The reluctant steward

the long version

More people live in closer proximity to more wild animals, birds and trees in the eastern United States today than anywhere on the planet at any time in history. Perhaps you are one of more than 4,000 drivers who will hit a deer today, your child's soccer field is carpeted with goose droppings, coyotes are killing your pets, or bears are looting your garbage cans. As conservationists transplanted isolated species to restored habitats and imposed regulations on hunters and trappers, and people moved across a landscape once occupied by family farms, an animal-lover's dream-come-true often turns into a sprawl-dweller's nightmare.