After the Grizzly - by Peter S Alagona (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Thoroughly researched and finely crafted, After the Grizzly traces the history of endangered species and habitat in California, from the time of the Gold Rush to the present. Peter S. Alagona shows how scientists and conservationists came to view the fates of endangered species as inextricable from ecological conditions and human activities in the places where those species lived.

Focusing on the stories of four high-profile endangered species--the California condor, desert tortoise, Delta smelt, and San Joaquin kit fox--Alagona offers an absorbing account of how Americans developed a political system capable of producing and sustaining debates in which imperiled species serve as proxies for broader conflicts about the politics of place. The challenge for conservationists in the twenty-first century, this book claims, will be to redefine habitat conservation beyond protected wildlands to build more diverse and sustainable landscapes.

From the Back Cover

"After the Grizzly is a powerful and interesting book that will become an essential text for anyone wishing to understand endangered species protection in California."--Joe Roman, author of Listed: Dispatches from America's Endangered Species Act

"This book is a tour de force. It's one of the most important contributions to North American wildlife history in the past fifty years. Alagona advances scholarship and challenges received wisdom in a number of fields."--Robert Wilson, author of Seeking Refuge: Birds and Landscapes of the Pacific Flyway

"In this important book, Peter Alagona questions-carefully, respectfully, and persuasively-the current conviction that habitat protection is the key to protecting wildlife. His case is as compelling as it will be controversial." --Richard White, author of Railroaded and The Organic Machine

Review Quotes

"[Alagona] rightly argues that we need a larger vision that more forthrightly acknowledges human action within a greater biotic community."-- "American Historical Review"

"Alagona adroitly documents the roles that historical contingency and a few influential, passionate people can play in shaping the mixed fortunes of endangered species."-- "Science"

"On the landmark species-saving law's 40th anniversary, environmental historian Peter Alagona explains why it doesn't quite work, and offers a path toward recovery."-- "Smithsonian Magazine"

"Shows how a political system was designed around [four endangered species] to speak about broader issues of place."-- "Santa Barbara News-Press"

"This well written and timely volume...is a must-read for students and researchers of natural resources law and policy..."-- "Biological Conservation"

"[Alagona] is passionate about preserving the diversity and richness of the natural world and attuned to the complexities of related issues. Throughout, [this book teaches] us much about what we need to be doing--and why it is vitally important to care."-- "Foreword"

"This book can improve understanding of sustainability because it reminds us of the complex and interdependent nature of sustainability challenges."-- "Conservation Biology"

"Unquestionably one of the best books about endangered species in the United States ever written . . . Richly detailed
empirical research, compelling contemporary relevance, and arresting stories rendered in eloquent prose . . . a
major and much needed contribution."-- "AAG Review of Books"

About the Author

Peter S. Alagona is Associate Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was previously a Bill Lane Fellow at Stanford and Beagle Environmental Fellow at Harvard and has worked as a national park ranger and a consulting ecologist.