11 Comments
Apr 12, 2023Liked by Rosana Francescato

Nice column! I like to think about how is isn't us and nature--we are nature too. Maybe if we thought of ourselves as part of it instead of its dominator, that would help.

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For sure! And that's something I'll be writing about more. We shouldn't think of ourselves as separate, yet we do all too often.

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Apr 18, 2023Liked by Rosana Francescato

Nice article! I do a lot of hiking in the mountains of SoCal and I always spot a diverse wildlife, specially rabbits. I also take lots of walks around my neighborhood which is a large city near downtown LA, and I keep seeing more coyotes roaming around in the neighborhood; and at night they can easily pass as dogs. I think they're becoming more used to us in the urban setting.

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We had tons of rabbits in the neighborhood I grew up in, in Urbana, Illinois. But coyotes in the city — who woulda thought? When you see them in LA, do they seem like they're trying to keep their distance, or are they bold?

Thanks for reading, and for commenting!

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Apr 19, 2023Liked by Rosana Francescato

I've only seen them keep their distance, but it seems to me that they're already bold by roaming the neighborhoods.

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Apr 12, 2023Liked by Rosana Francescato

Hi Rosana!! You might be interested in a book a friend from UCLA wrote - Rewilding the World: Dispatches from the Conservation Revolution by Caroline Fraser. Very inspirational!

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Sounds good, thank you!

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Apr 12, 2023Liked by Rosana Francescato

We're lucky enough to have a larger lot, on a small lake, just 4 miles from the state capitol in St. Paul. We see coyotes, fox, deer (including an 8-pointer!), racoons, gray & red squirrels, ground hogs & mink for mammals. For birds, bald eagle, sharp-shinned hawk, the occasional owl, great blue heron, great egrets, many waterfowl passing through, wood ducks & mallards all summer, downy, hairy, red-bellied & pileated woodpeckers, goldfinches, juncos, chickadees, orioles, cardinals, blue jays, red-winged grackles, turkey, far too many Canada geese (feathered rats), grackles, etc. We love it!

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Wow, that sounds amazing! I assumed from the photos I've seen that you lived somewhere remote.

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Apr 12, 2023Liked by Rosana Francescato

I recall seeing a fox one night in San Francisco. I was struck by how poor my knowledge of "urban flora and fauna" was; it took me a few beats to realize I wasn't gazing at a weird dog or a super large cat. The fox probably was pretty familiar with my species, though.

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Yes — that was the incident I wrote about here, lol!

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