Sch-Wild by Law

Reading Turner's recent book, Justice on Earth, made me go back & reread Wild by Law, the first to detail the work of Earthjustice, the leading non-profit environmental law firm. In this book, Turner teamed up with noted wildlife photog Clifton Carr and the results are stunning - gripping text detailed by exquisite photos. The story starts with how Earthjustice got started (as Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) with a group of lawyers who ended up setting the precedent for citizen participation in environmental issues way back in the '70s. It then covers the US, region by region, with great stories of various cases. Turner's way of spinning the tale makes this more like a Grishom novel than a legal brief.

Development has swallowed up so many beautiful places that caring about the environment can become a depressing pastime. Fortunately, the good guys have won some striking victories(at least temporarily), and this beautifully illustrated volume tells some of the details. There are seven chapters, each focused on a specific region or issue. Chapter One covers Mineral King valley (California)and the birth of the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund whose landmark Supreme Court case protected this part of Sequoia National Park from a massive development proposed by the Walt Disney corporation. Chapter Two is about Admiralty Island (Alaska). Chapter Three describes the politics of energy on the Colorado Plateau, including several national parks in Utah. Chapter Four covers Redwood National Park (California). Endangered species are the focus of Chapter Five. It ranges over a wide geographic area including pigeon guillemots in California, Palilas in Hawaii, Murres in the Falloron Islands, dusky dolphins off the coast of Patagonia, humpbacked whales in Alaska, red-cockaded woodpeckers in southeastern forests and the famous northern spotted owl of the Pacific Northwest. Chapter Six describes legal battles in the Northern Rockies, including clashes with James Watt, Ronald Reagan's choice for Secretary of the Interior. Chapter Seven includes four battles in the Eastern United States: Lake George (New York), Big Cypress and the Everglades (Florida), Hoosier National Forest (Indiana), and Canaan Valley (West Virginia). This book is a great gift for anyone who is interested in the preservation of wild places.