A High Uintas Bookshelf

In this column we’ll list 2-4 interesting articles, books or the like that have caught our attention. They aren’t necessarily recent or recently read-- sort of a random compilation. Within a year, hopefully, we’ll have an established and detailed reading list. It won’t be complete without your additions. Please send suggestions and a descriptive sentence or two.

Conservation Biology. October 2001: Conservation Focus: Science and the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This is a special insert in Conservation Biology harboring seven peer reviewed articles covering a wide array of issues, problems and concerns with the Endangered Species Act. In the excellent series of papers ranging from practical management concerns to broad essays, two recurring themes arise: the Endangered Species Act is one of the truly visionary laws and yet it is in need of deep enhancement!

Ecological Application. August 2001. "Assessing the Extent to Which Roadless Areas Complement the Conservation of Biological Diversity." Robert DeVelice and Jon R. Martin.
The fact that the two authors are Forest Service employees makes this article even more compelling. Their conclusion is simple-- roadless areas on Forest Service lands should be preserved because they contribute significantly to the needed networks of protected areas. They note that even with preservation of roadless areas many ecoregions in the U.S. will still be incomplete and underrepresented! Let us hope the Wasatch-Cache National Forest proposed forest plan is listening.

Summer Meditations. Vaclav Havel. Alfred A. Knopf. New York. 1992.
The book is a must. Read Sand County Almanac and Summer Mediations; it is easy to see the complexity of biosystems and political systems and how they are so tightly woven, like it or not. Two of the great challenges we face are protecting biodiversity and seeking genuine politics. They cannot be unraveled.

Conservation Biology. August 2001. "Rewriting the Ten Commandments of American Politics." David Orr. And "A Postscript to Orr's Commandments." David Ehrenfeld.
Following the lead of Vaclav Havel Rewriting the Ten Commandments of American Politics and Ehrenfeld's postscript shows us the connection between a civil life and the urgency of protecting ecological integrity. Orr looks at the civil life as politics and Ehrenfeld adds the necessary reminder of just how overpowering American corporations have become in preventing a meaningful body of civil politics.

Conservation Biology in Practice. Fall 2001. Rethinking Insects. "What Would an Ecosystem Approach Look Like." Timothy Schowalter.
This is a concise article documenting decades of research which shows bugs are crucial to an integral and healthy forest. The hysteria and hyperbole, still too often pushed by Forest Service managers and ecologically illiterate politicians, is gently shoved aside. Insects simply don't tear a forest down; they build it. And our efforts to shove bugs aside and then mimic their actions are disingenuous and arrogant.