“What We Talk About When We Talk About Coexistence,” California Fish & Wildlife Journal, Summer 2021
If a perfect poster-animal for human-wildlife coexistence ever existed, it’s P-22, the famous mountain lion living under the Hollywood sign. Often called the ‘Brad Pitt of the cougar world’—they are both ruggedly handsome, beloved around the globe, and challenged with their dating lives—P-22 made a miraculous journey and crossed two of the busiest freeways in the country to make a home in Griffith Park, where he has roamed since 2012, coexisting peacefully with the over 10 million visitors a year, and remaining largely unseen as befitting his species nickname, “ghost cat.” Occasionally he makes an appearance on the Ring doorbell cam of one of the homes surrounding Griffith Park—the footage from these encounters is widely shared on social media with the same excited and reverent tones a devoted fan would use upon meeting Mr. Pitt.
“What Wildlife Can Teach Us About Aging,” All Ageless,” April 2020
“We tend to regard aging as a uniquely human thing. While it’s true Homo sapiens today possess the “luxury we can show this much aging without getting eaten by a tiger,” as biologist Annette Baudisch observes, some wildlife species also enjoy their golden years. Scientific research has revealed that animals live much more complex lives than previously thought, some possessing emotional intelligence, societal structures, and robust cultures. And they also can become senior citizens, and I am sure, just like humans, annoy their progeny with stories about the “old-timey days.”
“The Tragic and Avoidable Death of Mountain Lion P 56,” The Local Malibu, February 2020
“P-56 roamed in the western edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. In videos he comes across as playful, and in a photo of him peacefully napping, he looks like he is living his best mountain lion life. His mother, P-23, was killed by a car—another senseless and preventable death. P-56 managed to survive to age five in this challenging urban environment–living in one of the most densely populated areas in the country—where most of his male relatives don’t live past age two. He likely sired at least one litter of kittens with P-19, who is also his grandmother, demonstrating yet another threat these cats face in the area—inbreeding.”
“Why did the mountain lion cross the road? So he wouldn’t go extinct,” USA Today/Desert Sun, October 2019
“Mountain lions are survivors — resilient and strong animals once inhabiting the most extensive range of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Lithe and muscular, they can bound 40 feet while running and leap 15 feet high from standing. They down much larger prey like elk and deer in a matter of seconds. This formidable cat can make it in any type of environment, from deserts to coasts, to high-altitude mountain ranges.
What they may not be able to survive is us.”
“We shouldn’t celebrate the killing of a mountain lion,” High Country News, March 2019
“Why do we keep perpetuating this feud between wildlife and people, encouraging unwarranted fear? I am not asking us to judge or condemn either party. Instead, let’s rewrite the headline: “Man kills immature mountain lion in self-defense, after starving animal attacked him.” For wildlife to have a future in our increasingly human-occupied spaces, we need to start regarding wild animals (even predators), not as foes, but as Henry Beston calls them: “Other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth."
“Where the Wild Things Are,” Earth Island Journal, June 2016
“I, for one, believe cities and nature can mix and need to mix for wildlife to have a future. We need to foster a daily relationship with our wild, nonhuman kin. It’s not about habituating wildlife to us, but about habituating ourselves to the wild world.”
“Tattoo For A Lonely Cougar,” Boom California, Winter, 2014
“I showed Luis the most famous photo of P22 in front of the Hollywood Sign, from National Geographic. Luis designed a tattoo that paid homage to the cat’s spirit—and of such fine detail that his eyes leap out at you from my arm. I couldn’t be happier. It’s a permanent reminder of my life’s work. As a traditional Samoan tattoo artist sings, “Your necklace may break, the fau tree may burst, but my tattooing is indestructible. It is an everlasting gem that you will take into your grave.”
“The Geology of Wildflowers,” Yellowstone Discovery, Fall 2009
“We appreciate wildflowers for their handsomeness; we should also appreciate them as chroniclers of time and place. Beyond their aesthetic value, wildflowers tell us a fascinating story, acting as interpreters of the natural world they inhabit. A population of flowers can reveal ancient tales of the landscape, dating back millions of years, and provide us with lessons in geology, climate, wildlife biology, fire history and other scientific information.”
“The Sierra Wave,” Yosemite Journal, Spring 2002
“The sky expresses itself in a poetry of clouds . That poetry resounds with a nautical flavor, for the sky is an ocean of air, an ocean we tend to forget for its invisibility . This sea of air does reveal itself in the clouds at times, its complex- ities and motions made perceptible. In a sense, clouds are the waves of the air, the visible manifestations of the atmospheric tide.”