Holiday Gift Guide for the Wild Ones
WOAH! We caught some cool critters on our Wildlife Watch trail cameras, and they have all the best gift recommendations for the wildlife lovers in your life!
Our local wildlife love supporting small businesses, creators, and fellow non-profits, so this season you can rest assured knowing that your purchases are making a positive impact for wildlife and wildlife lovers alike.
Here’s what the wildlife are talking about this holiday season:
Mule deer are notably fashionable and into all the hip new things. Check out what this muley’s loving in the recommendations below.
For the Wildlife Generalist
Experiences:
Visit the Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter in Park City, Utah. Whether you’re checking out a traveling exhibit or experiencing the magic of the preserve on a guided nature walk, Swaner is full of opportunities for folks of all ages to connect with nature. Bonus points: Give the gift of a Swaner membership to share the joy of nature year-round!
Apparel:
We love this Burrowing Owl Hat from Field Guide Embroidery, but you can’t go wrong with any of Jess’ wonderful embroidered designs! If you or a loved one are also crafty by nature, you can pre-order Jess’ upcoming book that features 52 North American animal and plant designs.
Support wildlife while looking cool? We’ve got you covered. Check out our 2024 Pronghorn T-shirt featuring pronghorn design by Kris Vardanega and produced by io creativ.
Whether your loved ones are human or dog, this stunning bandana by RKArtwork is going to look amazing on them! If bandanas aren’t your thing, no worries - Rachel creates a wide variety of stunning designs featuring Western wildlife.
Artwork:
You know we can’t resist anything boreal toad related, so this cute sticker design from Goodnight Pine is right up our alley!
Zoe Keller constantly awes us with her wildlife illustrations, and we love her Commonly Observed Flora, Fauna and Fungi of Utah print.
Keep the wildlife you love sticking around with these wildlife stickers by photographer Chrissy Shammas. You know they’re cool when Dr. Austin Green has them on his laptop!
Sagebrush? We love to see it, especially in this lovely design from Art by Merm.
Books:
Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb — for your loved one whose interests range from city planning to wildlife (get a signed copy from our friends at Hawk Watch International!)
Elk Love by Lynne Spriggs O’Connor — for those who are inspired by the vast landscapes and incredible biodiversity of the West.
Wild Wasatch Front by Lisa Thompson and the Natural History Museum of Utah — perfect for your friend who just moved to Utah and is interested in learning more about the ecology of their new home!
This sneaky raccoon couldn’t wait to get their paws on all this cool bird swag! Check out the recommendations below to get your swag too.
For Your Bird Buddy
Experiences:
Take a trip to one of the Tracy Aviary’s locations to reconnect with the wonder of nature. Bonus points: Give the gift of membership so your loved ones can support and appreciate birds all year!
Feeling bold? Feeling cute? Get yourself and your best bird bud matching shorebird tattoos! Might we suggest these flash designs from Minjiyang Tattoer?
Apparel:
Hooo doesn’t love owls? No one. Owls are rad. Support raptor conservation with HawkWatch International’s Burrowing Owl Tee! You can also shop the HawkWatch International x Bird Collective collaboration for other cool raptor gear.
We’re in love with these earrings from Crooked Trails Silver that remind us of shorebird prints at Great Salt Lake. Honestly, you should buy them now before we do, because we’re in love.
While we think Great Salt Lake is already pretty great, we like the messaging behind Bridgette Meinhold’s Make Salt Lake Great Again tote bag featuring the classic California Gull.
Artwork:
Perhaps more traditional art (of the “on-the-wall” variety) is more your speed? Check out this breathtaking Wilson’s Phalarope print by Caro Nilsson to bring the love of Great Salt Lake to your home.
Dive into a year of wildlife conservation with a Sageland Collaborative 2025 Calendar! Bird lovers rejoice — you’ll find four of our favorite birds featured throughout the pages of our calendar.
