Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 216 pages
- Published by: Island Press; Later printing edition August 3, 2007
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 1597261513
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-1597261517
-
Book Dimensions:
8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
- Weighs: 10.4 ounces
Babbitt served as secretary of the interior from 1993 to 2001, which put him at the helm during the infamous spotted owl controversy. In this refreshingly to-the-point and commonsensical account of the formulation of major land-use initiatives and assessment of the thorny thicket of science and politics from which pioneering environmental policies must emerge, Babbitt traces his journey from bewilderment to a clear vision of the need for productive partnerships between local and federal authorities to ensure a balance between development and conservation. Babbitt shares his unique and invaluable experience and perspective in lively and illuminating assessments of such environmental successes as the Everglades Forever Act, nature preserves, restored tallgrass prairies, and dismantled dams. He is especially enlightening in his discussion of "agricultural sprawl" and water pollution. We need to advocate for "smart growth," Babbitt writes, so that "we maintain natural space that supports wildlife, provides clear streams, and retains the ecological functioning of the land."
Donna SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Reader Reviews
Finally, an environmental book that offers a clear alternative to misty-eyed, ain't-that-wondrous, nature books and apocalyptic, end-of-the-world environmental wake-up calls. As well laid-out as a textbook, it describes five regions of the country in various stages of environmental decay, the pragmatic steps taken to restore them, the political forces at play, and the actual results of the efforts.
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