In Wolves, Grizzlies, and Greenhorns -- Death and Coexistence in the American West, Werner recounts the two-and-a-half years he spent tracking down and looking after a wolf pack that was rumored to have settled in the Centennial Valley of southwest Montana. Along the way he encounters and reflects on the lives of other animals, including deer, elk, fox, coyote, skunks, and grizzly bears. But he also encounters other humans too-ranchers, hunters, land and wildlife managers, cowboys-who offer their own, often conflicting perspectives about the natural world, other animals, and how both ought to be treated.
In the wild, wide-open landscapes of the American West, how animals are treated depends on the stories people tell about them, as well as on their ability to steer clear of humans and their livestock-no easy task for animals that are running out of places to go!
The story of conflict between humans and wildlife is as old as humanity. But the landscapes of today bear little resemblance to the landscapes of the past. Over the last several hundred years, human consumption, development, greed, and over-population have increasingly displaced large predators. We need new, more nuanced, compassionate, empathetic stories, Werner argues; stories that recognize our place within the natural order, and the value of wild places and other animals' right to live free of human interference. Wolves, Grizzlies, and Greenhorns - Death and Coexistence in the American West is one of those stories.
