That Yellowstone Summer: A Novel Inspired By Actual Events

The building also houses offices, editing, a huge wardrobe department and construction shops. And several of the rooms have been re-created on the Park City soundstages. Those are massive trees shipped in from Montana. These are not flimsy, cardboard sets. The rooms are solid, and they feel lived in, with family photos on the walls, stuff left lying around and, in the bunkhouse, cigarettes and peanuts and doughnuts amid the mess.

On Thursday, the crew was hard at work positioning a helicopter — a real, full-sized helicopter that was dwarfed by the soundstage. It offers everything I want — except surfing.

Most of the member crew, several of the actors and all the extras are Utahns. On any given day, the number of extras ranges from a handful to Some crew members, like Rice, are Southern Californians who came to Utah to work on the show. To date, Paramount estimates the money the production has spent in Utah includes:. Once everything is totaled, that rebate can be up to 25 percent of the production costs. Production on Season 1 is expected to be completed before Christmas.

No premiere date has been announced, but early summer appears to be the best bet. Legal Notices Obituaries Jobs. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to living with predators, but here are some of the nonlethal methods Predator Friendly producers employ: Products sold from the Predator Friendly website include beef, bison, goat, lamb, turkey, eggs, and honey as well as sheep and cattle breeding stock. To check out the Predator Friendly website: The principal author is Suzanne Asha Stone.

Contributors include Carter Niemeyer, Linda Thurston and others. He is the author of the Amazon bestseller In the Temple of Wolves. Available as eBook or paperback at http: Or as a signed copy from Rick at http: I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's an incredibly well told story about a pack of wolves, particularly focused on the alpha female, in Yellowstone National Park. But it's also so much more than that.

It's about people who are passionate about something, about fighting for what you love, about educating others, and how all three of these things combine to really make a difference in the world. And even if that difference seems small, it can have a great impact on a person's life. I love I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I love that about this story, on top of just being thoroughly entertained by the story of the wolves and learning more about them.

I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for a microhistory that will probably be unlike anything you've ever read before. Blakeslee is a writer-at-large for Texas Monthly. The Washington Post called it one of the most important books about wrongful convictions American Wolf: The Washington Post called it one of the most important books about wrongful convictions ever written.

The America used to be home to half a million of wolves. Eradication programs were so successful that by there was only a handful left in Northern Minnesota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In , wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. Removing the wolves, originally, seemed to be a way to protect the herbivore populations. People came to the park to see the elk and surrounding areas counted on elk to supplement their meat intake and an economy grew around lodges and supporting businesses that relied on elk hunters from outside the areas.

Ranches, too, had pushed for the eradication wolves to protect their cattle. Yellowstone, however, was having a problem. Overpopulation of elk stripped vegetation forcing out other species. The wolves were brought in from Canada and corralled in the park to help build a sense of home and territory.

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They took to their new home, reproduced, and formed packs. The wolf population spiked and the elk population dropped; soon a natural equilibrium was established. Rick McIntyre was the park ranger who took to the wolf program. He went on to watch and compile data on all the packs and some of the individual wolves. To say he was dedicated is an understatement; he reported every single day over a ten year period. Much of what is known about the wolves in Yellowstone is because of McIntyre.

Wolf O-Six is the star of the book. She is an alpha female and part of the third generation born at Yellowstone. Her name O-Six was an identifier of the year of her birth She became a favorite of wolf watchers and also became a social media favorite. Perhaps half the book is dedicated to her and her interactions in with other wolves. The repopulating wolves changed the park. The elk population stabilized and other species returned. Beavers returned and other native species worked their way back in and others grew smaller once the natural balance returned.

The other half of the book concerns politics, ranchers, and local hunting businesses. Wolves are seen as a threat to ranchers and their herds although wolves played a very minor role in the loss of any livestock Local hunting businesses did suffer since shooting elk required some effort. It was no longer as easy as picking one out of a catalog. The politics ranged from a local level to national level and q wolf hunting rider even made its way into a national budget. Wolves were seen as the enemy in areas surrounding the park. The few and impact were irrational and not based on facts.

Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming worked to legalize wolf hunting to ease fears of the locals and it became a long battle between states and the federal government. Blakeslee writes an interesting story that is hard to put down. It is written in narrative fiction style but it does come with a fairly detailed bibliography and broken down by chapters. The writing appears to be factual and based on first-person experiences and observations.

The author does not insert his opinions as facts in the book. A fast-moving piece of nonfiction that reads like a novel. View all 3 comments.

American Wolf

The central focus of this book is the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park and thus the Northern Rockies. By the s wolves had for the most part become extinct in the lower 48 states of the US. In Canadian wolves were brought into Yellowstone Park. The book follows this reintroduction from the mids to The conflict between conservationists, ecologists and environmentalists on one side and hunters, ranchers and miners on the other is the primary focus of this book.

The bo The central focus of this book is the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park and thus the Northern Rockies. The book is less about the species canis lupis. Nor is this a book of nature writing. It is about politics and money and competing interests in relation to wolves. The book flips between court proceedings and political discussions and sections about the wolf packs in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone Park, Wyoming. The author himself mentions that to attract readers there has to be a heartfelt tie to some wolf and that names work better than numbers.

We hear a bit about Limpy, but primarily we follow 0-Six, an alpha female, named for the year of her birth and granddaughter of wolves 21 and 42 who were the stars of those wolves originally brought in from Canada. We follow O-Six, her mate, his brother and three litters. This is a book of non-fiction, but one person goes by the alias Steven Turnbull. His name is changed to protect him. The book concludes with an epilog. The author relates of his meeting with man. No, he still does not regret what he has done. I do think the author makes an attempt to be nonjudgmental, to express the views of opposing camps in a fair and balanced manner, but it is not hard to guess on which side he stands.

I was looking for a book more focused on new research about wolves. That they have cognitive abilities and emotions is shown. The book sheds light on the dissolution and formation of wolf packs and the status of members within. However, I cannot say I learned anything new about wolves. The phenomenon of trophic cascade is mentioned.

Classic wolf literature is referenced. Information is too often repeated. To me this sounded like advertising. The audiobook is narrated by Mark Bramhall. He does a fine job. The information is easy to follow. My only quibble would be that when things go bad he sounds sour and whiny, but in a masculine way. The narration I have given four stars. I do not regret reading this book, but it was not quite what I was looking for. I would have preferred less politics and more about wolves.

View all 22 comments. Who knew wolves were so complex and interesting? I have never looked into wolves or researched them, but I am glad I read this book and learned about what is going on in our country today since the reintroduction of wolves into the Yellowstone area during the mids. I recommend this book to anyone even slightly interested in the topic. By the s, wolves had almost been eradicated from the Lower 48 states. In —6, though, two rival packs were brought in from Canada to repopulate Yellowstone National Park.

Blakeslee gives a panoramic overview of the reintroduction project and the recurring clashes between hunters and biologists about whether wolves should be a protected species. One import By the s, wolves had almost been eradicated from the Lower 48 states. The federal budget snuck in a rider removing wolves from the endangered species list in Montana and Idaho.

The same followed for Wyoming, heralding an open hunting season on wolves for the first time in 50 years. Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck. I had heard about the Yellowstone reintroduction program, but I'm no animal lover so I didn't really think a book about wolves would be all that interesting. But I saw this book on an awards list so I picked it up.

Fast forward to me closing the book, tears in my eyes, and with a new favorite animal. This is a well-written book and I promise it will move you. Honestly, I don't even like dogs, but this book blew me away. I had no idea. One of my favorite reads this year. Have you ever been to Yellowstone? Did you spot a wolf there? This is the fascinating story of the Yellowstone Wolf Project and most especially the life story of O-Six, the great-granddaughter of one of the original wolves reintroduced to the national park in the winter of Yellowstone had been essentially devoid of wolves for almost seven decades.

