The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator's Deadly Return to Suburban America

Book Description

"Reads like a crime novel . . . each chapter ends on a cliff-hanging note."—Seattle Times

When residents of Boulder, Colorado, suddenly began to see mountain lions in their backyards, it became clear that the cats had returned after decades of bounty hunting had driven them far from human settlement. In a riveting environmental tale that has received huge national attention, journalist David Baron traces the history of the mountain lion and chronicles one town's tragic effort to coexist with its new neighbors. As thought-provoking as it is harrowing, The Beast in the Garden is a tale of nature corrupted, the clash between civilization and wildness, and the artificiality of the modern American landscape. It is, ultimately, a book about the future of our nation, where suburban sprawl and wildlife-protection laws are pushing people and wild animals into uncomfortable, sometimes deadly proximity.

Customer Reviews:

Beast in the Garden Review.......2007-09-19

Extremely well written. I've recommended this book to all my friends and family.. not only is it intriguing and interesting, but its also incredibly informative. It opens your eyes to issues that you probably have not ever thought of. I'd give this book 10 stars if I could.

Beast in the Garden.......2007-06-27

I read this book because a friend at work had it.
I bought two copies from Amazon after reading it: one for me, and one for a friend researching/photographing mountain lions in South Dakota. I've already loaned out my copy to another friend who lives in Colorado and Nebraska and he said he remembers when the Idaho Springs incident happened.
This book is well written and does read like a detective story - but the reality is chilling. I couldn't stop reading it. I can't wait to read it again.
Thanks to Mr. Baron for such excellent work.
Tim Reigert

I loved this book........2007-03-08

"Beast in the Garden" was an extremely interesting book. It was full of facts and entertaining, although although a bit disturbing, at the same time. I live in an area where there are bears in many back yards and this book really takes a very informed look into the suburban/wildlife dynamic. I would definitely recommend it. My daughter is reading it now.

The Beast is Brilliant.......2007-01-09

This is a simply brilliant exposition of the Boulder that I grew up in. Baron examines the situation well and pays attention to the wildlife issues that were relevant at the time and are still relevant now. A few historical problems do come up, but they are merely anecdotal and hardly detract from the story.

Two things really make this a great book:
-if you're from Boulder or the Front Range, you'll be saying "Oh, I've been there" or "Hey, I know that guy" throughout the whole book.
-this book is action-packed. If they could make a movie out of it, they should.

Most of all, Baron pays attention to the characters and really goes in depth with who they are. I'm mostly interested in wildlife, however I found his portrayal of the people the most exciting.

A Cautionary Tale for Garden Dwellers.......2006-11-03

A fitness freak teenager, Scott Lancaster, skips his lunch period to run - his track a mountain trail just upslope from his Idaho Springs, Colorado, high school. The track lies within a few hundred yards of I-70, not far from Colorado's gambling towns, Central City and Black Hawk, about 40 miles west of Denver. Not unusual behavior for a youngster who often cut classes to go running.

But Scott Lancaster did not come back to school or to home. Two days later, a search team including many of Scott's fellow students, about ready to give up looking, found his brutally assaulted body in heavy underbrush, just off his trail.

A Beast in the Garden killed Scott.

The book tells the tale in a readable way. How the Garden came to be. How the wilderness areas at the edge of human development along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains were set aside as nature preserves in which the Beasts could live undisturbed. How the Beasts' natural predators were driven off. How the Beasts adapted to co-existence with the humans at the edges of the Garden. How the Beasts were seen moving further and further into developed areas like Boulder and Idaho Springs. How the Beasts showed their killer instinct with dogs and cats and sheep and other smaller animals. How the Beasts changed their ways, hunting in broad daylight, killing animals people said it feared. How the Beasts repeatedly attacked humans, even though it was said they would not. How a Beast treed Lynda Walters. How Andy Peterson saved himself by gouging out another Beast's eye. How a Beast killed Scott.

The Beasts in the Garden were mountain lions.

The book is the story of a killing and the hunt for the killer. It is also a story of a young naturalist, Michael Sanders, then of the Boulder County Parks and Open Space District, helping humans learn to live with the raccoons and other small invaders from the Garden. Mountain lion sightings piqued Sanders' fascination for big animals. Sanders and others began to build a systematic knowledge base of verified mountain lion sightings. They showed how the population of mountain lions appeared to be growing. How the sightings were of behaviors that proved more and more dangerous to domestic animals, even to humans. How Sanders warned that mountain lions posed significant danger - and was often ignored.

