Have you ever wondered what your local landscape was like in years past — before sidewalks, stop signs and modern buildings? In this episode, Dan Flores — author of American Serengeti andCoyote America — gives us some context about the history of our North American landscape and ecology. No matter where you are in the world, though, the story he shares is pertinent and relatable. In our very recent past, the Great Plains region of North America was a wild and undomesticated landscape rich with megafauna. Dan shares a bit about how the forces of domestication shaped the ecology of the Great Plains we know today and the promising conservation efforts going into the ReWilding of the American West. EPISODE BREAKDOWN: How an early fascination with nature & wildlife shaped Dan’s life and work The ecology of the American Serengeti Are wild horses an invasive species of the American West? The role of Homo sapiens in ecology Ecological involvement of Native Americans Native American use of bows and atlatls Canids of North America The wolf in your backyard Coyote’s trickster archetype The war on canids What do coyotes eat? ReWilding the American Serengeti Dan’s prognosis for the future of the human species