Did you know that a mountain lion, known as P-22, lives in the middle of Los Angeles? Did you know that on the Facebook campus in Silicon Valley, Mark Zuckerberg and his staff have provided a home for an endearing family of wild gray foxes? Or that wolves have returned to California after a 90-year absence, led by the remarkable journey of the wolf OR-7? The important book When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors: People and Wildlife Working It Out in California (Heyday, $18) shares dozens of stories highlighting the work of individuals, groups, organizations and communities throughout California that help foster place-based connections for wildlife to thrive alongside people, even in highly urbanized areas. The author receives no royalties from this book, and proceeds will benefit the National Wildlife Federation’s conservation work in California.
The book, created in partnership with Heyday and the National Wildlife Federation, written by National Wildlife Federation’s California Director, Beth Pratt-Bergstrom, is an entertaining read of true tales about people and wildlife championing a new paradigm for conservation: coexistence.
“The truth is that we can each play an important role in ensuring a bright future for wildlife, no matter where we live, and these California stories serve as examples of how we can each take action, from anywhere across our country and around the world,” says Collin O’Mara, President, CEO, National Wildlife Federation.
Many do not realize that California, with its many successful wildlife stories, provides a great example in understanding ways that people can conserve and better co-exist with wildlife that can function as a model worldwide. This “new nature” is personal, urban, social, and diverse, and California has given birth to it.
“When the number-one threat to wildlife worldwide is loss of habitat, we can no longer think of our cities or towns or neighborhoods, or even our backyards, as exempt from the natural world—or as off-limits to wildlife,’ says Beth Pratt-Bergstrom. “We need to expand our view and realize that our shared spaces are as essential to conservation as our traditional protected lands. We need to create a new model of suburban and urban wildlife refugia.”
Pratt-Bergstrom has worked in environmental leadership roles for more than 25 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.” Indeed! Connect with Beth at BethPratt.com.
Books will be sold in bookstores, libraries, museums, parks and other retail locations. It will also be sold on IndieBound.com, Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com, as well as on the National Wildlife Federation’s site (NWF.org) and Heyday’s (HeydayBooks.com).