Finally, the book is a study in eco-sociology. Of the forces that created and still maintain the Garden as a preserve for wilderness creatures. Of the conflicting values of those living on the edge of the Garden, those who would remove mountain lions from the Garden, those whose saw humans as the intruders onto the mountain lions' natural home. It is a story that pits neighbor against neighbor. More instructively, it pits Sanders and his friends against the State and Federal park and wilderness managers. It pits emerging reality against common wisdom.

David Baron is a reporter on science and the environment for National Public Radio who first became interested in the behavior of mountain lions in developed areas while doing a 1996 story on a hiker who was killed by a mountain lion near Auburn, CA. His interest took him to the Garden that is the wilderness near Boulder and to Scott Lancaster's and Michael Sanders' stories. Beast in the Garden is a very good read, a well-written mystery that would be thoroughly satisfying were it not for the macabre reality.

The reality is not unique to Colorado's Front Range. My local newspaper has reported many sightings in the town north of my community, sightings and attacks on sheep, goats, and other small animals. A cashier at the local supermarket lost her dog to a mountain lion that is a frequent visitor in the community 15 miles south of mine. A nearby vineyard owner reports a female that has given birth to twin kits annually for several years. The regional paper has reported mountain lion sightings in urban areas, one just a few blocks from the county's community college. On a recent ten-day swing through the Pacific Northwest, there were reports of mountain lion sightings in developed areas in the Tacoma News Tribune, the Vancouver Sun, the Lewiston, Idaho, Tribune, and the Portland Oregonian.

So reality reminds us that my community, a former sheep ranch of about 3000 acres that has been developed with 2300 properties and more than 1500 acres of common land - forests and meadows - is a Garden, too. We, too, are seeing mountain lions. Not just in the forests, but in our meadows, close to the trails along the ocean bluff. Deer kills are reported routinely. We, too, have lost some of the sheep we keep to reduce fire risk, and there are musings about pets that have gone missing. No attacks on humans - yet.

The lessons in Beast in the Garden do not stop at the Front Range; they are applicable in my community - and maybe yours.

Average customer rating:

A Truly Beautiful Book
Wonderful Majestic Views
Best gift/coffee table book on the CO Rocky Mountains!!!

Colorado Rocky Mountain Wide
Jim Keen
Manufacturer: Keen Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0971335508

Book Description

This Independent Publisher Award Finalist book comes with a companion 1/2 hour video on a CD. The book has unique Panographic Images™ of the Colorado Rockies in all four seasons. The CD has photography tips, back country safety information and Panographic Images™ with great music.

Customer Reviews:

A Truly Beautiful Book.......2002-10-05

This book captures the beauty and spirit of Colorado. Mr. Keen has a rare talent that allows him to transport us to places of extreme beauty through his artistry. An added bonus to this book is the companion cd where he shares his expertise with his readers. If you want to experience Colorado, pick up this book, sit back and enjoy.

Wonderful Majestic Views.......2002-08-28

As a longtime resident of Colorado I have loved looking through the photos of the many places I've hiked and visited over the years. The pictures of the mountains are awesome. When I am citybound, I just pick up the book for a reminder of how wonderful Colorado is. The crispness and color in the book make these photos belive you are right there, standing in the very space the photo was taken. You don't have to live here either to enjoy this book. Many of my out of state relatives love it! Highly recommended!

Best gift/coffee table book on the CO Rocky Mountains!!!.......2002-08-28

I own this great book on the Colorado Rocky Mountains! Every page shows breathtaking pictures in the Colorado Rockies... from quiet streams and meadow wildflowers to the towering aspens and "purple mountains majesty". The best gift/coffee table book that I've seen in a long time and certainly the best of the Colorado books. We were able to see this book and a display of a dozen or more of Jim Keens panagraphic images at Denver International Airport in early 2002. The 3 x 8 foot enlargements were awesome! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book to buy as a gift --- and you'll enjoy it so much you'll buy one for yourself as well.

