United States
£ GBP
Each fall and spring, millions of birds travel the Pacific Flyway, the westernmost of the four major North American bird migration routes. The landscapes they cross vary from wetlands to farmland to concrete, inhabited not only by wildlife but also by farmers, suburban families and major cities.
In response to the risk from habitat loss, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established a series of refuges that stretched from northern Washington to southern California. What emerged from these efforts was a hybrid environment, where the distinctions between irrigated farms and wildlife refuges blurred.
This book examines the development and management of these refuges in the wintering range of the migratory birds and the issues and conflicts that have arisen in the process.
"The author's skill in examining the interplay between wild birds, their increasingly manufactured habitats, and the varied human institutions responsible for altering them makes for a compelling story that readers will find fascinating."
- William K. Wyckoff, Montana State University
"Wilson ranges across the entire refuge system of the Pacific Slope in order to observe the dynamics and management challenges associated with the whole flyway. The result is a tour de force of historical and geographical analysis that will surely become a standard work on its subject."
- William Cronon, University of Wisconsin
