Written from the perspective of a coyote migrating from New Brunswick to the haven of Baxter State Park in Maine, “I Am Coyote” by Geri Vistein reveals the struggle some carnivores face to find their place in a world largely inhabited by people. The book, released Oct. 9, has the power to educate readers about a relatively secretive species that has played a key role in the country’s wilderness for hundreds of thousands of years.
The book also has the potential to ruffle some feathers.
Coyotes have long been a creature of contention in Maine because of their natural tendency to prey on one of the state’s chief game species — the white-tailed deer. These wild canines also have a history of robbing farmers of their livestock.
For these reasons, there are many people in Maine who simply do not like coyotes.
“I Am Coyote,” a middle reader novel, offers a new perspective. As the story unfolds, Vistein expresses her pro-coyote stance by showing the reader how the coyote plays a crucial role in the ecosystem. Her love of the species is evident in her description of the main character — a lone female coyote that is beautiful and capable of experiencing deep emotions and developing lasting bonds with her family.
“Coyotes are the most highly socialized of the canine species,” Vistein said during a recent interview about the book. “They’re very intelligent, with a language that is extremely complex.”
Vistein, who lives in Brunswick, has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana, where she studied grizzly bears and wolves, as well as two master’s degrees — one in education and one in natural resources — from the University of Vermont. There, she focused her research on wildlife conservation.
“[While studying] I became very curious about why humans have such difficulty with carnivores,” Vistein said.
In Maine, Vistein now acts as an ambassador for the coyote, which she often calls “the little wolf.” She describes herself as an “independent carnivore conservation biologist.” Four years ago, she developed the educational website CoyoteLivesinMaine.com, which includes general information about coyotes, as well as resources to help people co-exist with them.
“The little wolf — nobody knows anything about them,” Vistein said. “They’ve lived on the American continent for millennia. They survived an ice age. They’re very amazing species in that way.”
In recent years, Vistein has given numerous presentations about coyotes at libraries, schools and farms throughout the state, as well as the popular Common Ground Country Fair in Unity. Lately, she’s been focusing on helping people farm with carnivores, teaching them how to protect their livestock with guard dogs, llamas and coyote-proof fences.
“The coyote’s role in keeping the rodent population down is huge,” Vistein said. “There’s a farmer in central Maine that has a very stable coyote family on his property. They hear the tractor turn on and come out of the forest, and they mouse [hunt for mice] for him. That, to me, is really cool.”
Vistein usually starts her presentations by going over the history of coyotes and wolves in Maine and elsewhere in the country, starting with the native people’s relationship to the animal. Coyotes were prominent figures in Native American folklore, in which they often were depicted as respected guides and teachers, Vistein said.
In the 1500s, when Europeans arrived and began clearing forests for farmland in North America, coyotes and wolves were hunted nearly to extinction throughout the northeast. In Maine, the government enacted wolf bounties from 1832 to 1903; before long, they were extirpated from the state.
But the forests regrew, and the coyote population bounced back.
This history, in greater detail, is weaved into the story of “I Am Coyote.” As the main character travels 500 miles from Canada to Maine in search of a mate and a territory to call home, she dreams about her heritage, as well as her past experiences. Vistein’s use of the coyote’s dreams as a vehicle to write about the larger picture gives the story a spiritual aspect.
“Why hate the coyote? Why hate the wolf?” Vistein said. “Both are wild canines that play different roles in nature.”
State biologists estimate that about 12,000 coyotes live in Maine. To date, there have been no documented attacks on humans in Maine, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Nevertheless, many people are afraid of coyotes, Vistein said. Some of this fear may stem from scary depictions of coyotes and wolves in old children’s tales, such as “The Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood.”
“Way back when, we befriended wolves,” Vistein pointed out. “Now they’re our dogs.”
In “I Am Coyote,” Vistein includes a particularly distressing and gruesome scene in which a coyote is caught in a foothold trap. By writing from the coyote’s perspective, she asks the reader to empathize with the animal.
In Maine, it’s legal to hunt coyotes year-round; there is also a coyote trapping season (this year, Oct. 18 through Dec. 31), and coyotes can be hunted at night for several months each year (this year, Dec. 16-Aug. 31).
Vistein doesn’t agree with this practice.
“We need the predator to keep the balance,” she said. “Whatever a coyote kills to survive, whether it’s a mouse or deer, helps that species stay healthy.”
Vistein also believes the coyote can help Maine with its growing problem of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, which are carried by two animals the coyote regularly preys upon: mice and deer.
“No one can take the place of the predator,” Vistein said. “Not even the hunter.”
“I Am Coyote” is available at the online bookstore of Tilbury House Publishers at tilburyhouse.com, as well as many Maine bookstores and large online book sellers, such as Amazon.com.
A book-signing event for “I Am Coyote” will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Skyline Farm, 95 The Lane in North Yarmouth. During the event, Vistein will talk with attendees about her book and her work with Maine’s native carnivores. The book signing will include refreshments of wine and cheese and live music by midcoast-area musicians, including original songs about coyotes written by Maine composer Elizabeth Starr.
In addition, Maine watercolor and pastel artist Evelyn Dunphy will showcase a number of her coyote watercolor paintings at the event. These paintings were inspired by specific events in Vistein’s book. Guests will be invited to participate in a silent auction for Dunphy’s portrait of “Coyote” to support the work of Vistein’s Coyote Lives in Maine.
All ages are welcome at the event. For more information, call 829-9203.
“I Am Coyote,” by Geri Vistein; Tilbury House Publishing, Thomaston, October 2014; 184 pages, ages 10 and up, hardcover, $16.95.