April 22 is Earth Day, a time to focus on conservation and protection of the planet and its natural resources. Across our series, we at Syracuse University Press, have published a wide range of books on conservation and the value of finding new ways to think about the planet’s natural beauty and the necessary service of preserving it.
Representing a remarkable achievement in environmental scholarship and drawn from decades of research, The Great Experiment in Conservation: Revised Edition captures the wisdom born of the last thirty years of the park’s evolution. The editors bring together leading scholars, activists, and practitioners—those who know the Park’s origin and the realities of living in a protected area—to narrate this history. Organized into three sections, contributors explore the ecological, cultural, and economic aspects of the region, drawing lessons from successes and failures as they struggle to find the right balance of private interests and public controls.
In Green Syndicalism, author Jeff Shantz issues a call to action to the environmental movement and labor activists, particularly rank and file workers, to join forces in a common struggle to protect the environment from capitalism, corporate greed, and the extraction of resources. He argues for a major transformation to address the “jobs versus the environment” rhetoric that divides these two groups along lines of race and class. Combining practical initiatives and theoretical perspectives, Shantz offers an approach that brings together radical ecology and revolutionary unionism in a promising vision of green politics. Drawing, in part, on his own experiences growing up in a working-class family and organizing within radical ecology and labor movements, Shantz charts a path that accesses the commonalities between these groups in an effort to take on the forces that destroy the environment, exploit people, and harm their communities.
Contested Terrain explores the competing understandings of how best to manage this spectacular natural resource. Author Phil Terrie introduces the key players and events that have shaped the region and its use, from early settlers and loggers to preservationists, year-round residents, and developers. The new edition includes a comprehensive account of the Pataki years, an era of stunning conservation triumphs combined with unprecedented pressures on the region’s ecological integrity.
In The Extraordinary Journey of Clarence Petty, author and naturalist Christopher Angus profiles for the first time the adventurous life of Clarence Petty, one of the great pioneer conservationists of the Adirondack Mountain region of New York State. Raised in the heart of the Adirondack wilderness between Tupper and Saranac Lakes, Petty overcame his humble beginnings and pursued a variety of careers as wilderness guide, forester, Civilian Conservation Corps camp director, World War II pilot, district ranger, and aerial forest-fire fighter—ultimately leaving his indelible mark as a lifelong advocate for the protection of the wilderness. His life story provides a window into the politics of conservation in the Adirondack region from the early days of the twentieth century to the present.