CALL OF THE WILD

It happened when Beth Pratt was in her 20s.

An East Coast native, she was standing in Yosemite National Park in the wintertime. She built a snowman.

And then came the coyote. It casually strolled by, taking a moment to glance at Pratt. Then it moved on.

“I had never seen a wild coyote before,” she said in an interview last week. “It was the most amazing, magical moment. I couldn’t wait to learn more about this wildlife.”

And so began a journey that continues to this day.

That journey has included everything from leading the charge in building a revolutionary wildlife crossing in Los Angeles to the simple pleasures of watching critters from her backyard in Midpines.

It has also included a 30-plus year odyssey to write a wildlife book focusing on Yosemite National Park.

That long dream is now a reality with the upcoming release of “Yosemite Wildlife: The Wonder of Wildlife in California’s Sierra Nevada,” due out Oct. 28.

“How can Yosemite not change your life course?” asked Pratt rhetorically.

The ultimate goal

“I started realizing over time that nobody had written about wildlife in Yosemite,” she said. “It was mind boggling to me.”

Actually, someone had written about wildlife in Yosemite — in 1924.

Joseph Grinnell and Tracy Irwin Storer published “Animal Life in the Yosemite” back in the 20s.

“I literally wrote in my journal that I wanted to write a book,” said Pratt, speaking of those younger years.

Eventually, “that became part of the quest. Yosemite needs an update. They became my inspiration and role models.”

She calls the new book, which weighs in at over five pounds, “a combination of my wonder of wildlife and honoring these scientists.”

But she realized how Grinnell and Storer researched and wrote the book was not going to work in her case. You see, she has this day job thing going on called being the California Director for the National Wildlife Federation.

It’s a big job.

Yet deep inside, Pratt knew she had to figure out a way.

Grinnell and Storer spent four to five years inside of Yosemite observing wildlife in preparation for their book.

“I didn’t have the luxury of doing that,” she said.

But she also realized that was going to be the only way she could even come close to matching — and updating — what they had produced.

“I need to be out there learning about the wildlife and be a part of this,” she said. “I knew it was going to take time. I kept getting worried that someone else would write a book.”

To do that, Pratt has spent “thousands of hours just being out there observing the animals.”

Many of those observations are included in the book.

Some of those hours, many in fact, have been spent in the higher elevations of Yosemite. That is her summertime focus.

An example of what she discovered happened just last summer when she was looking for fall butterflies. She was at about 11,000 feet and walked near a tree.

“A raptor comes out of there and I think it’s a prairie falcon,” she said. “But it lands about 50 feet from me.”

“Is that a burrowing owl?” she asked herself.

Indeed it was.

“It’s like one of the rarest things to see.”

She said there has only been one other recorded sighting of one in the last 50 years. And for her, it so happened to be on the same day 50 years later.

Many inspirations

Although many people have inspired Pratt over the years — and still do to this day — there is one person who made her get actual butterflies in her stomach.

Jane Goodall, the legendary environmentalist who lived with apes and became a revolutionary figure in the animal science world. Goodall died just a few weeks ago at age 91.

“I got to meet her five years ago,” gushed Pratt. “Since I was a little girl, she has been my hero.”

She called news of her death “heartbreaking,” saying Goodall “always had a profound effect on me. She showed a new way toward conservation. We don’t think of these animals as things, which is a big part of my book.”

In fact, Pratt said she does not use the term “it” to reference animals anywhere in the book.

“These are beings,” she said.

Goodall once said it was her dogs that made her realize animals have feelings, felt pain and much more.

Though certainly not planned, Pratt is hopeful her book, in some ways, honors the legacy of Goodall.

“It is part of the web of living,” she said.

Pratt said she has a group of mountain lions on her property and she has observed one of them bringing the kittens close enough she could see.

“I want people to stop seeing wildlife as pests,” she said. “They are not a nuisance.”

A picture tells a thousand words

Another crucial part of doing the book was getting the right photography — not an easy task.

“I thought I would use a bunch of photographers,” said Pratt.

But then Robb Hirsch approached her about writing an essay for his book.

“I think he is really a talented photographer,” said Pratt.

He asked her if she had enough photos and the discussion eventually turned to him doing the majority of the photos for the book.

That also helped lead to getting the Yosemite Conservancy involved with the book.

In 2021, the officials from the Yosemite Conservancy read Pratt’s book proposal “and gave an enthusiastic yes to the book. I cannot express enough gratitude to the Yosemite Conservancy for not just investing in this book, but also investing and trusting my vision.”

Part of that commitment was allowing Pratt’s extensive use of Hirsch for the photography.

“In some respects, this is the perfect home,” she said of the conservancy. “This is part of their charge.”

It also means that proceeds from the book will go back into Yosemite, a real bonus in the eyes of Pratt.

Pratt said though the majority of the photos were taken by Hirsch, some were taken by others and she is “grateful to all of them” for helping with the project.

The day arrives

For any author, writing and putting together a book is one thing, but when the first printed copy arrives, the emotions run high.

That happened for Pratt recently when a package arrived at her Midpines door — more than 30 years after she had conceived the book concept.

“It was an amazing moment,” said Pratt. “It was 30 years. It was magical. It is a beautiful book.”

As she held up the book during a Zoom call for this interview, it was evident the printing was top quality, as well as the layout and photography.

