Smithsonian Book of National Wildlife Refuges - Hardcover

Dolin, Eric Jay

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1588341178 ISBN 13: 9781588341174

Publisher: Smithsonian, 2003

Synopsis

Sparkling color photographs animate this exploration of the history, wildlife diversity, and unmatched landscapes of the nationÆs national wildlife refuges. (Biology & Natural History)

About this title

About the Author

Eric Jay Dolin, Ph.D., has published six books, including Snakehead: A Fish Out of Water and The Duck Stamp Story.

Reviews

The clearly written text detailing the history of National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) makes a convincing argument for their continuance and expansion. Just as compelling are the Hollingsworths' photos, taken in habitats where plants, animals and insects are protected by law. Photos of red fox pups (Agassiz, Minn.), hatching tundra swans (Yukon Delta, Alaska), an endangered Florida panther, and the Beaver Dam (Fish Springs, Utah) are testaments to the importance of the conservation movement. The voices of nature preservationists of the 19th century, such as John Muir, who founded the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society, whose members fought vigorously against the wanton slaughter of birds in order to decorate women's hats, were heard by President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1903 Roosevelt, who had a deep love of nature and wildlife, launched the NWR system by designating Florida's Pelican Island as a preserve for native birds. Dolin (The Duck Stamp Story) spells out the growth of federal refuges, which have survived despite a lack of funding and shifting political fortunes. Ronald Reagan, for example, tried to expand commercial use of refuges, including timber operations and drilling for oil in Alaska. Jimmy Carter, however, was a friend to conservationists and supported the whooping crane project. In 1997, President Clinton signed the National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act, which set forth the mission of the system to put the wildlife and ecosystems of the refuges before any other considerations. Color and b&w photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When Theodore Roosevelt declared Florida's Pelican Island a "preserve and breeding ground for native birds" in 1903, he officially launched the National Wildlife Refuge system. After decades of exploitation, the wildlife of the U.S. was in desperate straits, with market hunters slaying hundreds of ducks per night, women wearing dead birds as hat ornamentation, and the near-extinction of the once numberless bison. Dolin explores America's National Wildlife Refuges and the movement to protect the nation's wildlife in this very readable history of a globally unique network of federal lands. The absorbing saga of the growth of the refuge system makes for fascinating reading, as politics often scuffled with biology, and inconsistencies in the laws between states, and between states and the federal government, had to be ironed out. The system now contains more than 530 refuges comprising 95 million acres of federally protected land, conserving hundreds of wildlife species and visited by millions of people every year. Illustrated with evocative color photographs and period illustrations. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Smithsonian
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1588341178
• ISBN 13: 9781588341174
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256