Shadow Mountain: A Memoir of Wolves, a Woman, and the Wild
In the 1990s, Yellowstone National Park still had every plant and animal species that was present when European settlers first reached North America except for one--the wolf. And that one was a keystone species, a predator whose absence had a significant effect on the workings of the ecosystem. As an undergraduate student, Askins worked at Indiana's Wolf Park on a study of captive wolves and fell in love with an orphaned wolf pup. The plight of this little wolf inspired her to form the Wolf Fund, an organization whose only goal was to return the wolf to Yellowstone. The story of how this goal was finally reached, despite the enmity of ranchers, death threats, illegal killing of the newly released wolves, and the political machinations of western (and some eastern) politicians, is interwoven with meditations on the meaning of wilderness and our connection with nature. Working in the story of her life, the author provides a personal touch that draws the reader in. This celebration of wolves will be popular in all collections.Nancy BentCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.