Description

Twice declared extinct North Americas most endangered mammal species the blackfooted ferret BFF is making a comeback thanks to an evolving conservation regimen at more than thirty reintroduction sites across the continent Lawrence Lenhart lingers at one such site in his proverbial backyard the Aubrey Valley in northern Arizona

The beguiling weasel at the center of this book is more than a charismatic minifauna it is the covert ambassador of a critical ecosystem that has dwindled to one percent of its former size In a landscape menaced by habitat fragmentation bacterial plague settler colonialism and soil death a ferret must be resilient Lenhart investigates the human efforts to sustain the species through monitoring vaccination captive breeding and even cloning

Lenhart balances this lens of environmental witness with personal essaying that captures the parallel story of his wifes pregnancy as he realizes the ferrets conservation story is dramatically synchronized with her trimesters In preparing to raise a child in the Anthropocene Lenhart takes stock of his own ecosystem and finds something is amiss Through an ethic of deeper ecology Lenhart must hone his ecological interest in the blackfooted ferret to assure it isnt overshadowed by his own paternal interests