Endangered: Biodiversity on the Brink by Mitch Tobin
Posted: Nov 30 2010 10:28 pm
This book is essential reading for anyone who's interested in the current environmental issues in the Southwest. This book is based upon Tobin's series of articles on Arizona's endangered species that were published in the Tucson Citizen, Arizona Daily Star, and the High Country News. This work is very readable and fairly even-handed.
The focus of the book is on endangered species in primarily Arizona viewed through the prism of the Endangered Species Act. California condors, jaguars (Macho B's demise is given word), Mexican wolves, Chiricahua leopard frogs, urban sprawl, the Glen Canyon Dam, and the Mount Graham red squirrel are some of the topics covered.
I've gained a new understanding of the Endangered Species Act after reading this book, particularly due to what the Chilton's have gone through. According to the book the Chilton's have been hammered by the ESA despite running a ranch (the Montana allotment west of Tucson) that is pretty environmentally-friendly. Their plight results from environmental groups using the courts to enforce the ESA. Tobin chronicles the Chilton's being victimized by these lawsuits, but never shies away from pointing out that ranching has caused an exceptional amount of environmental degradation in Arizona.
Tobin is obviously a staunch environmentalist like myself, but he's done an excellent job telling both sides of this compelling story.
The focus of the book is on endangered species in primarily Arizona viewed through the prism of the Endangered Species Act. California condors, jaguars (Macho B's demise is given word), Mexican wolves, Chiricahua leopard frogs, urban sprawl, the Glen Canyon Dam, and the Mount Graham red squirrel are some of the topics covered.
I've gained a new understanding of the Endangered Species Act after reading this book, particularly due to what the Chilton's have gone through. According to the book the Chilton's have been hammered by the ESA despite running a ranch (the Montana allotment west of Tucson) that is pretty environmentally-friendly. Their plight results from environmental groups using the courts to enforce the ESA. Tobin chronicles the Chilton's being victimized by these lawsuits, but never shies away from pointing out that ranching has caused an exceptional amount of environmental degradation in Arizona.
Tobin is obviously a staunch environmentalist like myself, but he's done an excellent job telling both sides of this compelling story.