Where the Rain Children Sleep: A Sacred Geography of the Colorado Plateau

Average customer rating:

A long-awaited new perspective
A Rare Gift
More Than a Sacred Geography

Where the Rain Children Sleep: A Sacred Geography of the Colorado Plateau
Michael Engelhard
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 159228261X

Book Description

An authentic and emotional look at the natural world of the bedrock desert and canyons of Utah and Arizona.

Customer Reviews:

A long-awaited new perspective .......2004-12-03

"Where the Rain Children Sleep" has quickly become one of my most cherished desert books. When something as heavy a a hardback makes it into my list of necessary backpacking items, that says something. What I appreciate the most about Englehard's writing is his gift of a new persepctive to the reader. Some of us have frequented these desert places Englehard writes of, but with eloquence and a spiritual connectedness with the land, Englehard insight is like seeing the desert in new colors. To come upon these desert places again, I think of them differently--that is to say, more spiritually aware and culturally informed. This is a real treat for anyone who considers the Colorado Plateau a place of mind, body, and soul.

A Rare Gift.......2004-08-21

Engelhard's developed and articulate voice proves to be a thoroughly competent guide for a literary journey to the nooks and crannies of the Four Corners region. He has weaved his interest in anthropology and his zest for adventure into a blend that offers readers a unique perspective on equally unique places. I recommend buying two copies of Where the Rain Children Sleep -- one to keep in good shape on your bookshelf, the other to tote around with you on your own adventures.

More Than a Sacred Geography.......2004-07-03

Through masterful prose, Michael Engelhard indelibly paints the landscape of the Colorado Plateau on the canvas of our hearts and minds. Those of us who, like him, love the southwestern desert and its magnificent canyons discover that, indeed, there ARE words to describe what we see, what we feel, and what we take with us from our encounters with this land. His descriptions give voice to our speechlessness in the face of the overwhelming beauty of the landscape.

What began as a plan to hike 120 canyons in tribute to those lost to the damming of the Colorado River at Glen Canyon became, as his subtitle says, a "sacred geography." But it is so much more. It is also an adventure, a personal journey, and a love letter to the physical and spiritual forces that carved these canyons and to those in whose footsteps he walks.

As a reader, I hiked beside him and listened to his heart. I paddled down the Green River with him and felt my shoulders ache from the effort. I marveled at the play of light and shadow on canyon walls. I saw again those canyons I knew, but I saw them with new eyes, and I understood more clearly my own fascination with this land.

Book Description

From the rolling plains of Colorado, dramatic alpine ecosystems arise. Tour the heights of this grand state in this spectacular collection of images and words.

Customer Reviews:

Solid.......2001-10-12

This is one of the better Colorado photography books out there. While the photos are not consistently great, they are consistently good. Wunrow spent a lot of time hiking to remote areas of Colorado, which is to be commended. I do recommend 'Colorado II' by David Muench over this book, but I have ranked 'Mountains of Colorado' as the third best book on my list of 'Best Colorado Picture Books' (which can be seen by clicking on my name and looking at the Listmania lists).

Great Christmas gift.......2000-11-14

I purchased several copies of this book and sent them to my friends and relatives across the country.

Everybody loved it.

Stunning Scenery.......2000-07-08

Catch a glimpse of some of the more rare and overlooked vistas that this amazing state has to offer. Wunrow offers an incredible visual aesthetic in both photography and book design that takes the reader on a voyage to all corners of this wonderfully diverse state. A keen eye for composition, combined with strenuous backcountry hiking to areas unknown to even avid backpackers like myself, the images are striking and sometimes haunting. Former Governor Lamm's essays are engaging and well written, and form a wonderful complement to the photographs. Highly recommended for anyone looking to enjoy the most uniquely magnificent and previously unpublished views of America's most beautiful state.

WUNROW CAPTURES REAL COLORADO MOUNTAIN BEAUTY.......1999-12-11

I moved to Colorado in 1989. Without fail, when friends and relatives come to visit, they marvel at the beauty of the scenery, awesome landscape and amazing sights nature has handmade in Colorado's mountains. This book has made a perfect holiday gift for all those friends and relatives who only dream of being here in Colorado every day! From winter to summer, the Mountains of Colorado has it all! Without a doubt, the most beautiful photpgraphs I have ever seen!

Outstanding photography and essays........1999-11-06

Eric's photography shows his ultimate commitment to artistic perfection. Each photo is a work of art and carefully composed. The essays capture the meaning and beauty of the mountains of Colorado. I am honored to be his uncle.

