Mountain & Prairie

Conversations & Contemplations from the New American West

Doug Peacock – 50 Years of Fighting for the Grizzlies

Doug Peacock and Ed in Aspen

Doug Peacock is a legendary environmentalist, writer, filmmaker, and grizzly bear advocate. He’s the co-founder of two conversation nonprofits– Round River Conservation Studies and Save the Yellowstone Grizzly. Doug was also the inspiration for the character George Washington Hayduke in his friend Edward Abbey’s classic novel The Monkey Wrench Gang. And to top it all off, he is the author of many classic books, including Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness and his most recent award-winning book Was it Worth It? A Wilderness Warrior’s Long Trail Home, published by Patagonia Books.  

Doug was born and raised in Michigan, where he grew up obsessed with nature and the outdoors. As a young man, he was drafted into the Vietnam War, where he served as a Green Beret combat medic, an experience that placed him squarely in the middle of devastating violence toward his fellow soldiers, as well as civilian men, women, and children. In 1968, he returned home from Vietnam spiritually broken, mentally unwell, and physically debilitated with malaria. Not knowing where to turn, he headed deep into the wilderness of Yellowstone National Park by himself, where he formed an unlikely bond with the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear. Eventually, he recovered both physically and mentally and, to this day, he credits the grizzly with saving his life. He has spent the last half-century repaying his debt to the grizzly bear, aggressively fighting for their protection and recovery in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond.

I met up with Doug in Aspen, Colorado, where he was in town for a reading of Was it Worth It? at Aspen’s only bookstore, Explore Booksellers. Even though I could’ve talked with Doug for many hours, we managed to jam a lot of stories into this conversation. Some of the topics we discussed include: Why Doug does not carry a gun in grizzly country; why it is important for humans to love and protect a creature as powerful, even dangerous, as a grizzly; his friendships with Edward Abbey, Yvon Chouinard, Jim Harrison, and others, and how each of those high-voltage personalities helped to elevate the others; the death and secret burial of Edward Abbey; why climate changes is such a threat to grizzlies, the challenges and financial realities of a life dedicated to environmental advocacy; his greatest source of pride and greatest disappointment; what is giving him hope now; and Doug reads several passages from Was It Worth It?

Today, at age 81, you can still feel the fire in Doug’s spirit and his passion for grizzlies is palpable. I was honored to have the opportunity to chat with Doug, and I loved his book Was it Worth It? I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Photos courtesy of Doug Peacock and Patagonia Books

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Topics Discussed:

  • 4:10 – Discussing the picture on the front of Doug’s book
  • 6:25 – When Doug decided it wasn’t fair to be in grizzly country with guns
  • 8:40 – How Yellowstone became a part of Doug’s life 
  • 10:55 – How grizzlies provided a much-needed community for Doug after his time at war
  • 12:40 – How long it took for Doug to find peace in grizzly country after Vietnam
  • 15:10 – Exploring Doug’s balance between telling the good stories and being willing to fight for conservation
  • 18:10 – Why specifically it is so important for humans to learn to love and protect a creature as powerful, even dangerous, as a grizzly
  • 19:40 – How Doug’s friends made him a better conservationist
  • 21:40 – How Doug’s friends balance their very strong personalities
  • 22:40 – The importance of ceremony and how Doug handled the passing of his dear friend, Ed Abbey
  • 28:40 – Whether or not parenthood changed Doug’s outlook on risk and death
  • 30:10 – Who or where Doug drew his motivation from
  • 32:10 – How Doug managed his lifestyle
  • 33:40 – What keeps Doug awake at night, as it pertains to grizzlies
  • 36:40 – How Doug became interested in fighting climate change by way of grizzlies
  • 39:30 – Where Doug would focus his energy if he were starting his career in conservation now
  • 40:25 – Whether or not Doug is an optimist
  • 43:40 – What work Doug is most proud of in his life, and where he thinks he may have fallen short
  • 46:00 – Doug’s friendship with Jim Harrison
  • 47:10 – What gives Doug hope
  • 48:40 – Doug’s mandatory reading

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