Coyote at the Kitchen Door: Living with Wildlife in Suburbia

by Stephen DeStefano

A moose frustrates commuters by wandering onto the highway; a cougar stalks his prey through suburban backyards; an alligator suns himself in a strip mall parking lot. Such stories, which regularly make headline news, highlight the blurred divide that now exists between civilization and wilderness. In Coyote at the Kitchen Door , Stephen DeStefano draws on decades of experience as a biologist and conservationist to examine the interplay between urban sprawl and wayward wildlife. As he explores what our insatiable appetite for real estate means for the health and wellbeing of animals and ourselves, he highlights growing concerns, such as the loss of darkness at night because of light pollution. DeStefano writes movingly about the contrasts between constructed and natural environments and about the sometimes cherished, sometimes feared place that nature holds in our modern lives, as we cluster into cities yet show an increasing interest in the natural world. Woven throughout the book is the story of one of the most successful species in North the coyote. Once restricted to the prairies of the West, this adaptable animal now inhabits most of North America—urban and wild alike. DeStefano traces a female coyote’s movements along a winding path between landscapes in which her species learned to survive and flourish. Coyote at the Kitchen Door asks us to rethink the meaning of progress and create a new suburban wildlife ethic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Ecology, Nature, Biology, Natural History, Reference

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Cherisa B]

Meh. Personal details and life detritus, with wildlife on the edges of suburbia sprinkled in. I found his pointer to Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac and the chapter on developing a "land ethic" most meaningful.

"All ethics evolved so far rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts. His instinct prompts him to compete for his place in that community (perhaps in order that there may be a place to compete for)." ... "The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, water, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land."

[James]

Excellent. This is a broad study of the increasing overlap between human settlement and the habitats of other species. The coyote is a unique example, because unlike many other animals, coyotes are adaptable enough to thrive - living mostly out of sight under our noses - amid human communities, up to and including very large cities. Unfortunately, a lot of others can't do the same for various reasons, and that's one of the main reasons the human population explosion is causing an accelerating mass extinction among other species.

Entertaining and thought-provoking.

[Brian Griffith]

DeStefano writes in a surprisingly autobiographical way. At first glance I thought he was over-indulgent, telling about his boyhood adventures, his cars, or his bouts of personal orneriness. But the stories lead to real insights about our need for nature, the footprint of our road network on wildlife, or getting in touch with our inner predators. It's a friendly book that makes the local beasts into neighbors rather than pests to be rubbed out. DeStefano makes the ecologically political personal, and even loses patience with anything less.

[MikeFromQueens]

Not was I expected - it was predominantly about coyotes in suburbia, interspersed with personal experiences. I was expecting "Living with wildlife in suburbia" to give me some practical insights to the red-tailed hawks, chipmonks, moles, groundhogs, red foxes, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, and what looked like a bob-cat passing through my yard less than 12 miles west of Times Square. Nope. It was OK, but did not feed my head.

[Joan Colby]

The interspersed account of a coyote’s life was the most interesting aspect of this book by a wildlife expert. His summation of how urbanization and the suburban sprawl impacts native species was thorough if a bit dry. The book was in part a memoir but a rather disjointed and incomplete one. I would have preferred more focus on the animals themselves.

[Amanda]

This was a beautiful book, both imaginative and pragmatic. Creative non-fiction meets wildlife biology reporting — borderlands between the suburbs and wilderness, appropriately. DeStefano covers ecological basics with some depth, from light pollution to wildlife corridors to “environmentalism,” and manages to do it without being overbearing or too scientific. I very much enjoyed his vignettes on daily life as a wildlife biologist, but I also appreciated his take as a professor, aware of current research and science beyond his own experience. This book is for anyone who appreciates that all land, even a city or suburb, participates in an ecosystem. I liked his emphasis on coyote as adaptable survivor, as well.

[chats]

I really loved this look at what happens when the sprawl meets the wildlife, and how coyotes are emblematic of all of it. I wish it had relied a bit more on behavioral science than on anecdotes—perhaps studies of how animal behavior has altered after encountering "civilization." I also would have liked more acknowledgment of the ways settler-colonialism has caused this divide, though maybe that's wishful thinking.

[Monique K]

This is a very simply explained look and take at modern urbanization. It’s easy to follow and understand and is able to paint a picture for you while drawing your own. Incorporating this material into my paper for college was a great addition to the points I was making on urbanization.

[Gabbieb]

More reflective and less educational than I had hoped.