Klondike & Snow: The Denver Zoo's Remarkable Story of Raising Two Polar Bear Cubs

Average customer rating:

pure perfection!
Heartwarming and Wonderful!
A Teacher's Review of "Klondike and Snow"
A Teacher's Review of "Klondike and Snow"
A Teacher's Review of "Klondike and Snow"

Klondike & Snow: The Denver Zoo's Remarkable Story of Raising Two Polar Bear Cubs
David E. Kenny
Manufacturer: Roberts Rinehart Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570980594

Book Description

The official account of the hand-rearing of two polar bear cubs who captivated the nation.

Customer Reviews:

pure perfection!.......2007-05-12

I had it in just 3 days - from the US to Denmark! Peak performance! And all in time for a very small person'
s B-day!

Heartwarming and Wonderful!.......2000-09-12

Although I did not see the television documentary on these two little darlings, I nevertheless loved the book. Although they are now big bears, the story of little Klondike and Snow's early years is interesting, educational and touching. Abandoned by their mother as cubs, the two bears were raised by humans. This book clearly illustrates the love and devotion of the Denver Zoo towards the cubs' care and development. Klondike and Snow are now thriving at Sea World's Wild Arctic exhibit, were they have plenty of living space and attention!

This book is wonderful for any animal lover and people interested in animal/human interaction.

A Teacher's Review of "Klondike and Snow".......2000-06-21

Anyone who was fascinated by the PBS program on these two polar bears will enjoy this book. It tells the story of their early years before being transfered to the Florida zoo. The photos are amazing! I've used this book as a resource with K-6th graders, and all ages have loved it. The text under the photos is very small and in blue, making it difficult to read, but the main text is fine, and otherwise the book is wonderful. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in these two very special bears.

A Teacher's Review of "Klondike and Snow".......2000-06-21

Average customer rating:

Great Hunting & Fishing Resource
Perfect!
Hunting and fishing guide, not a wildlife guide
Guide to Colorado State Wildlife Areas
wildlife guide welcome addition to sportsman library

Guide to Colorado State Wildlife Areas
Dennis McKinney
Manufacturer: Westcliffe Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565794257

Customer Reviews:

Great Hunting & Fishing Resource.......2007-02-19

This resource takes the guesswork out of visiting the various state wildlife areas in Colorado. I have already found several new favorite places to hunt, fish, and camp. Every Colorado outdoorsman should own this book.

The pictures and information are great, and the way the book is organized makes finding the various SWA's in your area easy. My only complaint is that I wish there was more information on each area. The addition of maps of each SWA would make this book perfect.

Perfect!.......2004-06-05

I gave the binding of this book a good workout the first day I received it. Dennis McKinney gives a wealth of information on Colorado's SWAs. I moved from the Upper Penninsula of Michigan to Colorado Springs and was wondering where I could hunt deer, elk, waterfowl, and small game (This book is going to have me doing more fishing too). This book gave me exactly what I needed. It provides sizes, locations and directions, type, quality of fishing and hunting, and regulations of all State Wildlife Areas. He even provides useful tips like maybe needing a 4WD vehicle to access certain areas. If you want to hunt and/or fish in Colorado and are wondering where to go, start with this book. Contains many nice color photos as well.

Hunting and fishing guide, not a wildlife guide.......2001-12-02

Hunting and Fishing is the focus of this guide. Wildlife viewing is a third, but more distant focus. The list of wildlife often refers you to the birds and animals listed under hunting. This guide could have been so much more if there had been better and more detailed wildlife information. I would have also enjoyed information on habitat and plants. On the other had this guide does a good job on the rules, camping information, directions and has some interesting general information. I imagine that fishing and hunting enthusiasts would love this guide. As a wildlife enthusiast I am moderately disappointed.

Guide to Colorado State Wildlife Areas.......2001-11-20

This book is excellent. The writing is superb and the photography exceptional. I ordered a copy for myself, and I am now purchasing extra copies for Christmas presents.

wildlife guide welcome addition to sportsman library.......2001-11-16

Dennis McKinney's "Gude to Colorado State Wildlife Areas" is a terrific resource for those who hunt, fish, and otherwise enjoy Colorado Wildlife areas. It is the first compendium that I am aware of which lists all of the wildlife areas and provides good directions to them. Some of these areas have been difficult to locate before this book came out, so it's worth the money if that was all it did.
There's much more than directions The "Guide" provides a synopsis of the kind of terrain and cover found in each wildlife area, and which kinds of activities are allowed, or desired. It also lists the size of the areas and other public areas nearby.
It's also nicely illustrated...many of the photos are quite lovely.

