Customer Reviews

Ghost Grizzles: Does the Great Bear Still Haunt Colorado?

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Buy this book. Buy it new, buy it used, buy it for your friends, buy it for your enemies. Petersen has written a thoughtful and thorough examination of recent grizzly bear management policies (or lack thereof) in the San Juans of Colorado. The book is a pleasure to read.

As someone who occasionally sees grizzers on his property, I can't conceive of living in an environment that doesn't have a population of apex predators to keep things interesting. Petersen masterfully chronicles how government funded assassins with the support of short-sighted local ranching communities and clumsy land managers, managed to kill virtually every grizzly in Colorado. He also accurately details how Western ranchers have come to view public lands with more than a sense of ownership but rather with a sense of absolute entitlement. This has led them to run their stock on federal land at ridiculously cheap rates, ignore even the most commonsense principles of husbandry, and push bears and wolves into the zoos and picture books while trying to keep everyone else out. Also to blame are the Baby Huey-like semi-rich, who hack 20 acre ranchettes out of the diminishing habitat and in the process are strangling the thing they profess to love most.

Petersen manages to stay somewhat balanced, using an essay by the outspoken and bearlike Doug Peacock to say what is probably really on his mind regarding sheep ranchers and development dingbats. In the course of researching the book, Peterson also forges unlikely friendships with former (but not reformed) professional and amateur bearslayers , including Ed Wiseman, who killed the last known Colorado grizz in hand to hand combat in 1979.

There is the general belief in the book that the great bear still lives in the San Juans but has become more nocturnal and reclusive as it adapts to its shrinking habitat. There are certainly drainages wild enough to support a grizz but I personally don't believe there are any left. My heart tells me that any state with a wildlife management policy as pathetic and dumbheaded as Colorado's can't have allowed for even a single surviving great bear. Also, I am reminded of a story in Scott Weidensaul's recent (and excellent) book on vanishing species entitled "The Ghost With Trembling Wings." Weidensaul tells the story of an animal who escapes from a European zoo and whose likeness is posted on the news. Consequently, hundreds of eyewitness calls come flooding in from all over the country, each caller claiming to have personally seen the critter. It turns out that the koala had actually been run over by a train several hundred yards from the zoo immediately after escaping. Weidensaul's point is that people WANT to believe something so badly, they convince themselves of its existence. And I'm afraid that is what we are doing with the Colorado grizzly.

David Peterson has compiled a thorough review of the evidence for and against (mostly for) the presence of grizzly bears in Colorado: Rio Grande National Forest and specifically the South San Juan Wilderness Area and adjoining lands. Having spent a lot of time in the area, I agree with Peterson's assessment of the wildness of the region and the possibility/probability of the grizzly's presence there.

Like most good books, more questions are raised than are answered. What happens if grizzlies are proven to live here? What assurances are there they won't be "managed to death" like other resources/wildlife? How capable are we at making decisions based on largely circumstantial evidence? Will/should we strive to obtain concrete proof?

I especially liked the accounts of the grizzly sightings and encounters. Peterson thoughtfully investigates each and the interviews with the survivors of encounters of yore are worth the price of the book. One aspect of the book that turned me off a little was Peterson's attitude toward people who derive their living from the National Forest. He paints them accross the board as a bunch of selfish ner-do-wells who have no respect for the wildlife. I disagree and it's interesting commentary from the author who, by his own admission, smokes Camels thoughout the Rio Grande National Forest.

One thing is certain, this is a spectacular corner of Colorado (and New Mexico - much of the area discussed is only a stone's throw from the border). I've stood atop Conejos Peak five times, stared down at the South San Juan, and marveled at its unspoiled beauty and rugged landscape. I've seen ptarmagan at the high mountain lakes, mountain lions in the wide open valles, and more elk than I can count. I know the real names of the geographical locales disguised by the author and, ironically, the real treasure of this region is in what it lacks: no major thoroughfares, no fourteeners, no ski areas, no big nearby population centers, and continual second billing to the trampled Western San Juans. This volcanic area is relatively unspoiled by mining, however, Peterson points to the nearsighted management practices of the National Forest Service - especially grazing - as a threat to the ecosystem, and grizzlies if they are there.

Here's what I think. Any grizzly living in the SSJWA is pretty darned good and not getting found. It's clear from the accounts that even individuals who spend a lot of time there rarely see compelling evidence of their presence. These bears won't be "proven to government standards" to exist without a huge undertaking that, as Peterson points out, would be unconscionable on many levels.

What's more, I believe there are a small handful of local backcountry locals who know for certain that grizzlies are alive and well in the Eastern San Juans. They keep it quiet to avoid the inevitable stampede that would ensue if they went public. I, for one, hope they keep the secret. Someday Colorado (and perhaps New Mexico) may be ready to deal with grizzlies in their midst. But, we are clearly not ready yet. . . . . .

David Petersen captured my attention early in the book and kept me glued to the pages the rest of the way through. He presents the reader with a wealth of information about the grizzly bear and its natural history. Along the way, he gets you involved in some great adventures and some thought provoking searches. This is a must have book for the library of anyone interested in grizzly bears, wilderness, the Rocky Mountains, and the general outdoors. The best book I've read in a long time. Thanks David.

My copy of this book is dog-eared and worn-out after all my readings of it and loaning it to others! David Peterson is one interesting writer. I had visited the San Juan Mountains prior to reading this book and explored the area where the Wiseman grizzly was killed. At the time I thought the Wiseman griz was the last in Colorado. This book inspired me to return and do a little searching of my own. Found some bear sign but was really amazed by how spectacular the high San Juans are in July. I think this book needs another postscript wherein "the search for survivors" is updated!

This book is one of the best books I've ever read. David Petersen does a fantastic job of educating the reader while involving them in some exciting adventures. While searching for grizzlies in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, David fills you in on grizzly natural history, the history of the San Juans, and the need for preserving wilderness in North America. This is a must have book for all who are interested in grizzly bears, the Rockies, wilderness, and the outdoors in general.

David Petersen captured my attention early in the book and kept me glued to the pages all the way through. He presents the reader with the grizzly bear, its natural history, and its possible existence in the Colorado wilderness. Along the way, he involves you in exciting adventures and a thrilling search for bruins. This is a must have book for the library of anyone interested in grizzlies, wilderness, the rockies, and the general outdoors. This is definitely the best book I've read in a long time.

Definitely buy the book! It is an interesting read as it speaks of the different sightings/events throughout the state concerning Grizzlies. However, it does get a little tedious going through the politics of the subject. Opinions flare and sometimes come off as "eco-nut". Anyway, great book on a terrific mystery!

Dave Peterson is one of my favorite authors. If you love what's left of our Colorado wilderness and wish the great bear would return, then you'll adore this book.

This book changed my entire outlook on the Grizzly bear in Colorado. The evidence is well presented without jumping to conclusions. There are many eyewitness accounts by experienced outfiters, ranchers and locals. There is also a great deal of well researched history on the Griz in Colorado and it's violent decline.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who cares about preserving the wild character of Colorado. This title has a special place in my library.

Dave's lyrical writing style engages the reader throughout this 275 page book, which thoroughly chronicles the fate of the grizzly bear in Colorado. One is left with a sense of wanting to know what's next, what's happened since the ink of this book dried in 1994?

Personally, I felt compelled to action, to do my part to help keep the San Juans as wild as possible for those Ghost Grizzlies to have a chance to someday rematerialize.