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NONFICTION | AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 2025
WILD ON PURPOSE:
The American Prairie Story and the Art of Thinking Bigger
by SEAN GERRITY, foreword by KEN BURNS
“The most exciting environmental idea of the twenty-first century.”
—DAN FLORES, Wild New World
Is it possible to make more nature?
In 2001, a small team of ordinary citizens set out on an audacious effort to establish one of the largest wildlife reserves ever created—bigger than Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks combined. But founding American Prairie was just the beginning. To succeed, they would have to defy conventional wisdom, win over skeptical Montana neighbors, and restore vast areas of temperate grasslands for returning native bison, elk, pronghorn, birds, pollinators, and predators.
With humor and humility, Gerrity immerses readers in the obstacles, triumphs, and unwavering commitment that propelled this extraordinary journey. Wild on Purpose reveals what it takes to make real, lasting change and challenges us to move beyond saving what’s left of nature to making new wild spaces—for animals, the planet, the future, for ourselves.
Trade Paper Original ISBN: 9798890920348 | $23.95 | 360 pp | Trim: 5.25 x 8” | November 2025
“A unique and inspiring title that blends living history with self-actualization.”
—BOOKLIST (starred review)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SEAN GERRITY is the founder of American Prairie, a Montana-based conservation organization dedicated to restoring and protecting large-scale ecosystems. A National Geographic Explorer, Gerrity serves on multiple advisory boards focused on global conservation, including African People and Wildlife and the Kratt Brothers Creature Hero Foundation. Raised in Great Falls, Montana, Gerrity now lives in Bozeman with his wife, Kayla Gerrity.
PRAISE FOR WILD ON PURPOSE
​“An especially inspiring story given the outsize obstacles they have faced, but the author goes a step further by laying out a coherent, utterly clarifying, and practical framework by which readers themselves might discover their own pathways to equally impactful, fulfilling lives. A unique and inspiring title that blends living history with self-actualization.”
—BOOKLIST (starred review)
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“The most exciting environmental idea of the 21st century.”
—DAN FLORES, Wild New World
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“A powerful, candid memoir from the founder of a prominent nonprofit organization, Wild on Purpose contains an optimistic vision for the future of nature conservation.”
—FOREWORD REVIEWS
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“Wild places are dying and disappearing from agricultural overuse and under acres of asphalt. Gerrity’s Wild on Purpose is part memoir, part conservation narrative, part origin story, and a much needed call-to-action to reimagine, protect, and revitalize the wild spaces of the Western prairie. Beautifully written, compelling, and a reminder that action is needed now more than ever.”
—REBECCA LEBER-GOTTBERG, Rediscovered Books co-owner
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“Wild on Purpose challenges the notion that our greatest nature conservation successes are behind us. Sean Gerrity’s story demonstrates that the most ambitious and exciting work is yet to come, and rewilding is at the heart of it.”
—KRIS TOMPKINS, President & Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation and former CEO of Patagonia
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“Wild on Purpose is the deeply personal, inside account of a great experiment in large landscape conservation. We need more Sean Gerritys!”
—BETSY GAINES QUAMMEN, True West and American Zion
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“Gerrity is an impressive leader and an inspiring conservationist who can teach us all a thing or two about turning magnificent dreams into glorious reality. I’ve had the privilege of hiking and paddling through part of the American Prairie project area with him while filming BBC’s The America’s documentary series, and I was blown away by his vision, commitment and achievements. The effort of prairie rewilding is an astonishing, bold idea. Read Wild on Purpose, learn more about thinking big, creating change, helping improve our planet.”
—SIMON REEVE, Journeys to Impossible Places
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“A book about the future of conservation couldn’t have come at a better time. Amidst so much uncertainty, the story of the American Prairie Reserve stands as a guiding light, showing how large-scale conservation efforts can create space for the biodiversity and humanity that nature intended. It’s a powerful reminder that the impossible becomes possible when your vision is clear. Wild on Purpose is a powerful story of how a visionary made the impossible possible.”
—KATRINA MENDREY, Chapter One Bookstore co-owner
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