Otters Dance: A Rancher's Journey to Enlightenment and Stewardship

by Bob Budd

“Otters Dance is a treatise on ranching, conservation, wildlife, family, and most of all a unique appreciation of our home state of Wyoming...This is an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to understand the landscape, history, and culture of the rural Mountain West.” — C. J. Box, #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author of Shadows Reel As a boy, Bob Budd grew up on the land with the wind at his back and the wide vista of Wyoming ranchland stretching before him. His family ranch in Wyoming was passed down, alongside an undying reverence for the land, from generation to generation. Budd spent his childhood learning skills and pocketing wisdom from his family, the ranch, and their community. Otters Dance is a story of stewardship from a perspective not often heard from— the rancher. It tells of the rhythms of the land, of the people and creatures that make it special, and the ways we can protect it, sharing a universal message about the importance of caring for our natural world. It is an elegy to the place that made Bob Budd who he is today and asks the reader to take some of that love and care back to the places that have imprinted themselves on their lives.

280 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2022

Reviews

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt kind of all over the place to me. The core message was good, that the heart of conservation comes from people.

But there were other parts of it that were almost oxymoronic? I don’t want to go so far as to say the book is anti science but it’s cutting it close. The rhetoric swings from kumbaya we just need to talk about conservation and care about it and forgo the science/just rely on what the common stakeholder knows, to “managing for sustainability relies on having a solid understanding of the ecosystems in which we work and the forces that led us to where we find ourselves today”. The reality is both are needed to do conservation but the author doesn’t do a good job of getting his argument across coherently.

Also, this doesn’t factor into the review but I strongly disagree with the anti government and regulation argument this guy makes. “Results will be even more prevalent where mandate and regulations are absent.” Sir, be so for real. The reason we are working so damn hard to save our habitat and wildlife is because we overhunted, overfished, introduced nonnative species, are in our tragedy of the commons era of water rights and use (I’m in Nevada), and are monoculture farming the landscape to dust. Come on now.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written book that felt like reading a love letter to Wyoming 💕

[Edie Hanafin Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great example of memoir and nature writing. The author combines beautiful, poetic descriptions of some of the most remote and rough sections of Wyoming with accounts of his upbringing and various vocations. He stresses stewardship of wild land and animals and makes readers aware of how ranchers are stewards.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

If only more people cared for the earth as it’s evident Bob Budd does.

Many of the sensory descriptions in this book took me back to growing up in WY and my many happy memories: fly fishing with my dad on the prairie lakes and mountain rivers, camping with family & friends, and more. Budd’s stories make me love my home that much more.

I see where the author is coming from in this collection of essays; he’s advocating for a multifaceted and multi-actor approach to conservation that is aimed at solving a problem rather than playing the blame game. This is all well and fine in paper, but there are more nuanced factors at play that make this approach more complicated than is advocated for here. I disagree with some major points, and others were left out. As an example of the latter, Native American’s traditional stewardship methods were glossed over and the tribes’ presences were largely framed in an historical sense; at times it came off as erasure. Any suggestion of collaborative management of land must include Native American tribes.

It’s impossible to fit nature and ecological services into the framework of capitalism, but Budd depicts ranchers as those who marry ecology and economy. I’d be interested to know more about the percentage of ranchers that share Budd’s beliefs about stewarding the land and or hunters who don’t take a shot at a sitting elk.

Overall this was an enjoyable book that really made me think.

[Wayne Tuttle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joy to read from cover to cover. The author captures many of the unique elements that makes Wyoming like no other place in the states. Yet, much of the book also takes you right to the core of life’s journey that we all experience no matter where we live. This book will make you laugh, cry, smile, and most importantly, think. Enjoy the beautiful prose as it takes you on a trip into the majesty of nature.

[Emily Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely amazing I loved a lot of the chapter but I had a few that I loved unconditionally such as groggy went acourtin and he did ride and pretty blue car and the cinnamon mare they all told stories weather it was about how horses love different people in different ways how the earth layer beneath or feet or weather it was just a story on how good bobs son could catch frogs and turtles like the cover says this is a definite must read

[Sarah Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even as an 18 year old college student, this is probably the greatest book I have ever read. As a lover of Wyoming and it’s land, Budd perfectly captures the lessons to be learned while living on and with it. Everyone who finds themselves fulfilled or even just impressed by nature, or is a admirer of western culture and agricultural roots would enjoy this spectacular novel.

[Paula Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in Wyoming, you have to appreciate the beauty of the place and the people who care for her. This book provides a beautiful description of the sense of this place and the people who live and care for it!

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never would I ever equate ranching with conservation, but Budd has taught me a lesson. This collection of essays celebrates stewardship, sagebrush, otters, elk, fire, snow, the biology of diversity, and wide-open Wyoming. I hope there are more books to come.

[Bob Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about Wyoming and wisdom.

[Nicholle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Civility and community, ecology and economy. Plenty to ponder.
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2023 Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - Book that makes you think
23 in '23 - Local author

[Charles Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series of essays about ecology and the west. This book felt like having a conversation with some of the old timers I grew up around. Very enjoyable read.

[Sarah Neubauer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed a few of the chapters (The Test, Sagebrush and Snow, McChesney Bit) but not enough for me to say that I liked the book.