Our author Mark Surls is making big moves advocating for wildlife in his home state of Colorado. He wants to see Colorado as a beacon of what coexistence with wildlife can look like, and his recent involvement is resulting in concrete change.

Mark is a significant contributor to Project Coyote, "a national non-profit organization based in Northern California whose mission is to promote compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science, and advocacy." Mark was invited to interview with Camilla Fox, Project Coyote's Founder and Executive Director, to discuss his new book Coyote Conversations as well as his overall efforts in the national campaign to protect North America's most persecuted carnivores. Read the full interview here.

Additionally, Mark is involved in several local campaigns to end inhumane wildlife killing contests, including a measure successfully passed by voters that mandates wolf recovery (Prop 114) and a new initiative to protect wild cats from trophy hunting and trapping (CATS). He is also working to address the issue of coyotes suffering from mange in the Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

"Prairie Protection Colorado (my partner in this effort) and I are in the early stages of developing a treatment strategy that could set a precedent in how the federal government treats animals suffering from mange." --Mark Surls

Mark's book Coyote Conversations: Photos and Poems from the Field provides dialogue and reflection on his time spent in the field with America’s ultimate survivor, the coyote. While many photographers focus on species that are easy to love such as elk and deer, Mark celebrates coyotes, beautiful too, albeit more difficult to live with. Throughout history, wild canids have gained an unfavorable view in much of the public eye. Wolves were exterminated in most of the USA, yet the coyote was able to survive. Trappings, killing contests, and hunts have only served to keep these sentient animals adapting. Serving as a reminder that predators have a purpose in life, Mark’s photography and poetry elicit compassion and reinforce the need for human-wildlife coexistence.