Melanie and Michael are joined by Melanie's children Jack (11), Kira (14), and Leo (16) to discuss the book Coyote America by Dan Flores. We discuss what the book is about, why it is valuable and of interest, what we learn from it, and what we like about it. The book is a good book to read to learn about the importance of predators to our lives and our ecology.

Essay written by Melanie's daughter Kira, reviewing the book Coyote America by Dan Flores: http://goldams.com/book-review-by-kira-hoffman-of-dan-flores-book-coyote-america/

NOTE TO PARENTS:
Melanie says: "There are a couple of passages in Coyote America that you may want to peruse prior to having your child(ren) read this book. They can be found in the coyote's narration on pages 22-24, and pages 42-44.

"Depending on their age and your comfort level, these two sections might not be appropriate for them. With my younger child, we just skipped over the parts that required a more mature perspective -- and this had no bearing on the continuity or flow of the book. With my older two, they read them and we took the opportunity to discuss the material."

To support the show and help us grow our audience -- so we have more of an impact on education and the culture -- please help us with a donation:
1. https://www.patreon.com/reasonrxpodcast
2. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=SP6QPQKJU4XSS&source=url

Also, please consider liking us on your podcast app, and leaving a rational review.

And if you find an episode valuable, please share it with parents, teachers, school personnel, friends, and family. Help spread the word, help spread rational ideas for better living.

Contact Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/
Contact Melanie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-katragadda-nctm-9b14522a

External links:
1. Coyote America: https://www.amazon.com/Coyote-America-Natural-Supernatural-History/dp/0465052991

2. The importance of predators:
a. https://e360.yale.edu/features/the_crucial_role_of_predators_a_new_perspective_on_ecology
b. https://cheetah.org/2011/05/why-are-predators-important/
c. https://www.predatordefense.org/predators.htm
d. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-4012-6_24
e. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.01289/full

3. The biological and ecological importance of wasps: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/in-defence-of-wasps-why-squashing-them-comes-with-a-sting-in-the-tale-a7144306.html

4. Purple Starfish and Keystone Species: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRGg5it5FMI

5. Robert Paine, who formulated the concept of keystone species:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_T._Paine_(zoologist)
2. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Paine
3. http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/paine-robert.pdf

Image from Wikipedia
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote#/media/File:Gpa_bill_coyote_pups_3.jpg
2. Which is from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gpabill/4650768390/