[Hartley]

pg. 128 The real estate agents are wrong your house is only your second biggest investment in your life. Your environment is your first.
pg 129 2nd par.

[Chris]

A thoughtful, personal meditation on man and the nature around him. The coyote reminds us that the wild is right there next to us. The author aspires to and perhaps has become " a self-made hick" as he muses about coyotes running around in Western Massachusetts. He grew up in suburban Boston catching frogs in the Charles River and is living his dream as a research biologist, a career which has also taken him to Alaska and the American West. The book is filled with wonderfully descriptive observations of animals (your moment of zen) taken from his decades of memories out and about in the field. Then there are the rants against man's appetite for money and development. These are further punctuated by the reality of seeing dead or dying animals on the roads, coyotes raiding his chickens,etc.. Really interesting chapter on roads and their impact on animals. Not a quick read but one to be savored slowly.

[Lukie]

Suburban sprawl’s effect on wildlife- loss of habitat, the dangers of roads. How some adapt, like coyotes, pretty well, while others (amphibians, songbirds) decline. Also, how people, too, are affected by the sprawl and our spirits need the sanctuary of open land & silence. Amen.
Recent news item of over 1500 grebes diving headlong into pavement when what they thought was a pond but turned out to be a Walmart parking lot, was a heart-breaking example of the devastating effects of such sprawl.
I enjoyed this book very much, for lack of a better word. A sombering, thoughtful, honest baring of one man's soul faced with the march of "progress."
Note to other reviewers: I don't think it's fair to judge a book by what you wanted or expected it to be; judge it on its own merits.

[Suevw]

living on a farm and being so close to some of the issues and incidences he raises made me really keep at this book.

Probably the most important point I want to remember is the part about the cats - how they are the predator that is most able to be destructive to other animals in our current course now. Need to get the quote in here so I will be able to get it right.

Should go out and start a movement to get cats neutered and into homes where they can be loved and not go feral - or is that even possible???

[Brittany]

A lovely mediation on the lives of suburban coyotes and how they influence suburban humans. Well-written with gentle narration. The nonfiction chapters are interspersed with a fictional, imaginative account of the life of a coyote. This book is full of information you know and intuitive leaps that you might not have made.

[Troy]

This was more of a memoir than anything else, but overall the book had some interesting anecdotes and a positive message. The author cites Leopold at the end which was fortunate, as this is essentially a modern take on the whole "land ethic" ideal. So, a good, short read, but not exactly what you would expect from the title and blurb.

[Sue Tincher]

Essays by a wildlife biologist on the modern-day interactions between wildlife and people in urban areas. Most stories are about Massachusetts, where he was raised and currently lives, but he includes tales of his fieldwork in Arizona and Canada and other places. DeStefano tends toward navel-gazing.

[birdmaddgirl]

i'd really give this 2.5 stars. i wanted to like this, but i also wanted it to be more than a conservation biologist's thinly veiled memoir/environmental philosophy. very well written, it just wasn't what i was after.

as an aside, i think the cover is gorgeous.

[Margery]

Interesting from a naturalists perspective - not as much substance as I expected - reviews of ecology/suburbia intersects - not recommended for everyone - those who care about wildlife, hiking, camping would probably glean nuggets from it.

[Suzanne Auckerman]

This book was okay. It e
Was reviewed in Audubon
magazine. He organized in an interesting way, gave a glimpse into what a field biologist does, but overall not much new information. However, he does make they point of people's conflicting views on wildlife.

[Jan]

A very personal book, bringing together suburban wildlife, personal experiences and the worldviews of coyotes. A delightful read, reminding us that the wild things still are, and they knock on the doors of our consciousness to remind us of our true place on this planet.

[Kate]

"It is a subtle sadness, not seeing the Milky Way from home. And who knows what the absence of stars does to our perspective, to our understanding of the universe and our place in it?"

[Marjorie Elwood]

Interesting, though somewhat disjointed, discussion about urban wildlife and its connection to humans. He wraps it up beautifully, with ecological musings a la Aldo Leopold.

[William]

One of the lamest books I ever read.

Little of the book is actually about coyotes.

Meandering autobiography with few interesting moments.

[Patricia]

How people do and or should deal with the wildlife they encounter in our neighborhoods today.

[ReD]

disjointed, ramblings that have very little to do with coyotes or wildlife in suburbia.
However, still very thought provoking which saves it from a 2 star.
Full review in march's paper

[Liz]

A wonderful book about urban sprawl. It will make you rethink the way you live.