Nature, Scientists - Biography, Labor Leaders, Activists, & Social Reformers, Scientists - Biography, Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Environmental Conservation & Protection, Nature - General, Scientists, Inventors, & Naturalists
Available on Bookshop
Write a review
Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Log in to track your reading progress.
Overview
David Morine was a briefcase conservationist specializing in human nature. During his eighteen years in charge of land acquisition for The Nature Conservancy, he directed the successful completion of more than 5,000 land conservation projects that resulted in the protection of more than three million acres of America’s finest remaining forests, wetlands, deserts, islands, and rivers. Along the way he found plenty to learn and laugh about—people, nature, and, most of all, himself. Morine left the Conservancy in 1990 when he felt that it and other major conservation groups had become more focused on building big organizations than on saving land. Since that time he has kept a hand in conservation by sharing the lessons he learned at the Conservancy with local land trusts, especially those trying to protect our rivers and streams. With his usual humor, Morine shares many of these lessons in this new edition and gives conservationists, and anyone looking for an entertaining read, an enlightening inside look at the business of conservation.Specializing in human nature, conservationist Morine has taken on one of the greatest threats to the environment today--red tape--and become an expert at its disposal. During 15 years in charge of land acquisition for The Nature Conservancy, Morine helped protect over 3,000,000 acres of wilderness. An enlightening look at the dirty job of keeping American clean.
Synopsis
The best-selling conservation classic, completely expanded, revised, and updatedDavid Morine was a briefcase conservationist specializing in human nature. During his fifteen years in charge of land acquisition for The Nature Conservancy, Morine helped protect more than three million acres of wilderness, finding plenty to laugh about and learn from along the way. Here are the stories behind the deals and the people who made them—an enlightening, entertaining, occasionally unsettling look at the dirty job of keeping America clean.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
A cardinal rule for the Nature Conservancy, says the author, for 16 years director of land acquisition for that respected conservation organization, is not to mix nature with business. In his efforts to garner donations of land, Morine has tallied up notable successes and a few failures, but never at the expense of his sense of humor. On one occasion he lost a major donation when he declined to capture a blacksnake; another deal was thwarted by a miniature poodle. Embarrassing moments included a skinny-dipping expedition off Santa Cruz Island with a potential donor (an heiress) and a trustee (a retired diplomat), and his grounding a boat during a tour down the Suwanneesp ok,db River, requiring everyone on board, including the dignitaries, to push it afloat. Lighthearted and upbeat, these stories, offering glimpses of the deals and trade-offs that have saved valuable land, will delight conservation-minded readers. (Dec.)Library Journal
A former developer, Morine has dedicated the last 16 years to the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation group dedicated to land acquisition for the purposes of saving endangered ecosystems. As vice president of that organization, he tells informative stories, e.g., about a ``less-than-honorable James G. Watt'' and his impact on the Department of the Interior. While the insights are conservation-based, the reader doesn't have to be an insider to enjoy this lightly humorous book. A good purchase for general collections of any size.-- Mary J. Nickum, Fish and Wildlife Reference Svce., Bethesda, Md.School Library Journal
YA-- The former vice president of The Nature Conservancy recalls some of the most memorable mishaps of his 18 years of involvement in acquiring land for the nonprofit organization. Wooing potential donors required facing the hazards of coping with black snakes who invaded his host's home, rafting solo in the Yukon, and encountering a miniature poodle who could ruin a potential deal. While not a tract on conservation, the message is subtly and humorously conveyed with a look at the techniques of preserving our natural areas. Some of these 19 essays and anecdotes have appeared in Sports Illustrated, American Forests, and Down East. -- Julia M. Losinski, formerly at Prince George's County Memorial Library Systems, Hyattsville, MDBook Details
Published
December 20, 2011
Publisher
Globe Pequot Press
Pages
240
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780762773640