Staff Report
The Wildling Museum announces its December virtual program, Beth Pratt: The Wild Wonder of California—and Beyond, from 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, December 2. Conservation leader and author, Beth Pratt will share fun tales of wild wonder from California and beyond, sharing photos and videos from her extensive encounters with animals including pika, frogs, mountain lions, bears, and more. Pratt will also provide insight on the importance of fostering a coexistence ethic with wildlife, and what we can do in our own backyard to help wild animals thrive. Pratt will also share an update on the #SaveLACougars campaign and the efforts to build the wildlife crossing at Liberty Canyon, and share some exciting new visualizations of the project.
Attendees will also enjoy participating in a couple of the exercises from Pratt’s new book, I Heart Wildlife: A Guided Activity Journal for Connecting with the Wild World. Be sure to come with questions about your wild neighbors!
A lifelong advocate for wildlife, Pratt has worked in environmental leadership roles for more than 25 years, and in two of the country’s largest national parks, Yosemite and Yellowstone. As the California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, she says, “I have the best job in the world—advocating for the state’s remarkable wildlife.” Beth leads the #SaveLACougars campaign (savelacougars.org) to build the largest wildlife crossing in the world in the Los Angeles area to help save a population of mountain lions from extinction, and her conservation work has been featured by The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC World Service, CBS This Morning, The Los Angeles Times, Men’s Journal, and NPR.
Her new book, “I Heart Wildlife: A Guided Activity Journal for Connecting with the Wild World”, was released in August, and she is also the author of “When Mountain Lions are Neighbors: People and Wildlife Working It Out In California”, published by Heyday Books. She has given a TEDx talk about coexisting with wildlife called, “How a Lonely Cougar in Los Angeles Inspired the World,” and is featured in the documentary, “The Cat that Changed America”. Beth spends much of her time in L.A., but makes her home outside of Yosemite, “my north star,” with her five dogs, two cats, and the mountain lions, bears, foxes, and other wildlife that frequent her backyard.
Indoor museums in the purple tier of covid are required to close once again, so they have shifted back to online only. The museum’s live presentation is limited to the first 100 registrants and a recording of the presentation will be available following the event. Guests may register at: https://wildlingmuseum.org/news/beth-pratt-wild-wonder-of-california
Admission to this event is free, however donations in support of the Wildling Museum’s digital programming efforts are greatly appreciated.
The Wildling Museum’s Zoom lecture series is sponsored by Montecito Bank & Trust.
For more information, email info@wildlingmuseum.org or call (805) 686-8315.
