Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America's National Parks [Hardcover]

William R. Lowry (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0815702744 | ISBN-13: 978-0815702740 | Publication Date: August 27, 2009 | Edition: 1St Edition

By the turn of the millennium, it had become painfully apparent that the United States had made some serious misjudgments in its interactions with the natural world. The country's treasured national parks, while remaining immensely popular tourist destinations, were not immune to the damage. Preservation alone would no longer be enough; by this time, repair and restoration were necessary.

Can the United States reverse the mistaken policies that severely damaged the crown jewels of its national park system? This thoughtful and hopeful book, in turns analytical and personal, investigates that critical question by focusing on four of America's most-loved public paces. In Repairing Paradise, William Lowry, an eminent expert on U.S. natural resource policy, details and assesses four ambitious efforts to reverse environmental damage in the national parks:

• The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone



• Reducing the impact of vehicle traffic in Yosemite



• Restoring fresh water to the Everglades



• Removing structural impairments to river flows in the Grand Canyon

Repairing Paradise combines authoritative research with extensive personal experience. Lowry has spent time in all four of the parks—observing conditions, talking to the most informed decisionmakers, and taking photos. He deftly combines his field research with solid public policy analysis to paint an instructive portrait of the mission to restore the natural health and glory of some of the world's most wondrous places.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William R. Lowry is a professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis and one of the foremost scholars of U.S. environmental and natural resource policy. He is the author of Dam Politics: Restoring America's Rivers (Georgetown University Press, 2003), Preserving Public Lands for the Future: The Politics of Intergenerational Goods(Georgetown, 1998), and The Capacity for Wonder: Preserving National Parks (Brookings, 1994).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 287 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press; 1St Edition edition (August 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815702744
• ISBN-13: 978-0815702740
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #551,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Lowry is a Professor of Political Science at Washington University. He received his PhD in Political Science from Stanford University in 1988. He studies American politics, environmental policy, and natural resource issues. He is the author of five books, the most recent being Repairing Paradise (Brookings 2009), as well as numerous articles and chapters in edited volumes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An effective analysis of the political coalitions behind ecosystem repair, July 13, 2010

By 

Arthur Digbee (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America's National Parks (Hardcover)

Humans' destruction of the environment is sufficiently pervasive that we have damaged several of our best-loved national parks: Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and the Everglades. The environmental harms inflicted on these special places has been firmly politically entrenched, making change possible. In this book, Lowry examines how to create the political conditions for repairing the damage done over the last century.

Lowry argues that change requires a strong advocacy coalition, which can include interest groups, journalists, researchers, and agency officials. The coalition needs to change how the problem is defined, show that reform is economically beneficial, provide scientific evidence that change will improve the environment, and obtain strong commitments from state and federal agencies. Those conditions aren't really surprising, but they provide a useful analytical hook on which Lowry can hang his story.

The strength of this book is the four stories: wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone, dealing with automobile congestion in Yosemite Valley, restoring natural flows of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and of the Everglades hydrologic system. Only the first of these has been successful, though Everglades restoration has begun. His analytical framework helps explain these successes and failures.

The book is well-written and would be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in environmental politics and policy. If you're unfamiliar with the cases, he presents the stories well; even if you know them well, his perspective will bring you some new insights into them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable book for anyone studying environmentalism., February 10, 2010

By 

Dmitry Galkin "Avid reader" (St. Louis, MO, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America's National Parks (Hardcover)

This is a great book, well-written and easy to read and to follow the ideas in it. Lowry has a good way of writing that makes the topics interesting for people with or without familiarity with environmentalism. He also writes a very balanced view of the issues, making sure to give a voice to all sides. It's also clear that a lot of quality research and passion went into the writing of this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A strong pick that should not be ignored for environmental studies history collections, January 11, 2010

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America's National Parks (Hardcover)

The natural history of America is important. "Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America's National Parks" tells the story of the national park system and America's movement towards conservation. Speaking of the flaws that led to the formation of these systems to the triumphs of the return of the wolves to Yellowstone, undamming the Grand Canyon, and so much more, William R. Lowry paints a comprehensive history of the National Park Movement in America. "Repairing Paradise" is a strong pick that should not be ignored for environmental studies history collections.