Books & Field Guides

They are written for readers interested in Red Rock Canyon, Southern Nevada, the Mojave Desert, and the wider Southwest. The current books focus on wildlife and ecology rather than one single trail or one single park boundary.

Hiking around Las Vegas and Red Rock Canyon means planning for desert conditions: heat, sun exposure, limited water, changing trail surfaces, sandstone terrain, seasonal crowding, and route-finding. Start early, carry more water than you expect to need, check current access rules, and choose trails that match your ability.

Wildlife conservation is not only a science issue. It also involves roads, development, pets, hunting, public-land access, habitat loss, recreation pressure, livestock, safety concerns, and how communities decide to live near wild animals.

The Southwest is home to desert bighorn sheep, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, kit foxes, jackrabbits, bats, lizards, snakes, desert tortoises, raptors, songbirds, and many smaller animals adapted to dry landscapes.

The current books are wildlife and ecology guides. They are meant to help readers understand animals, habitat, and conservation issues. Dedicated trail and field guides are planned separately.

Yes. Hikers benefit from understanding wildlife behavior, habitat, seasonal activity, desert safety, and why certain areas need extra care. These books are companions to outdoor travel, not turn-by-turn trail maps.

No. These books do not replace maps, official land-management guidance, weather alerts, closures, permits, or emergency information. Use official sources and navigation tools before heading into the field.

Start with Coyote Nation if you want a broader introduction to a highly adaptable Southwest animal. Start with Cougar Country in Crisis if you are more interested in large predators, habitat loss, highways, and human-wildlife conflict.

The Southwest is known for deserts, canyons, sandstone formations, dry mountains, big skies, Indigenous history and culture, ranching history, public lands, drought-adapted wildlife, and dramatic landscapes such as the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin desert regions.

Wildlife conservation helps protect biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, habitat connections, predator-prey relationships, genetic diversity, and the natural systems that people depend on for clean water, resilient landscapes, education, recreation, and cultural value.

Start by learning local species, volunteering with conservation groups, joining habitat restoration projects, studying ecology or natural resources, documenting observations responsibly, and building field, writing, mapping, or data skills.

It can be meaningful work for people who care about animals, public lands, science, education, and long-term stewardship. It can also be competitive, seasonal, and physically demanding, so it helps to build practical field skills and a flexible path.

Coyote attacks on humans are uncommon, but they can happen, especially when coyotes lose fear of people, are fed, are protecting pups, or associate neighborhoods with food. Never feed coyotes and give them space.

Coyotes are often most active at dawn, dusk, and night, especially near people. They can also move during the day where they feel safe or where food and water are available.

Coyotes and domestic dogs can breed, but it is not common in most wild settings. Differences in breeding cycles, behavior, and survival pressures make coyote-dog hybrids unusual compared with ordinary coyote populations.

Yes. Mountain lion, cougar, puma, panther, and catamount are common names used for the same species, Puma concolor, depending on region and context.

Yes. Coyotes can jump or climb many residential fences, especially if they can use objects, walls, or uneven ground for leverage. Secure attractants and supervise small pets outdoors.

Coyotes are opportunistic omnivores. They eat rodents, rabbits, insects, fruit, carrion, birds, reptiles, and sometimes unattended pets or human-associated food when neighborhoods make those resources available.

Coyotes can injure or kill dogs, especially small dogs or unattended pets. Keep dogs leashed in wildland areas, avoid letting pets roam, and do not leave food outside.

Mountain lions primarily eat deer where deer are available, but they can also prey on bighorn sheep, smaller mammals, coyotes, raccoons, rabbits, and occasionally livestock or pets.

No. Coyotes are wild animals and should not be treated as pets. Feeding or attempting to tame coyotes creates dangerous conditions for people, pets, and the coyotes themselves.

Coyotes may live alone, in pairs, or in family groups. They are social animals, but they do not always move in large packs. Their behavior changes with food availability, territory, and breeding season.

Mountain lions are not managed the same way everywhere. Some populations are relatively stable, while others face serious pressure from habitat loss, road mortality, conflict, and regional management decisions. Status depends on location.