Their reintroduction has not been without controversy and heated debate with the inevitable conflict between hunters, ranchers, wildlife managem Have you ever been to Yellowstone? Their reintroduction has not been without controversy and heated debate with the inevitable conflict between hunters, ranchers, wildlife management, and environmentalists. Nate Blakeslee delves deeply into the political wrangling and maneuvers that has gone on to decide the issue of allowing the hunting of wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

His story is most interesting when he delves into the personal stories of the people who cared so deeply for these wolves, most especially the park ranger Rick and his sidekick Laurie Lyman, a devoted wolf watcher whose notes Blakeslee relied upon for much of his story. But the stars of the story are really the wolves themselves and most especially O-Six, a powerful gray female with attractive markings that Rick and the watchers enjoyed keeping track of as she found a mate, boldly hunted and fought off members of other packs and eventually raised three litters of pups before her own demise.

The reader gets a fascinating, in-depth look at what the daily of a wolf is like: There is also the villain in the story, in the form of the hunter Steven Turnbull name changed. The debate over whether the hunting of wolves is needed to control their numbers will probably continue but it has been decided that 'wolves belong in the Northern Rockies because they play a vital role in the ecosystem. View all 5 comments. Non-fiction about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone in Wyoming in the mids.

Park ranger Rick McIntyre, after spending time at Denali in Alaska, relocated to Wyoming, and became a diligent wolf observer, documenting wolf behavior over the course of years. The storyline focuses on an alpha female, O-Six the year of her birth , Non-fiction about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone in Wyoming in the mids. The storyline focuses on an alpha female, O-Six the year of her birth , and pack behavior throughout the region. Highlights include the social and family interactions of the pack, territorial aggression, and tracking prey.

I found this book extremely informative and well-written. The author has a knack of converting notes, interviews, and research into a cohesive and compelling story.

American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee

In fact, one of the themes of this book is the impact of storytelling, conveyed through Rick and his interactions with the many visitors to the park. It communicates the passion of the wolf-watchers of Yellowstone, as well as portraying the differing points of view of hunters and ranchers. The book excels when it focuses on O-Six, her pack, and the other Yellowstone packs. I was very interested in the portions on the wolves and animal behavior but less fond of the chapters on politics. Unfortunately, a book of this sort was almost required to delve into the political aspects of wolf-hunting.

The author interviewed one of the wolf hunters and included his viewpoints, assigning him a pseudonym. Even so, the tone is pro-wolf, elucidating the environmental benefits of a thriving ecosystem, complete with both predators and prey, eventually leading to balance. Obviously, in the wild lots of harm comes to animals through a variety of means, so if you are sensitive to animals being injured or killed, you may want to skim or skip certain segments. Recommended to those interested in animal behavior, wolves, or environmentalism.

It is the story of the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park and the battle between state and Federal agencies over wolf hunting. By telling the story of one wolf, O-6, Blakeslee engages the reader's heart and mind while revealing the complicated political process that determines American law that is too often independent of informed knowledge. O-6 became a favorite of wolf watchers and her life is well documented. Blakeslee introduces readers to National Park Service employee Rick McIntyre who every day watched and recorded the activities of the wolves.

And we meet those who rely on elk hunting for income or food or sport and who hate the wolves. The hunters believe that wolves decimate elk herds and that banning any hunting leads to ending all hunting, therefore the end of any need for guns, therefore the banning of guns.

Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone

In other words, they are fighting for their way of life. States arbitrarily determined how many wolves could be taken and how many were 'needed', totally unbased on any scientific understanding. While one Federal agency reintroduced wolves into the Yellowstone ecosystem, another leased land contiguous to the park for ranchers to graze their livestock.

Wolves don't understand imaginary boundaries and often their territory went into non-park land where they could be hunted. When packs are decimated and weak they take easy prey, which include the grazing livestock. The ranchers are then reimbursed for their losses. It is a vicious cycle that makes no logical sense. I was appalled whle learning how Washington politics impacted the Yellowstone wolves. Congress overruled the court regarding the hunting of wolves.

