EchoWild is rooted in a simple but profound belief: the wild is not ours to take—it is ours to protect. Our mission begins with the most vulnerable—injured animals, displaced species, fractured landscapes.
We rescue and rehabilitate wildlife. We restore wild habitats. We heal the earth with native plantings, rewild forgotten spaces, and breathe new life into the scars we’ve left behind. We reimagine the bond between people and nature. Through education, storytelling, and hands-on conservation, we remind communities of what it means to be stewards of the earth.
This is not quick work. Nature takes time to heal, but we believe in the power of patience and persistence. In every tree we plant, in every animal we are able to save, there is a promise: that life, when given the chance, will find a way to thrive once more.
The wild isn’t just something to be admired from afar. It is something to be felt, experienced, and ultimately, protected. My father taught me that. His art was more than mere documentation—it was an act of bearing witness, a way of showing the world what we stand to lose. Through his eyes, I learned that every animal, every ecosystem, every landscape has its place in the intricate web of life. When one thread is severed, the whole web begins to unravel.
In the years since his passing, I have come to realize how desperately this message is needed. The wilderness is shrinking. Our natural world is being swallowed by deforestation, climate change, and the relentless expansion of human development. The urgency is palpable—this is not a distant future we speak of, it is a present reality. For me, starting this organization is not just a mission; it’s an act of preservation. It’s about ensuring that the wild places my father photographed—and the wildness that resides within us all—are not lost to time.
A Personal Mission
© The Estate of Peter Beard
Growing up as the daughter of Peter Beard, the wild was never far from me. My father’s art, his photography, and most of all, his reverence for nature, were woven into the fabric of my life. He wasn’t just a photographer—he was a witness to the beauty, struggle, and fragility of the natural world. Through his lens, I saw not only the stunning grandeur of wildlife but also the silent cries of species teetering on the brink of extinction, and the slow erosion of wilderness under the weight of human progress.
Now, I find myself called to continue the story he began. I have started EchoWild as my way of honoring his life’s work and responding to the urgent environmental crises that confront us today. Our wild places are disappearing, our wildlife is under siege—and this organization is my stand. A fight for the future of the wild, and a fight for the future of all of us.
Zara Beard
About the Founder
© The Estate of Peter Beard