“I wanted it to be like books I read as a kid,” said Pratt.

She admits it’s “not a book you might read from cover to cover,” rather, people may go to certain sections to learn about various animals.

“You can choose an animal to look at,” she said.

During that same interview, Pratt held up another book entitled, “Marvels and Mysteries of our Animal World.”

It’s one of those books that inspired Pratt decades ago — and continues to inspire her.

She even incorporated some of the design elements of that book.

“It’s about having some fun and getting into their lives,” she said of the animals featured in the book. “I felt we did it. It’s beautiful.”

Another important aspect for Pratt was to make the book “accessible. I didn’t want it to look like a science textbook, even though there’s a lot of science in here.”

She said the book is for “a multitude of audiences.”

That can include researchers who come to Yosemite, or simply people who are visiting the park. It can include school students or wildlife rangers or just about anyone.

“Even if you just like wildlife in the Sierra,” she said.

She did stress that scientists who work in Yosemite reviewed the book for accuracy, something she felt important.

Bigger issues

Ironically, after all those years, when Pratt arranged to have a book launch event inside of Yosemite, the government shutdown was announced.

Her event was canceled.

“Of course I was disappointed,” said Pratt. “But I was more mad for the park rangers and the park. Our book party was a small part. I am more angry they are treating our park rangers and our park like that.”

For one, said Pratt, “we shouldn’t be shutting down the park and putting those people on furlough.”

She also thinks the “park gates should be shut” during the shutdown. “These people in power want their cake and eat it too.”

Pratt said she is sympathetic to business and lodging owners, “but maybe if they stood up said this isn’t okay” it would be different.

“If there is one thing all Americans agree on it’s our national parks,” said Pratt.

Pratt has nothing but praise for the people who make Yosemite tick.

“All of the rangers I work with are all dedicated public servants,” she said, emphasizing they are not making a huge amount of money because they do it for their love of nature.

She believes the budget cuts already aimed at the park service have done damage and fears more is coming.

She called the government shutdown of 2018 a prime example, especially the bears.

“I think the bears are the best example,” she said.

During that shutdown, trash collection was nearly nonexistent and the bears were digging and scouring everywhere.

Until the weren’t.

“Once a bear gets into the trash because the trash is not emptied or rangers are not there to educate the public, that bear is going to be dead,” said Pratt.

She said “if a meadow gets damaged, it doesn’t come back.”

Pratt said national parks are national treasures.

“These parks are special and we, as the public, have a particular responsibility,” said Pratt. “These are the pinnacles of protection of wildlife in this country.”

She’s hoping her book will be an inspiration for others to take an interest in wildlife and learn their importance.

“I hope this book inspires,” she said.

An official date

Although it rained on her first official book event, Pratt said there is another one scheduled.

That will be held on Dec. 9 at the library in Mariposa.

Pre-orders of the book are happening now. They are available through many outlets like Amazon and more, but Pratt encourages people to pre-order through the Yosemite Conservancy “if you want the most money to go back to the park.”

The book is $60 and has 456 pages — a large hardcover with a wide range of information and photography.

Highlights include:

• 150-plus species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects

• 300-plus photographs and archival images

• Commonly and rarely seen animals

• Rewilding success stories

• Profiles of the park scientists and others who protect wildlife

Pratt also had high praise for the people of Mariposa County, who she said have been supportive over the years.

“People report sightings to me and share photos with me,” she said. “The people are wonderful and they care about the wildlife of the Sierra Nevada.”

About Beth Pratt

Beth Pratt, wildlife advocate and author, has worked in environmental leadership roles for over 30 years, and in two of the country’s largest national parks: Yosemite and Yellowstone.

Pratt leads the National Wildlife Federation’s #SaveLACougars campaign to build the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing outside of Los Angeles.

Her innovative conservation work has been featured by the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, BBC World Service, CNN, CBS This Morning, the Los Angeles Times, Men’s Journal, the Guardian, NPR, AP News and more.

She is also the author of I Heart Wildlife and When Mountain Lions are Neighbors.

Pratt makes her home outside of Yosemite, her “north star,” with her dogs and cats, and the mountain lions, bears, foxes, frogs and other wildlife that frequent her backyard.

About Robb Hirsch

Robb Hirsch studied ecology and worked as a field biologist for the California State Parks, USGS and private biology firms prior to his nature photography career. He publishes his images in books, calendars and magazines and leads photography workshops throughout the Sierra Nevada.

His primary focus is using quality imagery for outreach, education and conservation, facilitating a deeper appreciation of the natural world. Robb is the author/photographer of The Nature of Yosemite: A Visual Journey.

He and his wife, Regina, own Mountain Sage, a gallerycafé plant nursery in the Yosemite gateway community of Groveland, where he lives.

About Yosemite Conservancy

Yosemite Conservancy helps visitors connect with Yosemite through adventures, volunteering, philanthropy and the arts. It’s the only nonprofit dedicated solely to supporting Yosemite National Park, and funds grants to improve trails, restore habitat, protect wildlife and inspire the next generation of nature lovers.

Yosemite Conservancy Publishing has been publishing Yosemite books, maps and guides since the 1920s. Today, it focuses on publications that support the conservancy’s mission of educating and inspiring people to preserve Yosemite and enrich the visitor experience. Learn more at yosemite.org