Not So Golden State : Sustainability vs. the California Dream
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Description
Leading environmental historian Char Miller looks below the surface of California’s ecological history to expose some of its less glittering conundrums
In Not So Golden State, environmental historian Char Miller looks below the surface of California’s ecological history to expose some of its less glittering conundrums. In this necessary book, Miller asks tough questions as we stand on the edge of a human-induced natural disaster in the region and beyond. He details policy steps and missteps in public land management, examines recreation's impact on national forests, parks, and refuges, and assesses efforts to restore wildland habitat, riparian ecosystems, and endangered species.
Why, during a devastating five-year drought, Miller asks, is the Central Valley’s agribusiness irrigating its fields as if it’s business as usual? Why are northern counties rich in groundwater selling it off to make millions while draining their aquifers toward eventual mud? Why, when contemporary debate over oil and gas drilling questions reasonable practices, are extractive industries targeting Chaco Canyon National Historic Park and its ancient sites, which are of inestimable value to Native Americans? How do we begin to understand “local,” a concept of hope for modern environmentalism?
To inhabit a place requires placed-based analyses, whatever the geographic scope—examinations rooted in a precise, physical reality. To make a conscientious life in a suburb, floodplain, fire zone, or coastline requires a heightened awareness of these landscapes’ past so we can develop an intensified responsibility for their present condition and future prospects.
Miller explores these issues and more in Not So Golden State. Understanding them will be critical in our creation of resilient, habitable, and equitable communities for California's future.
ISBN
9781595347824 1595347828
Publication Date
2016
Publisher
Trinity University Press
City
San Antonio
Keywords
California, nature, conservation, protection, ecology, environmental policy, environmental protection, sustainability, California environmental conditions
Disciplines
Environmental Policy | Environmental Studies | Human Geography
Recommended Citation
Miller, Char. Not so Golden State : Sustainability Vs. the California Dream. San Antonio, Trinity University Press, 2016.
