Some years ago, I hiked alone for several days with my two dogs in the White Mountains of Arizona, home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe. The scenery was nothing short of breathtaking and I watched eagerly for wildlife. I knew that black bear, bobcats, deer, elk, coyotes, foxes, skunks and other animals were native to this area, but there were no signs of any of them. I was stunned that not once in two days did I hear a single bird, see one animal track or catch sight of even a small rodent. The wilderness was eerily silent.

The forest trees seemed to be saying to me, "We are the only ones left to testify as to what once was, but no longer is." So, I imagined that a number of animals were present around me, hidden just out of sight: a mountain lion, an eagle, a fox, and a wolf. And, in my mind’s eye, I saw a young grizzly padding his way softly through the first light snow of fall (the last grizzly was killed in Arizona in 1939). - JL