Defending Giants: The Redwood Wars and the Transformation of American Environmental Politics
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Giant redwoods are American icons, paragons of grandeur, exceptionalism, and endurance. They are also symbols of conflict and negotiation, remnants of environmental battles over the limits of industrialization, profiteering, and globalization.
Since the middle of the nineteenth century, logging operations have eaten away at the redwood forest, particularly areas covered by ancient giant redwoods. Today, such trees occupy a mere 120,000 acres. Their existence is testimony to the efforts of activists to rescue some of these giants from destruction. Very few conservation battles have endured longer or with more violence than on the North Coast of California, behind what locals call the Redwood Curtain.
Defending Giants explores the long history of the Redwood Wars, focusing on the ways rural Americans fought for control over both North Coast society and its forests. Activists defended these trees not only because the redwood forest had dwindled in size, but also because, by the late twentieth century, the local economy was increasingly dominated by multinational corporations. The resulting conflict—the Redwood Wars—pitted workers and environmental activists against the rising tide of globalization and industrial logging in a complex war over endangered species, sustainable forestry, and, of course, the fate of the last ancient redwoods. Activists perched in trees and filed lawsuits, while the timber industry, led by Pacific Lumber, fought the lawsuits and used their power to halt reform efforts. Ultimately, the Clinton administration sidestepped Congress and the courts to negotiate an innovative compromise. In the process, the Redwood Wars transformed American environmental politics by shifting the balance of power away from Congress and into the hands of the executive branch.
Related to Defending Giants
Related ebooks
Great Basin Riparian Ecosystems: Ecology, Management, and Restoration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCommunity Forestry in the United States: Learning from the Past, Crafting the Future Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNature's Allies: Eight Conservationists Who Changed Our World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire, Native Peoples, and the Natural Landscape Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRevolution on the Range: The Rise of a New Ranch in the American West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLandscape Linkages and Biodiversity Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Ghost Bears: Exploring The Biodiversity Crisis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ecological Restoration of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCities, Sagebrush, and Solitude: Urbanization and Cultural Conflict in the Great Basin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThinking Like a Mountain: An Ecological Perspective on Earth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDesigning Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People, Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnergy Democracy: Advancing Equity in Clean Energy Solutions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRestoring the Pacific Northwest: The Art and Science of Ecological Restoration in Cascadia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Saginaw Trail: From Native American Path to Woodward Avenue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThinking Like a Watershed: Voices from the West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRestoring Ecological Health to Your Land Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Death of Nature: Women, Ecology, and the Scientific Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary & Study Guide - Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-Extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCalaveras Big Trees Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPride and Produce: The Origin, Evolution, and Survival of the Drowned Lands, the Hudson Valley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaya Diaspora: Guatemalan Roots, New American Lives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWestern Ceramic Traditions: Prehistoric and Historic Native American Ceramics of the Western U.S. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFour Square Leagues: Pueblo Indian Land in New Mexico Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCities and Nature in the American West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLake Nipigon: Where the Great Lakes Begin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From the Ground Up: Local Efforts to Create Resilient Cities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Shadow of the Carmens: Afield with a Naturalist in the Northern Mexican Mountains Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProspects for Resilience: Insights from New York City's Jamaica Bay Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrees of Life Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Nature For You
The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Kitchen Garden: An Inspired Collection of Garden Designs & 100 Seasonal Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The God Delusion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Practical Botany for Gardeners: Over 3,000 Botanical Terms Explained and Explored Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Coffee: A Sustainable Guide to Nootropics, Adaptogens, and Mushrooms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forager's Handbook: A Seasonal Guide to Harvesting Wild, Edible & Medicinal Plants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucky Dog Lessons: From Renowned Expert Dog Trainer and Host of Lucky Dog: Reunions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Edible Wild Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Foraging for Survival: Edible Wild Plants of North America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Silent Spring Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scout's Guide to Wild Edibles: Learn How To Forage, Prepare & Eat 40 Wild Foods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Fungi: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5H Is for Hawk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shelter: A Love Letter to Trees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Defending Giants
1 rating0 reviews