America’s long war on predators and other native wildlife is one of the most shameful acts in our history. And also one of the most enduring.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The endangered black-footed ferret.

Today, I’d like to draw attention to a man I admire and a story he’s done that exposes this scandalous national policy. The man is Ted Williams. He is, in a rare sense of the word, a “sportsman” who lives up to the highest ideals of that word. A fierce advocate for his beliefs, he and I often disagree on fundamental matters about animals. But we also often agree—because he is an uncommonly thoughtful person and he knows lunacy when he sees it.

He’s also a gifted writer. Ted writes for Audubon magazine, blogs for Fly Rod & Reel magazine and contributes to High Country News. In a recent piece, he goes in search of government efforts to save the harmless black-footed ferret, America's most endangered mammal. And he comes face-to-face with the harsh truth. Read for yourself, it’s a story as tragic as it is shocking.