Book Recommendations

Below is a list of environmental or conservation related books that AMC members have found to be interesting.

Title	Author	Comment
Damming the Delaware River: The Rise and Fall of Tocks Island Dam 2nd Edition	Richard C. Albert	The Tocks Island Dam on the Delaware River was authorized in 1962, almost constructed, and finally deauthorized 40 years later. Land that was to be flooded was acquired by the federal government - land that is now the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Read about the very early history of proposals to use water from the river, early proposals to dam it, and the eventual defeat of the Tocks Island Dam.
Saving Sterling Forest: The Epic Struggle to Preserve New York's Highlands	Ann Botshon	Sterling Forest is a large tract of land only about 40 miles from New York City. Many of our members enjoy hiking there. But, this land had been threatened by development – and saved through the efforts of many organizations and people, including the Conservation Committee of the NY-NoJ Chapter and John Humbach; Chapter member, trip leader, Director of the Club, and Appie of the Year for his work on preserving Sterling. This is the story of that effort.
The Thousand Mile Summer	Colin Fletcher	Colin Fletcher wakes up one night to an idea: to walk 1,000 miles through California from the Mexican to the Oregon border. The next morning he is still convinced he wants to go. A month later he embarks on a six-month long journey much like an Appalachian through-hiker would – finding joy in his daily life’s simple chores; discovering the beauty and secrets of the desert and the mountains; meeting the land’s many inhabitants – including wildflowers, rattlesnakes, a fox kitten, a rare river trout, as well as a medley of human residents; confronting some of his assumptions and fears about wildlife and the desert; and discovering a freedom and sense of fulfillment that in the end he knows was the reason behind his journey. The book is filled with profound insights, colorful characters, beautiful images, and accounts of day-to-day struggles and epiphanies we all have encountered while hiking or otherwise exploring the backcountry.
The Last Season	Eric Blehm	Randy Morgenson, a back country ranger, was legendary for finding missing hikers and campers. Then one day, with his personal and professional life in disarray, he went missing himself while on a back country patrol. The author weaves a story of the search for Randy with his biography and the back country rangers who searched for Randy in a land of great beauty and danger -- the High Sierras. A must read for people who love the wilderness according to Backpacker Magazine.
A Sand County Almanac	Aldo Leopold	This three part book of American nature writing is a definitive primer on still current environmental issues and provides the core for the conservation ethic. In part one (A Sand County Almanac) Leopold takes the reader thought a month by month naturalist tour of his family's land in Wisconsin. In part two (Sketches Here and There) he recounts forty years of world wide conservation issues. In part three (The Upshot) he presents the philosophical questions on conservation, wildlife, wilderness, and the concept of a land ethic.
Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail	Cheryl Strayed	Cheryl Strayed was 22 when her mother died and for the next 4 years her life spiraled downward -- her family scattered -- her marriage was lost to infidelity and drugs. In an attempt to put her life back together she impulsively decides to hike the PCT alone. With no backpacking experience she forged ahead on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her. On this journey Cheryl reflects on her past as she meets and surprisingly defeats numerous challenges along the PCT. A powerful writer, she makes the reader a witness to the events, scenery, and people she encounters. More importantly she vividly describes the physical and emotional highs and lows that led her understand that her life belonged to her.

If you would like to recommend a book, please send the title, author's name, and a brief description to the conservation [at] amc-ny [dot] org (Conservation Chair)