for them AND us. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo
Of Horses, Humans, and Mountain Lions, Part II
In Part II of this essay, Kim Crumbo argues that native predators could, and should, play a key role in wild horse management. Photo: Bureau of Land Management
Of Horses, Humans, and Mountain Lions, Part I
In this 2-part essay, Kim Crumbo ventures into the complicated ethical terrain of wild horses in the American West. Photo: Bureau of Land Management
Rewilding Literature
In this republished essay, author Paula MacKay explores how writers can use their prose to promote compassion for carnivores. Photo: Arizona Historical Society
Coyote Champion: An Interview with Camilla Fox
In this exclusive interview, conservationist Camilla Fox discusses her new film about wildlife killing contests and her work to protect coyotes and other carnivores.
Grappling with the Ethics of Wildlife Encounters Abroad, Part II
In Part II of this series, Wildlands globetrotter Katy Schaffer considers the ethics of animal encounters she experienced while traveling in Europe. Photo: Katy Schaffer
Grappling with the Ethics of Wildlife Encounters Abroad, Part I
In Part 1 of this 2-part series, Wildlands Network’s Katy Schaffer grapples with the ethical complexities of her hands-on wildlife encounters in Asia and Australia.
Giving Animals a Voice: Letters from an Ashland Deer
When fellow (human) residents of Ashland, Oregon, proposed culling their local deer population, author John Yunker ghost-wrote letters to the editor—in the voice of the deer! Yunker’s essay about creating these letters was published in “Writing for Animals,” published by Ashland Creek Press in 2018.
We Only Protect What We Love: Michael Soule On The Vanishing Wilderness
In this probing interview originally published by The Sun magazine, Leath Tonino prompts preeminent conservation biologist Dr. Michael Soule to share his astute insights on wild nature, human nature, and the perilous ground where the two conflict in the contemporary world. Photo: Paula MacKay
Rewilding and Deep Ecology: A Tribute to Dolores LaChapelle
Mountaineer and ecophilosopher Dolores LaChapelle was a pioneer of deep ecology. In this tribute to her work, we explore the relationship between deep ecology and rewilding. Photo: Margot Early
Can Agriculture and Biodiversity Coexist? Still an Open Question
Paleontologist Catherine Badgley revisits the question, “Can biodiversity and agriculture coexist?” 20 years after she first explored this complex territory in Wild Earth journal. Photo: Catherine Badgley
Seeking Wildness in Iowa
Wildlands Network’s Rebecca Hunter reflects on the meaning of wildness in the agricultural lands of Iowa, where rivers present critical opportunity for connectivity planning. Photo: Tom Zittergruen
Can We Rewild Nature without Rewilding Ourselves?
“Just for a minute, imagine a world where we truly recognized the intrinsic worth of all species.” Greg Costello explores rewilding as a personal journey and a conservation strategy. Photo: Greg Costello
State Wildlife Agencies Should Protect ALL Wildlife
The U.S. has implemented some of the world’s most comprehensive conservation legislation, yet 1 in 5 species is at risk of extinction. Conservation biologist Dr. Fred Koontz advocates a national movement to transform our state wildlife agencies. Photo: Robert Long