Claire Musser: Connections for Coexistence Project Lead; Postgraduate Research Student, Falmouth University; MA Anthrozoology, University of Exeter; Executive Director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project
Monday, October 20, 2025,
2:30-4:45 pm, (with short break)
ASA Great Room and Zoom
“Carnivores Among Us: Lessons from Bears, Bobcats, and Coyotes”
From suburban neighborhoods to desert washes, large carnivores live closer to us than we often realize. In her first presentation, Claire Musser explores the hidden lives of black bears, bobcats, and coyotes across Arizona and beyond, drawing on field research and storytelling to reveal how these animals adapt to human-dominated landscapes. By tracing encounters in backyards, city parks, and wilderness edges, we will consider what these interactions teach us about coexistence, conflict, and the blurred boundaries between the wild and the urban. The presentation will also share insights from the forthcoming documentary Bears in Hot Tubs, which follows black bears navigating suburban life in Los Angeles. Together, these stories highlight how carnivores challenge us to rethink our relationship with the wild and recognize that living with predators is as much about human choice as animal behavior.
“Wolves on the Edge: Conflict, Recovery, and the Path to Co-Thriving”
Once nearly eradicated, gray wolves are slowly reclaiming parts of the western United States, while Mexican gray wolves, the most endangered subspecies, struggle for survival in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. Their recovery is not only an ecological challenge but also a social one, where conflict has often been treated as inevitable. Yet conflict is a choice, shaped by how we respond to wolves on the landscape. This presentation explores the realities of wolf recovery, from livestock depredation and restrictive policies to cultural narratives that continue to cast wolves as threats. Just as importantly, it examines pathways to co-thriving: range riders reducing livestock losses, communities redefining relationships with carnivores, and youth finding new ways to imagine coexistence. Wolves remind us that recovery is not simply about numbers, but about building landscapes where all species live together.
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