Preface , xvii
1 BACKGROUND
AND
HISTORY, 3
Th e Sixth Mass Extinction , 3
Evolution and Biodiversity , 5
Early Conservation Action in the United States and the
Preservation of Public Lands , 9
National Forests , 11
National Wildlife Refuges , 14
National Monuments and the Antiquities Act , 17
National Parks , 19
Th e Environmental Movement Takes Off in the 1960s:
Th ree Decades of Environmental Legislation , 22
Why Protect Endangered Species? , 25
Key Provisions of the 1973 Endangered Species
Act (ESA) , 26
Th e Snail Darter, Tellico Dam, “God Squad,” and 1978
ESA Amendment , 30
Th e Mission Blue Butterfl y and Habitat Conservation
Plans (HCPs) , 33
Contents
ix
