From Amazon Booklist Babbitt served as secretary of the interior from 1993 to 2001, which put him at the helm during the infamous spotted owl controversy. In this refreshingly to-the-point and commonsensical account of the formulation of major land-use initiatives and assessment of the thorny thicket of science and politics from which pioneering environmental policies must emerge, Babbitt traces his journey from bewilderment to a clear vision of the need for productive partnerships between local and federal authorities to ensure a balance between development and conservation. Babbitt shares his unique and invaluable experience and perspective in lively and illuminating assessments of such environmental successes as the Everglades Forever Act, nature preserves, restored tallgrass prairies, and dismantled dams. He is especially enlightening in his discussion of "agricultural sprawl" and water pollution. We need to advocate for "smart growth," Babbitt writes, so that "we maintain natural space that supports wildlife, provides clear streams, and retains the ecological functioning of the land." Donna Seaman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
In this brilliant, gracefully written, and important new book, former Secretary of the Interior and Governor of Arizona Bruce Babbitt brings fresh thought to questions of how we can build a future we want to live in.

We’ve all experienced America’s changing natural landscape as the integrity of our forests, seacoasts, and river valleys succumbs to strip malls, new roads, and subdivisions. Too often, we assume that when land is developed it is forever lost to the natural world--or hope that a patchwork of local conservation strategies can somehow hold up against further large-scale development.

In Cities in the Wilderness, Bruce Babbitt makes the case for why we need a national vision of land use. We may have a space program, he points out, but here at home we don’t have an open-space policy that can balance the needs for human settlement and community with those for preservation of the natural world upon which life depends. Yet such a balance, the author demonstrates, is as remarkably achievable as it is necessary. This is no call for developing a new federal bureaucracy; Babbitt shows instead how much can be--and has been--done by making thoughtful and beneficial use of laws and institutions already in place.

Babbitt draws on his extensive experience to take us behind the scenes negotiating the Florida Everglades restoration project, the largest ever authorized by Congress. In California, we discover how the Endangered Species Act has been employed to restore regional habitat. In the Midwest, we see how new World Trade Organization regulations might be used to help restore Iowa’s farmlands and rivers. As a key architect of many environmental success stories, Babbitt reveals how broad restoration projects have thrived through federal- state partnerships and how their principles can be extended to other parts of the country.

In this inspiring and informative book, Babbitt offers a vision of land use as grand as the country’s natural heritage.

Product Details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Island Press (August 26, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 1559630930
Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces.
Average Customer Review: based on 4 reviews.