This week on The Write Question, the first part of a two-part conversation with world-renowned wildlife biologist Diane K. Boyd, author of A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery (Greystone Books).
Called the Jane Goodall of wolves, Diane Boyd has spent four decades studying and advocating for wolves in the wilds of Montana near Glacier National Park. When she started in the 1970s, she was the only female biologist in the United States researching and radio-collaring wild wolves. In this captivating book, Diane takes her readers on a wild ride from the early days of wolf research to the present-day challenges of wolf management across the globe, highlighting her interactions with an apex predator that captured her heart and her undying admiration. Her writing resonates with her indomitable spirit as she explores the intricate balance of human and wolf coexistence.
About Diane:
Diane K. Boyd holds a PhD in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. She divides her time between her home in Kalispell, Montana, and her beloved cabin in the North Fork. She is the author of numerous scientific papers on wolves.
Mentioned in this episode:
David Mech, scientist and wolf researcher (see The Wolf, below)
The Wolf Ecology Project at the University of Montana, with Bob Ream
“For the most recent, comprehensive update on all aspects of wolf ecology and management in North America,” Diane K. Boyd recommends:
This chapter (“Chapter 32: North American Wolves”) of Wild Furbearer Management and Conservation of North America by Diane K. Boyd, David E. Ausband, H. Dean Cluff, James R. Hef felfinger, Joseph W. Hinton, Brent R. Patterson, and Adrian P. Wydeven (Wildlife Ecology Institute)
For general reading, Diane K. Boyd recommends:
Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez (Scribner Book Company)
The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species by David L. Mech (Natural History Press)
A New Era for Wolves and People: Wolf Recovery, Human Attitudes and Policy edited by Marco Musiani, Luigi Boitani, and Paul Paquet (University of Calgary Press)
The Predator Paradox: Ending the War With Wolves, Bears, Cougars, and Coyotes by John Shivik (Beacon Press)
Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World’s First National Park by Douglas Smith (University of Chicago Press)
Wild Wolves We Have Known: Stories of Wolf Biologists’ Favorite Wolves by Richard P. Thiel, Allison C. Thiel, and Marianne Strozewski (International Wolf Center)
Lauren Korn recommends:
A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery by Diane K. Boyd (Greystone Books)
Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell about Fear by Erica Berry (Flatiron Books)
Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think about Animals by Christopher J. Preston (MIT Press)
Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction by Michelle Nijhuis (W. W. Norton & Company)
Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World by Lisa Wells (Picador USA)
The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World by David Abram (Vintage Books)
Crown of the Continent: The Wildest Rockies by Steven Gnam (Braided River, Mountaineers Books)
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (Henry Holt & Co.)
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The Write Question team is Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, co-producer and sound engineer. This episode is supported by Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana, a literary and community resource for the Bitterroot Valley—providing space to explore, discover, and share passions since 1974. More information can be found at Chapter1Bookstore.com.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
Funding for The Write Question comes from Humanities Montana; members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