The results were dramatic; flora and fauna flourished as the environment returned to its natural state. Fewer elk ended overgrazing and brought a flourishing of fauna that brought back the beaver and rodents and consquently raptors. Yet no fewer elk were taken in the hunt, it just was not easy to find them.

Legalizing hunting adjacent to the park land was like throwing that money and environmental stability to the wind. Toward the end of the book, Rick realizes that wolf 21 had returned to die where his pack had once ruled.

It puzzled him until he recalled the story of Hachiko, the Japanese Akita who had always waited at the train station for his owner, and after the owner's death had continued to come every day for nine years. Rick said, his voice breaking noticeably. I received a free book through Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. See photos of O-6 at Shumway Photography at http: The Shiba is an ancient breed and according to DNA research is closest to the wolf. Kamikaze had spent seven years as a puppy mill breeder before we adopted her through a rescue shelter.

She was only 14 but had multiple health issues, some the results of bad breeding or early living condition. We lost our Suki, another puppy mill breeder rescue, at age 15 in June. Kamikaze had gone down hill significantly after Suki's loss. Both dogs were blind and spent their time cuddled together, drinking from the same bowl at the same time, and going in and out together.

I won this book in a goodreads drawing. A history of the effort to reintroduce wolves to the Yellowstone area. There's definitely pros and cons to the idea. Blakeslee is firmly in the "pro" camp. A lot of the content seemed familiar to me and I realized that I have probably seen the documentary on the wolves described in the book. The narrative here is told from the perspective of the gaming and hunting community in the area and the wolf preservationists and advocates. One of those advocates is Rick who watches the wolves and follows their lives and informs the public of their habits.

I loved watching through Rick's scope and learning about the mundane and the transcendent scenes. I don't A lot of the content seemed familiar to me and I realized that I have probably seen the documentary on the wolves described in the book. I don't want to give away anything that happens, but let's just say the circle of life endures and most times man intervenes.

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This is written in the style of Hillenbrand or Larson in that it is non-fiction written as fiction. A visceral and dramatic look at the lives, deaths, and empires of Yellowstone's wolves. Animal stories done well are always incredible insights into the world around us. And this is a worthy addition to the catalogue. Based on thousands of hours of observation and a multi-million word journal, you could not get closer to the wolves of the park. She was alone, separated from her pack, racing downhill through a small meadows. Rick instinctively began mapping her escape route, but to his horror he saw immediately that she had none.

Fleeing heedlessly, she had allowed herself to be driven to the edge of out outcrop bordered by a sheer precipice. A True Story of Survival and Obsession in The West, comes complete with extensive Source Notes, an Index, and lengthy acknowledgements for all those who contributed to the work. American Wolf is a work of journalism.

Blakeslee is an award-winning writer who prioritizes facts. Blakeslee tracks the thriving packs in and around Yellowstone National Park. Blakeslee also follows the complicated and the shifting politics and attitudes about the growing population of wolves. The wolf, in the American West, is not a middle-ground issue.

On the other side, all those who support the essence and spirit of the Endangered Species Act with the goal of restoring habitat—all of it—to its natural state. Early superintendents of Yellowstone, Blakeslee points out, finished the work of wolf trappers in the 19th century. O-Six is the chief protagonist. But many other wolves play key roles with their individual quirks and personalities. In turn, beavers thrived with more food. Riverbanks endured less erosion due to the increased vegetation. More wolves meant fewer coyotes. Fewer coyotes meant a burgeoning rodent population, which in turn was good news for the owls, hawks, weasels and foxes.

The list of changes from the re-introduction of this one mammal would be a long one. As with many issues in the American West, the wolf is a hot-button dividing point—science on one side and vested interests on the other. And American Wolf is a terrific, and meaningful, window into a fight that continues to play out get ready, Colorado.

