Douglas Chadwick – författare

The True Story of a Big-Hearted Bear is a factual story of a mother grizzly bear named Baylee, her three cubs, and a two-year-old grizzly who Baylee adopts into their family. Grizzly bears are extremely protective of their young and generally do not tolerate other bears. However, Baylee raised her adopted son, Emmett, along with her three cubs until he was ready to live on his own. What happens next in the wilds of Alaska reveals that just like people, every grizzly bear is a little different from every other one, each with its own personality. The story is told with words and photographs exactly as it happened. The authors pledge to donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book to Vital Ground. Vital Ground, a non-profit conservation organization, works with private landowners to protect essential habitat in the last ecosystems where grizzlies roam. Together with its many partners, the group has helped conserve more than a quarter of a million acres in Alaska and the heart of the Rocky Mountains. For more information visit www.vitalground.org.

In the tradition of Douglas Chadwick''s best-selling adventure memoir, The Wolverine Way, Tracking Gobi Grizzlies creates a portrait of these rarest of bears'' fight for survival in one of the toughest, most remote settings on Earth. He demonstrates why saving this endangered animal supports an entire ecosystem made up of hundreds of interconnected plants and animals, from desert roses to Asiatic lynx and wild double-humped camels, all adapting as best they can to the effects of climate change. A parable of environmental stewardship in a legendary realm.

What do you think of when you think of Nature?Prolific author and National Geographic writer Doug Chadwick’s fresh look at human’s place in the natural world. In his accessible and engaging style, Chadwick approaches the subject from a scientific angle, with the underlying message that from the perspective of DNA humans are not all that different from any other creature. He begins by showing the surprisingly close relationship between human DNA and that of grizzly bears, with whom we share 80 percent of our DNA. We are 60 percent similar to a salmon, 40 percent the same as many insects, and 24 percent of our genes match those of a wine grape. He reflects on the value of exposure to nature on human biochemistry and mentality, that we are not that far removed from our ancestors who lived closer to nature. He highlights examples of animals using “human” traits, such as tools and play. He ends the book with two examples of the healing benefits of turning closer to nature: island biogeography and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. This book is a reflection on man’s rightful place in the ecological universe. Using personal stories, recounting how he came to love and depend on the Great Outdoors and how he learned his place in the system of Nature, Chadwick challenges anyone to consider whether they are separate from or part of nature. The answer is obvious, that we are an indivisible from all elements of a system that is greater than ourselves and should never be neglected, taken advantage of, or exploited. This is a fresh and engaging take on man’s relationship to nature by a respected and experienced author.