Gary is co-founder - along with his wife, social scientist Dr. Mary M. Clare - of "Full Ecology," an initiative meant to help people break down the barriers between the human psyche and the natural world.
He gradually shifted to more contemplative and research-oriented works such as Through the Woods: A Journey through America's Forests and The Great Divide: The Rocky Mountains in the American Mind.
[4] Booklist's Carl Hays said of The Carry Home (2014): "Elegiac and deeply moving, Ferguson's memoir is both a heartfelt eulogy to his late, beloved wife and an introspective meditation on the healing power of nature over grief.
"[11] About The Great Divide (2004), Booklist said, "Through profiles of Native Americans, gold rushers, feminists, hippies, and black sheep, Ferguson explores the region's roughand-tumble cultural history and tracks its transition from a land of trappers hunting wild prey to one of heli-skiers armed with cell phones.
"[12] Publishers Weekly added, "From extreme sports adventurers and casual hikers to developers, the mountains are under increasing environmental duress, and Ferguson is an important voice on these issues.
"[4] The Journal of Experiential Education said that Shouting at the Sky (1999)'s "portrayal of southern Utah's Aspen Achievement Academy has influenced public opinion about the use of wilderness programming to treat addiction, learning disabilities, delinquency, even eating disorders.
The Sylvan Path is a book of leisurely evenings spent with loggers, fishermen, storytellers, herbalists and moonshiners - people who not only make their living in the woods but disconnect themselves as much as possible from mass production.
Whether he's lying down to watch a sundew plant entrap an insect or paddling out into the middle of a lake to exchange yodeling calls with a pair of loons, he exudes a delighted, boyish enthusiasm.