The Wildling Museum’s December virtual program, Beth Pratt: The Wild Wonder of California — and Beyond, will take place 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Pratt, a conservation leader and author, will share tales of wild wonder from California and beyond, sharing photos and videos from her extensive encounters with animals including pika, frogs, mountain lions, and bears.
Pratt will provide insight on the importance of fostering a coexistence ethic with wildlife, and what people can do in their own backyards 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 new visualizations of the project.
Attendees can participate in a couple of exercises from Pratt’s new book “I Heart Wildlife: A Guided Activity Journal for Connecting with the Wild World.”
Admission to the event is free, but donations in support of the Wildling Museum’s digital programming efforts are appreciated. Email info@wildlingmuseum.org or call 805-686-8315 with any questions. Register online at www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/beth-pratt-wild-wonder-of-california.
A longtime advocate for wildlife, Pratt has worked in environmental leadership roles for 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 said, “I have the best job in the world — advocating for the state’s remarkable wildlife.”
Pratt 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.
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 book, “I Heart Wildlife: A Guided Activity Journal for Connecting with the Wild World,” was released in August; she is also the author of “When Mountain Lions are Neighbors: People and Wildlife Working It Out In California,” published by Heyday Books.
Pratt 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.”
She spends much of her time in L.A., but makes her home outside of Yosemite, with her five dogs, two cats, and the mountain lions, bears, foxes, and other wildlife that frequent her backyard.
The Wildling Museum’s Zoom lecture series is sponsored by Montecito Bank & Trust. For more about the Wildling Museum, visit www.wildlingmuseum.org.