Other:
It’s hard to admire birds when you’re cooking. Downright dangerous, really. But now, thanks to Anna Bugbee, you can bring birds into your kitchen with a Birds of Utah tea towel!
Do you wish the art from your favorite bird podcast was featured on a mug? Wish no more! Sip your coffee or tea with this Bring Birds Back mug from BirdNote.
Birds colliding with windows is so yesterday! Get a pack of Window Collision Tape for yourself and a friend and rest easy knowing that you’ve done your part in preventing bird strikes.
Adopt a Red-winged Blackbird from our partners at National Audubon Society to support bird conservation!
Moose LOVE pollinators — just like we do! Well… maybe not JUST like we do… but we’re not here to question their motives.
For Your Pollinator Pal
Experiences:
Take a stroll through Red Butte Garden to admire the peace of nature, or purchase a membership to give the gift of the gardens all year long.
Apparel:
Is the sun always in your eyes, blinding you when you’re at peak pollinator peeping? End that nonsense with our snazzy Sageland Dad Hat! (Not just for dads)
How are folks supposed to know how much you love monarch butterflies and care about the protection of the habitat that sustains them if you’re not wearing a shirt that says as much? A tattoo on your forehead might do the trick, but this Defend & Create Monarch Habitats shirt from Pine Bones seems like the easier route.
If your heart is a cute hoverfly on a yellow poppy, then guess what? You can wear your heart on your sleeve (or wherever you put enamel pins?) with this cute design from Fossil Forager!
Books:
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer — a short and moving book for those who seek to better understand where reciprocity and Indigenous knowledge come into our value systems.
Artwork:
Bees? They’re in your backyard. Well, hopefully. With Joe Wilson’s Backyard Bees of North America poster, you can admire over 130 species of bees from the comfort of your home.
For a more artistic approach to our beloved pollinators, consider this print featuring the iconic monarch butterfly wing by Wild Gina (or one of her many other incredible nature photos)!
Other:
Give the gift of pollinator habitat with 4oz of native wildflower seed blend from Huckleberry Meadows!
One of our favorite pollinator-friendly plants in Utah? Milkweed! This is the host plant for monarch butterflies and is the only plant that the caterpillars eat. Now’s the best time to get your locally sourced milkweed seeds in the ground, but you can also pre-order dormant starts from High Country Gardens for spring delivery to jumpstart your butterfly haven.
Moths in your mouth? Absolutely not. Moths on your coffee mug? Absolutely yes! These Sheep Moth & Paintbrush mugs by Emily Poole make our pollinator dreams come true.
These are just a few of the many incredible small businesses, creators, and organizations that are doing important work surrounding the wildlife species we love! Be sure to follow these accounts to stay up to date on how to support their work and where you can find them throughout the holiday season. Here are a few upcoming markets that feature these and other awesome creators:
2024 Holiday Markets near Salt Lake City, Utah
Wednesday, December 4 — 6pm-9pm — Fisher Art Market
Saturday, December 7 — 10am-2pm — HawkWatch Holiday Market
Saturday, December 7 — 10am-9pm — Native Winter Arts Market & Social Dance
Saturday, December 7 — 12pm-6pm — Wasatch Community Gardens Love Local Holiday Market
Saturday & Sunday, December 7 & 8 — 9am-5pm — UMFA Holiday Market
Wednesday, December 11 — 6pm-9pm — Fisher Art Market
Thursday, December 12 — 6pm-9pm — Wild Winter Art Market | Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter
Saturday, December 14 — 2pm-9pm — TF 4th Annual Christkindlmarkt
Sunday, December 15 — 2pm-8pm — TF 4th Annual Christkindlmarkt
Wednesday, December 18 — 6pm-9pm — Fisher Art Market
Our work is sustained by the generous contributions of volunteers and donors.
Will you make a tax-deductible, year-end gift today to support wildlife and land conservation?
Gift Guide by Sierra Hastings
Wildlife images sourced from Wildlife Watch trail cameras
Product photos are sourced from the listed businesses, creators, and organizations.