Found myself really impressed with the first half of this book and vet disappointed with the second half. In the first half the author presented a very precise and detailed explanation of the terrible ways in so much of wildlife of America was used and exploited in many cases almost to the point of extinction. He then continued to explain the incredible ways animals such as deer, beaver, turkeys, Canada Geese, coyotes and even black bears made such amazing comebacks that their numbers became a problem. And this is where lost me. He seems to believe that there one and one way only to solve these over population problems. Hunt them and shoot them down. Nothing else will do. He came off as a pompous,know it all, crotchety old man and in my opinion his biased one way view does absolutely nothing in the way of offering a reasonable solution to this troubling overpopulation problem. ( )

This book is a different take on human/wildlife interactions. It first looks at the history of settlement in America- early colonists cleared the land and farmed, hunting wildlife extensively as predator control, crop protection or food supply. Nearing modern times, many kinds of wild animals had become so scarce they were rarely seen. Early conservationists instilled in people the desire to preserve pristine nature and help wild animal populations recover. When family farms began to be abandoned and the pattern of living changed across America, fields grew back into new forest- rather quickly. Later, sprawling suburbs supported a lot of new habitat- scattered trees, bushes, open edges- perfect for certain kinds of animals: deer, foxes, turkeys, possums, squirrels, raccoons, etc etc. These animals have proliferated so much they are now a problem in many areas, sparking conflict about how to manage them. The author looks at many ways in which animal control has been attempted- and how successful the various methods are. It appears that hunting and trapping is the most effective (and least wasteful) but that meets with a lot of protest by people who consider it cruel or don't want firearms used near where they live.

The book has a lot of facts- it was a slow read for me at first due to the amount of statistics and such, but got more interesting once it focused on certain animal species. There's chapters specifically about issues regarding beavers, deer, wild turkeys, bears and canada geese. There's a close look at rising vehicle traffic and mounting numbers of roadkill, whether feeding wild birds helps them or causes more problems, and feral cats. It has a lot of criticism for the system of capturing, sterilizing and re-releasing feral cats. Overall a lot to think about. Some of it I'd heard before, a lot was new to me, or presented in a way that caused me to see the issue in a new light. I wasn't aware of a much about the beavers, for example. I felt like the author mostly gave an impartial look at both sides of the problems, but it's also clear what he thinks the best solution might be in many cases.

from the Dogear Diary ( )

A couple years ago my mother-in-law, who lives in Washington state, was delighted when some beaver built a dam on the little creek that runs through her horse property. She happily told of all the additional birds and wildlife she'd seen since the pond had formed. Recently I asked her about the pond and she sadly said it had to be destroyed: the pond had become a problem.

Although I grew up in a neighborhood that was near the edge of town, I never saw wildlife near home except for small birds. In Los Angeles, however, I regularly see (or see evidence of) squirrels, possums, skunks, rabbits, raccoons, ducks and geese, coyotes, and deer. While I and many others may be charmed to see these animals, many of my neighbors see them as nuisances. In this excellent book, Jim Sterba explains how 'nature' in America has gone from being endangered to posing problems. Most of the book deals more directly with Eastern states, but the problems are often felt in Western states as well.

The first section describes how early settlers cleared forested lands and how those lands became re-forested. Sterba makes the argument that we are 'forest people,' and we more often than not live among trees. He also explains how our urban sprawl (first to suburbs and now exurbs - former farming areas that are now filled with non-farm homes) puts many people living in forests. And while trees seldom come into conflict with people, those forested areas have become home to animals once endangered but which are now quickly becoming out-of-control conservation success stories. In the second section he explains the problems posed by growing populations of beaver, deer, Canada geese, wild turkeys, and black bears. And the third section explains how we became denatured - becoming viewers of wildlife that we anthropomorphize with human characteristics. He also discusses the problems of roadkill, bird-feeders, and feral (stray) cats.

I was surprised at all the negative reviews here, but after reading the book I tend to view those people as ill-informed and inflexible. I am not a hunter and have never felt the urge to do so, but I was always taught (even in high school biology classes) that a balance is necessary. It might be nice to think the animals have a prior right to be here, but we have a right as well, and a reasonable balance ought to be possible (although he recounts plenty of horror stories). I found this book to be a very rational approach to balancing wildlife and environmental concerns. ( )