I was in Yellowstone in and saw wolf and his new pups in the Hayden Valley. Learned about his story from our guide who used to work on the Wolf Project. I enjoyed reading this more detailed account of the wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone and hearing for the first time about the ugly political side to the whole thing. As an East coaster and a national park fan I had no idea that so many people hated wolves!

Anyway, I really enjoyed the book, but I think this one probably has a somewhat I was in Yellowstone in and saw wolf and his new pups in the Hayden Valley. Anyway, I really enjoyed the book, but I think this one probably has a somewhat limited audience. Stunningly addictive, this nonfiction account of wolves, Yellowstone and humanity reads like a fictional account of dueling mob families in a turf war. A must-read for nature lovers and hunters alike.

Thanks to Crown Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book for review purposes. Nate Blakeslee has done what very few writers can. I honestly didn't think it was possible for an almostpage tome about wolves to be a page turner, but it truly, truly is. Blakeslee includes just the right balance between the people and politics surrounding the wolves with the actions of the actual wolves to ensure that readers understand just how perilous this animal's survival chances are.

And really, the survival chances of any wild animals in the United States. The stories in this book about Yellowstone and the federal and state agencies regulating the park and wildlife honestly make me despair about the way our nation is run on an entirely new level. Bureaucracy trumps nature at every single turn, but the hearts of those dedicated to protecting wolves give me hope. Required reading for nature lovers, hunters, and anyone who loves quality nonfiction. This is one of the best out there. Now, a little bit about my background coming into this book so you can understand my unbridled love for it.

First of all, I read National Geographic cover to cover every single month. The arrival of this book in my household as an advance copy was a cause for great celebration, and I can not wait for my husband and son to get to share it next. One of my favorite reads of Yellowstone has the remarkable denotation of being one of my favorite places that I have ever been.

It is a vast wilderness with acres and acres of untouched land. It has plains and mountains, hot springs and geysers. It is a beautiful place filled with animals. Although Yellowstone is a park, national parks are not cut off from the surrounding land and so "American Wolf" is the history of the removal and eventual reintroduction of the wolf from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Montana. Although Yellowstone is a park, national parks are not cut off from the surrounding land and so those that live and work close to the park must coexist with the park.

As this book shows, that can often be a tall order. Almost immediately after the park was given its designation as a national park, those that lived around it began to see the effects both good and bad of this protective status. One effect came from the conservation of wolves. Wolves are an important part of Yellowstone's ecosystem but also present a problem, particularly one having to do with the killing and maiming of livestock on farms outside the park.

This book details the different points of view of those that love the wolves and believe they have a place in Yellowstone and those that are utterly frustrated with the park's porous borders that allow wolves to roam their land and harm their livelihoods. The book follows several people in great detail in order to illustrate this great divide. The author does a good job of showing the various sides of the argument. This is a man vs. It was fascinating and well-written. I know this issue is one that I will be mulling over for a long time. Blakeslee looks at the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction project 20 years in, and documents the biological and social ramifications in the park and the surrounding areas in American Wolf.

He introduces a cast of characters, both human and canine: O-Six is the star at the center of this story system, the other characters orbiting around her. O-Six is a dynamic and skilled alpha female, who leaves her natal pack, becomes a skil Blakeslee looks at the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction project 20 years in, and documents the biological and social ramifications in the park and the surrounding areas in American Wolf. O-Six is a dynamic and skilled alpha female, who leaves her natal pack, becomes a skilled hunter and strategic planner, and eventually finds a mate and has three litters.

O-Six was the most photographed Yellowstone wolf in the pack that she founded, the "Lamars" who lived in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone. Blakeslee briefly touches on the reintroduction program, but spends much more time talking about the progress and the attitudes about wolves in the surrounding regions. Inevitably, this also becomes a political issue, and several of the Northern Rockies states Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming campaign on eliminating the wolves, and encouraging wolf hunts, etc.

Several chapters in the book delve into these court decisions, many of them extensions of the Endangered Species Act. The book is not a hard scientific look at reintroduction, but does give an overview on the ecosystem both before and after establishment, and an overall journalistic perspective. Nov 09, Kristy Miller rated it it was amazing Shelves: When I was in high school in Nebraska my family took a summer camping trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.

