Happy Coyote LLC was founded in May of 2025 by Bailey Sipfle in response to Iowa’s water quality crisis. Bailey’s background in art, landscape architecture, conservation, and mental health led to the culmination of one single mission.
The spark of inspiration behind the name Happy Coyote comes from several encounters between the founder and the creature themself. Throughout the years and in various locations, Bailey would be abruptly brought back to the present by a coyote making a sudden appearance. On every occasion they would be in the midst of pondered the calcified systems within the United States and questioning what gifts they had if any that could lend themselves to slowly alter them and then a coyote would appear. Whether they were driving the interstate through Grimes, Iowa, making their way through a blizzard in Grand Teton National Park, walking their dog through a misty greenbelt, drifting off inside a tent at White Rock Conservancy, hiking along a creek in Lakewood, Colorado, or simply strolling a suburban street in historic Valley Junction of West Des Moines, Iowa, Coyote appeared as if to answer a question.
Although Bailey is not a member of a First Nations people and acknowledges they are a mere acquaintance to this legendary being, they hope the mission to right human short-sightedness under the name Happy Coyote is met with grace. Books that have influenced their view of the world have been Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn, Coyote America by Dan Flores, and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Humanity has always projected our psyche onto the wild around us through legends and myths. These stories act as a kind of shared memory, infused with empathy and lessons learned on how to conduct ourselves. This animism guides our perception of, and collective participation in, the ever-sprawling web of life. Given our current systems in place, the legend of the Coyote has a lot to teach us.
Coyotes have called North America their home for over 1 million years, making appearances in the creation myths of several First Nations tribes. Coyote is introduced through legends as an observant, magical trickster demonstrating neither benevolence nor malevolence with exclusivity. He is neither wolf, dog, fox, nor feline, which confused settlers making their way West. His power and folly lie in his ability to observe and shapeshift. Despite his intelligence, Coyote is made wise by foolishness. The impulsive yet calculated pursuit of his own desire lures him into obstacles of his own making.
The wisdom of the coyote is to learn the nature of our surroundings and adapt with the awareness of interconnection. Most legends center around Coyote letting his own creativity get the best of him, much like the more recent cartoon involving Wile E. Coyote who constantly finds himself victim to his own schemes. Coyote has been an ancient reflection of this concept within ourselves.
It is their adaptability that allowed them to co-exist with wolves for centuries and not only survive but multiply when the United States waged an all-out war on their species. The United States spent almost a century and millions of dollars trying to wipe coyotes from existence. The government effectively extirpated predators they saw as competition within the lower 48, including grey wolves, red wolves jaguars and grizzly bears, but Coyote outsmarted them. Despite being systematically targeted with various poisons, gun fire from aerial federal agents, traps, and having bounties placed on their heads, the eerie, celebratory calls at night only grew more numerous and widespread. Although the lore behind Coyote is a testament to his foolishness, his refusal to be contained is one reason wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. Coyote became a force that humans could not control without reenlisting a natural process to aid their pursuit.
I believe the wisdom of this legendary teacher, both mythically and historically, is that the same ingenuity which leads to our constraints will lead us back out again when paired with humility. As our species spreads far and wide, let's put this lesson into practice by using our observation and strategic creativity to help every living thing thrive with us. When we know better, we do better.
Although Happy Coyote’s first project is focused on harnessing natural processes to address Iowa's water quality crises, our mission spans the lengths of the border between humanity’s inner and outer landscape where human-nature is in action. We plan to play with this line and make some Coyote magic!