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Wild on Purpose: The American Prairie Story and the Art of Thinking Bigger
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.
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.
336 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2025
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 10, 2026
Too often, successful founders turn to publishers to take a celebratory but generic victory lap, a memoir of "My 7 lessons how I accomplished awesomeness." Gerrity's book is more like a description by the fire of how he got those long, jagged scars following an ill-advised but productive night-time excursion through an rough ordeal without end. It's specific, personal, humble, and as a result, riveting.
Gerrity set out to do what conservationists are told is impossible: buy, lease, and stitch together a prairie bigger than Yellowstone and Glacier combined, then hand it over back to bison, elk, pronghorn, and the quiet machinery of a functioning grassland. The author's great gift to the reader is that he refuses to romanticize the doing. Every page brings the ache of real (not theoretical) "rewilding" the kind that happens in county commission meetings, over coffee with ranchers who eye you suspiciously, in the erosion of friendships, in the nights you lie awake wondering if your obsession is just another form of colonialism dressed up as salvation.
What sticks is his honest accounting of the friction. Rewilding, we discover, is not a "design problem"; it is a relationship challenge. You can't drop a fence line without first negotiating with those who've grazed, hunted, and buried their dead on that ground. You can't bring back bison without first reintroducing trust. That friction is shown as the actual work, something to lean into, not some necessary evil side effect. The pain is the point. The product is the process.
I nodded in recognition at this pattern from my own time in the Kalahari, or working on dam removals and groundwater markets, or meeting with commercial fishermen. There's a pattern: the same stubborn and potentially belligerent locals, the same accusations of "outsiders meddling in our business," the same slow, unglamorous accumulation of small concessions that eventually add up to something tectonic.
Gerrity never shakes his head, or pretends those neighbors were wrong to be skeptical. He just stuck around, listened, adjusted, and yeah, sometimes changed his own mind. That humility is rare. The result is not just more, new, wild nature; it is a place where predators and prey, grass and grazer, human memory and ecological memory are being forced back into conversation. And because the author is so clear-eyed about the messy process, his model travels. His lessons of scale, patience, treating commons as living negotiations rather than fixed assets can apply to depleted fisheries, drying aquifers, or aging dams as they do to the Montana prairie.
We have become numb to so many elegies for all we’ve lost.
Against that gloom, Gerrity offers a dusty, battered, dog-eared field manual for the wildness we might yet recover, and are right now in the ongoing process of regenerating anew: both out there and within ourselves.
Gerrity set out to do what conservationists are told is impossible: buy, lease, and stitch together a prairie bigger than Yellowstone and Glacier combined, then hand it over back to bison, elk, pronghorn, and the quiet machinery of a functioning grassland. The author's great gift to the reader is that he refuses to romanticize the doing. Every page brings the ache of real (not theoretical) "rewilding" the kind that happens in county commission meetings, over coffee with ranchers who eye you suspiciously, in the erosion of friendships, in the nights you lie awake wondering if your obsession is just another form of colonialism dressed up as salvation.
What sticks is his honest accounting of the friction. Rewilding, we discover, is not a "design problem"; it is a relationship challenge. You can't drop a fence line without first negotiating with those who've grazed, hunted, and buried their dead on that ground. You can't bring back bison without first reintroducing trust. That friction is shown as the actual work, something to lean into, not some necessary evil side effect. The pain is the point. The product is the process.
I nodded in recognition at this pattern from my own time in the Kalahari, or working on dam removals and groundwater markets, or meeting with commercial fishermen. There's a pattern: the same stubborn and potentially belligerent locals, the same accusations of "outsiders meddling in our business," the same slow, unglamorous accumulation of small concessions that eventually add up to something tectonic.
Gerrity never shakes his head, or pretends those neighbors were wrong to be skeptical. He just stuck around, listened, adjusted, and yeah, sometimes changed his own mind. That humility is rare. The result is not just more, new, wild nature; it is a place where predators and prey, grass and grazer, human memory and ecological memory are being forced back into conversation. And because the author is so clear-eyed about the messy process, his model travels. His lessons of scale, patience, treating commons as living negotiations rather than fixed assets can apply to depleted fisheries, drying aquifers, or aging dams as they do to the Montana prairie.
We have become numb to so many elegies for all we’ve lost.
Against that gloom, Gerrity offers a dusty, battered, dog-eared field manual for the wildness we might yet recover, and are right now in the ongoing process of regenerating anew: both out there and within ourselves.
January 8, 2026
Wild on Purpose is an inspiring, grounded, and deeply human account of what it takes to think and act at the scale our planet now demands.
Sean Gerrity tells the story of American Prairie not as a triumphal conservation myth, but as a lived experiment in courage, patience, and persistence. What begins as an audacious idea to restore a wildlife reserve larger than Yellowstone and Glacier combined quickly becomes a lesson in humility, community building, and the long arc of meaningful change.
Gerrity excels at balancing vision with realism. He captures the wonder of restoring temperate grasslands and reintroducing native species like bison and pronghorn, while also honestly portraying the skepticism, setbacks, and neighborly tensions that inevitably arise when big ideas meet local realities. His voice is thoughtful, accessible, and quietly persuasive, making the book as much about people as it is about land.
