Finding, Defending and Saving the Valley's Sacred Nature.

Yosemite Valley's finely-woven ecological fabric is unraveling due to a combination of too many visitors and too much development. Barbara J. Moritsch gained a stunning insider's view of park management when she worked as a biologist in Yosemite Valley between 2002 and 2005. In The Soul of Yosemite, she shares her passion for the Valley, addresses management decisions that resulted in severely degraded natural resources, and presents a new vision that will fully embrace the Valley's incredible uniqueness and restore its wild nature. Moritsch strongly urges the National Park Service to reduce the impact of humans on Yosemite Valley once and for all, to bring their management focus back to the basics: natural beauty and wildness, and to recognize Yosemite's unique role as an emissary for wildness in the world-a much more important role than serving as a playground for the masses.

When wildlife biologist Sage McAllister responds to an odd scratching noise outside her cabin door, she is stunned to find two full-grown gray wolves sitting on the deck. Surprise turns to disbelief when the wolves telepathically ask her to tell their story. Her assent triggers an extraordinary journey of time travel and shape-shifting when she merges with the wolves—experiencing the pure joy of life in the wild, as well as the terror and mortal danger posed by the darkest aspects of human nature. Through her travels, Sage witnesses the astonishing connections that exist among all beings, reunites with her own human pack, and has a chance to help humans make peace with a majestic and essential species.