Endangered Black-footed Ferrets.
Photo Credit: Kimberly Fraser, USFWS

As an op-ed writer, I often find myself writing about something negative, trying to inform the public about a problem that needs fixing. But I wanted to start 2024 with a win, to find a story to be hopeful about in the coming year.

So I looked to a swath of privately owned ranchland in western Kansas, where this past November a cadre of volunteers including biologists, veterinarians, students, and zoo personnel headed into the dark of night looking for the “eye-shine” of one of North America’s most endangered mammals. You can find their story here.