There are so many people who influenced this book, and one in particular has stood beside me and given me the support and courage to write this story: my husband, Erik Markegard. He helped care for the kids and the ranches especially during the early mornings. I love you. I owe an equal acknowledgement to Suzanna Hall, who, with a gracious smile, picked up the slack, which was not always easy and often meant long days of hard work and exhaustion. Endless hugs and kisses to my children, Lea, Larry, Quill, and Quince, whose patience and excitement about my writing got me through.
Katy Bowman, thank you for believing in me and having the inspiration to follow through on your instinct and contact me to write this. And to all the staff at Propriometrics Press, it has been a pleasure to work with you. To my editor, Penelope Jackson, thank you for immersing in this story and keeping the message while asking me the difficult questions that pushed me to soar to new heights. Caroline Tracey, I admire your writing skills and I am indebted to your support with the works cited.
I would like to thank all of the mentors and students during my time at Wilderness Awareness School and the trackers I have worked with: Gilbert Walking Bull, Jon Young, Tom Brown Jr., Paul Rezendes, Louis Liebenberg, Mark Elbroch, James Halfpenny, Ingwe (Norman Powell), Jake Swamp, Macki Ruka, Anne Osbaldeston, Warren Moon, Justin Alexander, Greg Sommer, Terry Crane, Chris Laliberte, Rikki Scandora Tyler, Rhiannon Kreal, Vijay Lih, Becca Hall, Aidan Young, Josh Sommer, Yssa Hill, Patricia and Sabah Baird, Amber Zandanel, Michael Doran, Bobbe Branch, Jake Jacobson, Jenn Wolfe, Dan Gardoqui, Nate Summers and John Gallagher. Thank you Tony Ten Fingers, who reviewed all of the Lakota language for me (all errors, however, are my own).
Thank you to my family—my big sisters, Serene and Chantal, my mother, Miriam, and all of my extended family who have believed in me. To my grammy, whose homestead stories added depth to my own history. Thank you to all the Women in Ranching for your support.
Allan Savory, thank you for your work, which has inspired so many in the field of Holistic Management.
Thank you to the supporters of this story: Joel Salatin, Judith Schwartz, Tristan Gooley, Courtney White, Charles Massy, Stephanie Anderson, and Michelle Roehm McCann. Thank you to all of the youth who mobilized for the 2019 Youth Climate strikes across the globe. I hear you and am taking action to address this crisis.