A Magic Web: The Forest of Barro Colorado Island

Average customer rating:

Six Stars would be Better

A Magic Web: The Forest of Barro Colorado Island
Egbert G. Leigh
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195143280

Book Description

The tropical forest of Panama's Barro Colorado Island is a luxuriant community of plants and animals, pulsating with life and offering an astonishing view of nature's myriad processes. What does the forest look like? How do the activities of this forest's plants and animals create a community? Now, in A Magic Web, photographer Christian Ziegler and ecologist Egbert Leigh invite readers to enter the marvelous world of Barro Colorado Island. This book provides a unique combination of the spectacular photography of a picture-book and clear, authoritative text written by an active scientist who has spent half a lifetime trying to understand tropical forests. The photographs provide views of the forest and its spectacular diversity of inhabitants, and show many of the activities that give the forest its character and lend structure to its community. Drawing on decades of work on Barro Colorado Island, Egbert Leigh explains how the forest works. The photographs and text reveal the many ways its plants and animals compete with but also depend on each other: the contrasts between solitary cats and intricately organized armies of ants; the different ways plants struggle for a place in the sun, and the ways these plants attract, or domesticate, animals to pollinate their flowers. Finally, the authors show why this, and by implication all other, tropical forests matter to the people who live near them and to the world at large, what we can learn from these forests, and how they differ from temperate-zone forests. Full of gorgeous full-color photographs accompanied by clear and accessible text, A Magic Web is a must for anyone planning to visit a tropical forest, and for all those who only wish they could.

Customer Reviews:

Six Stars would be Better.......2003-03-17

The pictures are really extrodinary and the text is very readable and understandable. I don't tire of looking at the photos over and over.

Colorado Nature Almanac: A Month-By-Month Guide to the State's Wildlife and Wild Places

Average customer rating:

How can a book like this be missed...

Colorado Nature Almanac: A Month-By-Month Guide to the State's Wildlife and Wild Places
Stephen R. Jones , and Ruth Carol Cushman
Manufacturer: Pruett Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0871088835

Customer Reviews:

How can a book like this be missed..........1999-02-19

Shows nature both from its natural side as also the vividness of imagination.

Audubon Guide to the National Wildlife Refuges: Rocky Mountains: Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming (Audubon Guides to the National Wildlife Refuges)

Average customer rating:

Brief and to the Point

Audubon Guide to the National Wildlife Refuges: Rocky Mountains: Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming (Audubon Guides to the National Wildlife Refuges)
John Grassy , and Theodore Roosevelt
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312245742

Amazon.com

Once remote but now among the fastest-growing regions in the country, the five Rocky Mountain states--Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming--contain 22 of the nation's more than 300 wildlife refuges that are open to the public. Some, such as Idaho's Camas National Wildlife Refuge, protect endangered habitat (in this case, the wetlands of the Snake River). Others, such as the 18,000-acre National Bison Refuge west of Missoula, Montana, and the National Elk Refuge near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are devoted (but not limited to) single species that were once at the brink of extinction. Naturalist John Grassy tours each of the refuges in this well-written guidebook, offering notes on the animals and plants found within them and suggesting walking and driving itineraries for visitors. --Gregory McNamee

Customer Reviews:

Brief and to the Point.......2003-06-04

This guidebook will help you to find each of the National Wildlife Refuges operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, in the Rocky Mountain states. There are a 3-4 pages for each refuge, focusing on its history, directions to get there, opportunities for driving, walking, and bicycling in the refuge, and a discussion of major wildlife species protected by each refuge, as well as some of the political issues surrounding certain refuges. I had hoped for some general information on Rocky Mountain wildlife; the book was not at all helpful for that, and had very few pictures or photgraphs of wildlife, but it did alert me to a refuge along the route of my upcoming vacation. So without the book I would have missed an opportunity for some spectacular wildlife viewing with only a 27-mile detour. The book accomplishes its purpose very well; I gave it only three stars because that purpose is very limited.

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