What makes Wild on Purpose especially compelling is its central challenge: not merely to preserve what remains of the natural world, but to imagine and build new wild places. The book reframes conservation as an act of creation rather than retreat, inviting readers to reconsider what’s possible when imagination, science, and community align.
Ultimately, Wild on Purpose is about more than American Prairie. It’s a call to expand our sense of responsibility and possibility, reminding us that lasting change begins when ordinary people decide to think bigger than fear, precedent, or convenience. An essential read for anyone interested in conservation, leadership, or the future of wildness itself.
Sean Gerrity tells the story of American Prairie not as a triumphal conservation myth, but as a lived experiment in courage, patience, and persistence. What begins as an audacious idea to restore a wildlife reserve larger than Yellowstone and Glacier combined quickly becomes a lesson in humility, community building, and the long arc of meaningful change.
Gerrity excels at balancing vision with realism. He captures the wonder of restoring temperate grasslands and reintroducing native species like bison and pronghorn, while also honestly portraying the skepticism, setbacks, and neighborly tensions that inevitably arise when big ideas meet local realities. His voice is thoughtful, accessible, and quietly persuasive, making the book as much about people as it is about land.
What makes Wild on Purpose especially compelling is its central challenge: not merely to preserve what remains of the natural world, but to imagine and build new wild places. The book reframes conservation as an act of creation rather than retreat, inviting readers to reconsider what’s possible when imagination, science, and community align.
Ultimately, Wild on Purpose is about more than American Prairie. It’s a call to expand our sense of responsibility and possibility, reminding us that lasting change begins when ordinary people decide to think bigger than fear, precedent, or convenience. An essential read for anyone interested in conservation, leadership, or the future of wildness itself.
December 19, 2025
Wild on Purpose is an inspiring and insightful account of what it takes to create lasting change in conservation. Sean Gerrity tells the story of the founding of American Prairiea wildlife reserve larger than Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks combined with a compelling mix of narrative, humor, and humility.
Through personal anecdotes, detailed accounts of ecological restoration, and reflections on the challenges of gaining community support, Gerrity highlights the audacity and vision required to rewild vast tracts of the American prairie. This book is not only a celebration of conservation but also a guide for thinking bigger, challenging assumptions, and acting boldly in the face of skepticism. It will resonate with environmentalists, nature enthusiasts, and anyone who believes in the power of ambitious ideas.
Through personal anecdotes, detailed accounts of ecological restoration, and reflections on the challenges of gaining community support, Gerrity highlights the audacity and vision required to rewild vast tracts of the American prairie. This book is not only a celebration of conservation but also a guide for thinking bigger, challenging assumptions, and acting boldly in the face of skepticism. It will resonate with environmentalists, nature enthusiasts, and anyone who believes in the power of ambitious ideas.
August 15, 2025
I read this book expecting to learn more about the prairie ecosystem, and I did, but the primary focus was something I didn't anticipate.
Gerrity has used his skills as a consultant for building work teams in business environments as a foundation for creating American Prairie. He has also developed skills for introspection to create and maintain his personal and professional goals. That combination was focused on American Prairie until leaving it for others to continue in the future.
His story can be helpful in a variety of situations that have nothing to do with his application, and anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit might be pleasantly surprised by what they discover. Check out americanprairie.org for even more information.
Gerrity has used his skills as a consultant for building work teams in business environments as a foundation for creating American Prairie. He has also developed skills for introspection to create and maintain his personal and professional goals. That combination was focused on American Prairie until leaving it for others to continue in the future.
His story can be helpful in a variety of situations that have nothing to do with his application, and anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit might be pleasantly surprised by what they discover. Check out americanprairie.org for even more information.
December 15, 2025
The creation of American Prairie, one of the largest protected natural areas in the lower 48, is probably the most outstanding conservation success story of our times. In "Wild on Purpose" we get the full story on how this ambitious project was made a reality, from its founder and first CEO, Sean Gerrity. It is truly inspiring! When I first heard of the American Prairie project proposal back in 2003, I was definitely a naysayer, feeling it was overly ambitious and would never gain traction. I am so happy to have been proven very wrong! For those curious about American Prairie, as well as those contemplating how to make a difference in the future of our planet, there is much food for thought here.
December 16, 2025
I’ve known Sean since college (over 40 years) and he’s the real deal when it comes to thinking, planning, and following through to succeed. This book provides the amazing story of creating the American Prairie Organization and also provides great advice and detailed outlines on how to identify, plan, execute and succeed at your own life goals. Our family implemented the first steps when they were home for Thanksgiving and we all walked away with improved visions for our lives. This is an interesting and inspiring book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2025
I initially wanted to read this book because it is a story about "re-wilding" a large area of Montana prairie. The book turned out to be so much more than that story. It was also an autobiography, about the author who left a successful career in California to follow a dream and to start this amazing project. It is also an inspirational story for anyone who is searching for a way to make a meaningful contribution in any field.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews