Doniga Markegard is a wildlife tracker, regenerative rancher, speaker, and author. Her teen years in nature school started her on a path that led to a career in animal tracking and then permaculture and ranching in California. Using the innovative, carbon-storing methods of regenerative ranching, she’s restoring the land she tends, bringing native grasses and wildlife back to the depleted Bay Area. Doniga is a consultant and guest instructor at numerous nature and permaculture programs around the country and is a regular speaker at events such as the Bioneers Conference, Food Inspiration Trendsummit, and The Grassfed Exchange; has worked with companies such as Patagonia and Google; and has been featured in articles from FastCompany, GreenBiz, The San Francisco Examiner, and NPR.
"Indies Today— “Doniga Markegard has an overwhelmingly beautiful and resilient spirit. Her experiences as recounted in Wolf Girl shape her into a positive person with an intense love for the planet. Doniga’s strong character is an example for every human on earth who hopes to leave the planet in better shape for future generations."" “Doniga Markegard’s remarkable and highly unconventional journey from a teenager badly out-of-sync with her world to a rancher and mother working closely with nature is an inspiring story about finding your purpose in life. In an era of gloomy news and uncertain visions of the future, Doniga’s book is a breath of fresh, joyous air!”—Courtney White, author of Grass, Soil, Hope and co-founder of the Quivira Coalition ""With prose good enough to be called poetry, she brings us on a deeply moving and profound journey of awakening and awareness.""—Joel Salatin, farmer, lecturer, and author of Folks, This Ain't Normal, You Can Farm, and Salad Bar Beef ""A wonderful book that shines a light on an exciting path that will inspire many.""—Tristan Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator, The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, and The Nature Instinct “Wolf Girl is a delicate balance of thrilling narrative and meditative reflection that echoes the precious ecological balances Doniga Markegard comes to understand as a teenager and later mimics as an adult on a regenerative ranch. As Markegard learns to track animals, she also tracks the edges of her humanity and spirituality in relation to the natural world. Reminiscent of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Wolf Girl is a tale of environmental awakening that will inspire the same curiosity, wonder, and back-to-the-land perspective in readers searching for meaning and avenues to action in a time of ecological chaos.”—Stephanie Anderson, author of One Size Fits None: A Farm Girl’s Search for the Promise of Regenerative Agriculture “This poignant and moving call to humans to reconnect with nature is a book for our times. While it is written for young adults—that increasingly activist generation who seek to clean up the mess of we previous generations—it will have a far wider appeal. This book deserves to be a best-seller.”—Charles Massy, author of Call of the Reed Warbler “Doniga Markegard's journey from teen runaway to expert tracker and on to mother, rancher, and activist artfully conveys what it means to be fully alive to the natural world. In Wolf Girl, she sets out a path for readers seeking grounding and direction during a confusing time. Written with love and hard-won insight, this book is as inspiring as it is beautiful.”—Judith D. Schwartz, author of Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth ""Youth aren’t just the activists of tomorrow—they’re the activists of today. Wolf Girl is an inspiring memoir of a young girl’s quest to save the planet.""—Michelle Roehm McCann, author of Enough is Enough: How Students Can Join the Fight for Gun Safety and the Girls Who Rocked the World series ""Wolf Girl is much more than a coming of age story. It is an inspiring story of how one can overcome adversity, connect with nature, pursue their passion, follow synchronicity and discover a life filled with purpose and meaning. As a father of two teen girls, I believe these are the types of stories that are essential for our young people to read. Doniga is an amazing role model whose story will give teens hope and inspire them to become the next generation of nature-connected leaders and stewards that our world desperately needs.""—Warren Moon, Executive Director, Wilderness Awareness School"