More on Grizzly Times

Louisa Willcox and David Mattson, featured in our January 2020 interview, are cofounders of Grizzly Times, a blog and podcast that since 2015 has publicized the plight of grizzly bears and promoted compassion and respect for them. We asked them to share a few additional resources and to suggest ways readers might be able to help.

— Krista Bremer, Associate Publisher

What does the next four to five months of life look like for her and other grizzly bear moms? Let’s peer into her lair and find out.

In the darkness below the snow, we find miracles and mysteries. I like the fact that, despite industrial-scale research, hibernation remains magical and elusive. Wild animals will always defy circumscription by the human intellect — and throw us back on heart, soul, and imagination.

A Grizzly Times Podcast Interview with Estella Leopold

Estella Leopold, the only surviving child of conservationist and philosopher Aldo Leopold, is a world-renowned paleobotanist, teacher, and passionate environmentalist. She discussed her environmental work with Louisa Willcox in 2019.

Recommended Reading

The Sacred Paw: The Bear in Nature, Myth, and Literature
by Paul Shepard and Barry Sanders, with afterword by Gary Snyder

This historical, anthropological, and spiritual journey into the life of bears is full of unforgettable stories — including one about the Ainu people of Japan, who raised bear cubs on human breast milk.

Giving Voice to Bear: North American Indian Myths, Rituals, and Images of the Bear
by David Rockwell

Unlike most bear books, which are either sensational or packed with natural history, this one is full of fascinating stories about black and grizzly bears in North America. Added bonus: photographs and pictographs exploring bear symbolism in different cultures.

Grizzly Heart: Living without Fear among the Brown Bears of Kamchatka
by Charlie Russell and Maureen Enns

What kind of relationship is possible between humans and grizzlies — and how close is too close? The documentary Grizzly Man, about the life and death of Timothy Treadwell, offers one perspective on these questions. Treadwell’s friend Charlie Russell, who raised orphan bear cubs in Russia and released them successfully into the wild, offers another.

How You Can Help

Willcox and Mattson say that right now perhaps the most vital way to help save grizzlies and other imperiled species is to support the Endangered Species Act, one of our strongest and most effective environmental laws. The Trump administration has sought to weaken the Act. Learn more here.

Grizzly Times publishes blogs, podcasts, videos, and newsletters on the latest events, science, and policy — as well as inspiring grizzly-bear stories. You can sign up for their newsletter and read more at grizzlytimes.org.