About this book
Earth visionaries. Climate drivers. Believers. World in their Hands tells the stories of those who saw the importance of our natural world and dedicated their lives to its conservation, preservation, and protection in diverse and inspiring ways. These were tireless champions – thinkers, doers, and fighters who spoke up and took action long before it was fashionable, or critical.
Thinkers such as Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold ground us in their deeply rooted emotional and physical attachments to nature. Doers like Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Rachel Carson include those who geared up and went out there to study, learn, record, report, and otherwise inspire the rest of the world. Fighters are the folks that got vocal, sometimes loudly, and stood their ground in the face of staunch adversity and resistance. Even at their own peril, they refused to abandon their commitment to saving a species or coveted piece of land.
Taking the preservation of the natural world into their own hands, their efforts led to the founding of the National Park Service and the Wilderness Society, the establishment of the Wilderness Act, the preservation of untold millions of acres of land around the world, and countless other victories. Their inspiring stories evoke a deeper appreciation of nature in each of us; showing us where we've been, how far we've come, and what the road ahead will look like for the next generation of conservation crusaders, at a time when conservation, environmentalism, and action is more vital than ever.
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Biography
Steve Johnson is a self-propelled recreation junkie and big fan of all things outdoors. He grew up roaming the incomparable North Country of Minnesota and Wisconsin, nurturing a strong affinity for the outdoors and piling up memories as a country kid. He later spent his nascent college years exploring up high in Colorado’s Rockies. He is an avid hiker, backpacker, and cyclist, usually found on a hiking trail in the woods somewhere, in tune with nature's finest, or with a bike and a wide-open road.
A seasoned writer and editor, Steve has notched years of publishing experience and a stacked portfolio of books, magazine work, ghostwriting, and monthly news columns. Author of nearly 20 outdoor interest titles and regular contributor to Backpacker and other award-winning magazines across the country, he also partners with some of America’s most influential business leaders to write their riveting stories, including an influential project sharing an in-progress look at sustainability efforts around the world and the power of the private sector. And don't miss his first children’s book, a fun outdoor learning adventure story with a great message and start of a nationwide series.
His work leans largely toward outdoor where-to and related subjects, with additional publications in the sports world, government agencies, business and memoir writing, historic preservation, and climate change, including Small Grass Big Earth, a student-led conservation campaign movement to reclaim millions of acres of America’s lawns. Steve hails from Wisconsin’s far north.
