Wilds of the United States: The Animals' Survival Field Guide
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT The wild spaces described in this book are not found on a singular landmass or even within just one hemisphere They are gathered here because they reflect the present borders of the United States of America and its territories a wide-ranging collection of lands stewarded by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial These lands were taken from Indigenous peoples as part of an ongoing history of settlement displacement war and colonial expansion These wild spaces are stolen lands and even as we appreciate their beauty we must consider the central role their eco systems and wildlife have played in the history of colonization The United States has routinely terrorized and displaced Indigenous communities in an effort to take their natural resources away from them a practice that continues today We must find more opportunities to return stewardship of the land to Indigenous communities and to enact environmental policies that honor and respect their knowledge AUTHOR'S LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT Wilds of the United States was written and illustrated in northeast Los Angeles California on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Tongva and Chumash people
CANADA Rocky Mountains The UNITED STATES of AMERICA Pacific Ocean Sonoran Desert Chihuahuan Desert MEXICO 4 INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION Every year in the United States one animal embarks on an epic voyage As the warmth of summer begins to fade it leaves its home in Alaska heading south It travels the length of the Rocky Mountains pausing to rest and refuel in alpine meadows over 12,000 feet high After crossing the border into Mexico and coming back again it returns home by trekking north along the Pacific Coast It is a round-trip journey of nearly 8,000 miles made by a creature that weighs less than an ounce the rufous hummingbird No matter where you are in the United States there are animals just outside your door engaged in lives beyond imagination Beneath the hooves of bison on the Great Plains prairie dogs excavate elaborate underground cities some stretching for miles In the deserts of the west kangaroo rats use dance moves to evade being eaten by rattlesnakes And in southern bayous and wetlands alligators perform prehistoric courtship rituals that long predate humankind This field guide tells the incredible stories of these creatures and hundreds more from throughout the United States On a winding one way journey across the country we’ll hike rugged mountainsides trudge flooded swamplands and brave the heat of expansive deserts We’ll climb towering trees dig underground and stay up late to see who comes out at night We’ll traverse forests grasslands tundra and even vast ocean distances as we explore the incredible diversity of creatures who call the United States home So lace up your hiking boots and prepare yourself for adventure Like the rufous hummingbird we have a long journey ahead of us we’re off to meet the neighbors Join the rufous hummingbird on its voyage by flitting to page 108 INTRODUCTION 5
