Conservationists use the term “rewilding” to describe the phenomenon where habitat is restored and native flora and fauna return (or are reintroduced) to their former range. Naturalist and author George Monbiot describes rewilding as “resisting the urge to control nature and allowing it to find its own way.” For this to occur, nature needs some help. Conservation initiatives, land trusts, and regulations are all contributing factors. A major reason for the return of beavers, bobcats, and black bears to Eastern Massachusetts can be traced to Ballot Question One in 1996 (“Wildlife Protection Act”), when residents voted overwhelmingly to outlaw various inhumane methods of trapping furbearing animals.
~ Jim Behnke
