The Condor's Shadow: The Loss and Recovery of Wildlife in America Paperback - 2000

First line

I live on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.

From the jacket flap

With gripping narrative power, The Condor's Shadow traces the ways in which human greed and ignorance have wreaked havoc on our ecological landscape.
The heir apparent to Peter Matthiessen's 1959 classic Wildlife in America, The Condor's Shadow is a brilliant and compulsively readable study of the state of North American wildlife and what is being done to reverse the damage humans have caused. With equal respect for the smallest feather-mite and the fiercest grizzly, the frailest flower and the stateliest redwood, David S. Wilcove illustrates--in jargon-free, often witty prose--nature's delicate system of checks and balances, examining the factors that determine a species' vulnerability and the consequences of losing even the tiniest part of any ecosystem. An examination of both the heart-wrenching failures and stunning successes of our conservation efforts, The Condor's Shadow chronicles the destruction and resilience of our American wilderness and offers an insightful, eloquent overview that will appeal to avid conservationists and recreational nature-lovers alike.

Media reviews

"Well conceived and very well written-- It should serve to clarify hard decisions that our nation must face in regard to habitat preservation for the future."--Peter Matthiessen

"This engaging report, sprinkled with sensible, targeted solutions to specific problems, is essential reading for concerned nature lovers, as well as a basic resource for environmentalists and policy makers."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Every bit as wise as it is readable. For a general reader, it is an unalloyed delight; for a conservationist, it is nothing less than essential."--T. H. Watkins

"Wilcove's fine contribution gives important support to the argument for a new and enlightened American ethic." --E.O. Wilson