I remember enjoying both parks a great deal and being in awe of the Tetons. Sadly, the only wildlife I remember seeing was a grizzly that was running on the side of the road while we were in a traffic jam. He was being chased by a tourist with a camera. Now that I live in Colorado I have been hoping to go back to Yellowstone.

Reading this book makes me want to go back even more. Blakeslee tells the story of the reintroduction of wolves to the environment which humans eliminated them from in the early 20th century. Blakeslee tells the story of several memorable wolves after the reintroduction, but the story focuses on the story of Oh-Six, an alpha female born in The pack she would lead occupied a valley near the road in Yellowstone, making observation of her family incredibly easy for the wolf watchers.

But not everyone was happy about this return to the natural status quo. As the wolves reached a relatively stable level, hunters, ranchers, and politicians in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho worked towards making hunting wolves that left the park legal.

Inevitably, these two forces would meet. Blakeslee does a fantastic job, thanks to the incredible notes of National Park Ranger Rick McIntyre and his team of wolf watchers, telling us about the lives of wolves. It is a surprisingly emotional and dramatic work, and I am thrilled to have read it. He presents the side of the hunters, ranchers, and politicians without judgement, but there is markedly less empathy for the arguments they put forth. Or perhaps that is my emotional read of it.

It is high time that we go about righting the wrongs that we have committed on our natural landscape and wildlife, as much as we reasonable can. After all, they were here first. Gripping tale of wolves and politics. In the mid nineties, wolves were re-introduced into Yellowstone national park, sparking a decades-long political battle between pro-wolf and anti-wolf activists. We follow the wolves, their fascinating story of pack battles, survival, and tenderness, their deducated watchers, but also the other side - the farmers and hunters who fear that the wolves endanger their way of life.

Blakeslee does a great job presenting both sides. Of course we end up fascinated by Gripping tale of wolves and politics. Of course we end up fascinated by the wolves, especially O-Six, a charismatic, smart, strong alpha-female, whose skill at hunting and leadership makes her pack one of the most successful. She has a following in person and online, the most photographed wolf in history. The story of the pack, wolf-politics, is spellbinding.

I did not expect it to be so gripping, savage, so similar to dynastic politics and wars of medieval kings and queens.

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It turns out that they had to do with wolves controlling the populations of elks and coyotes, both of which have gotten out of hand. The political struggle is equally fascinating, although not in a positive way. I was struck by the process of how people who originally were talking to each other and comprimising, become more entrenched in their positions to the point where no rational arguments are possible.

We have seen this unfortunately a lot lately. A book I will be thinking of for a long time. Oct 03, Emily rated it really liked it Shelves: This follows the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction project, more specifically the life of Oh-Six, an alpha female particularly beloved by Yellowstone's enthusiastic community of wolf watchers. Blakeslee makes you care for the personalities of each wolf, but doesn't fall into the trap of truly anthropomorphizing them. These are wolves, and they are wild animals. He occasionally explores the human tendency to both identify with wolves and to attribute human characteristics to Another great audiobook!

He occasionally explores the human tendency to both identify with wolves and to attribute human characteristics to them, which I appreciated. Reading about the trials and tribulations of Oh-Six's pack--clashes with other wolves and the looming fear of human hunting--was surprisingly enthralling.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but regardless I was pleasantly surprised. I appreciated how much care and detail Blakeslee put into researching and describing the political situation around wolves. People that were aggressively anti-wolf could have come across as cartoonish villains. Instead, you largely understand where their anger and resentment comes from. Sep 06, Susie rated it it was amazing. The rave reviews that I had heard about this book were spot on. Great storytelling while also being incredibly informative.

I am unabashedly a wolf reintroduction and re-population proponent, so my viewpoint is certainly skewed in favor of these majestic creatures who are also of crucial importance to the success of a variety of ecosystems. I am not anti-hunter by any means.