Rewilding Speaker Series: Return of Elk, Bison & Red Wolves to Eastern U.S.

About this event

This program is the second of Kestrel’Land Trust's “Rewilding” Online Speaker Series.

Did you know that not so long ago in our nation’s past, elk roamed Illinois, bison grazed the prairies of Indiana, and wolves and cougars moved through vast forests and wetlands stretching from the Northeast to the Deep South? In fact, before skyscrapers and smokestacks transformed the eastern United States, it was home to an astonishing abundance of wildlife typically considered icons only of the West.

Join us for an online presentation by Andrew Moore, environmental writer and author of the acclaimed book The Beasts of the East: The Fall and Rise of America’s Eastern Wilderness released this year. In his extensive research, Andrew followed conservationists, biologists, hunters, and local communities working to return legendary fauna to their native habitats. In his presentation, Andrew will:

* reveal the largely forgotten landscape of towering forests in the Northeast, rolling prairies in the Midwest, and cypress swamps in the South

* show how—in just a few generations—industrialization and unregulated hunting pushed many iconic animals to the brink of extinction

* share about an ambitious movement underway guided by the three C’s of rewilding—Cores, Corridors, and Carnivores

Even as the climate and biodiversity crises loom, wildlife is beginning an unlikely comeback with elk thriving in the hills of Kentucky, herds of bison grazing on restored Illinois prairies, and red wolves roaming North Carolina’s coastal marshes. You will hear how these efforts raise important questions about conservation, coexistence, and the meaning of wilderness in a modern landscape shaped by cities, suburbs, and highways.