From his efforts to protect California's wild
lands--including the state's majestic redwoods and
its dynamic coastline--to his novel ideas about the
educational and inspirational value of wilderness
that continue to provoke debates to this day, this
first biography of John C. Merriam (1869-1945) tells
the story of the prominent paleontologist who became
a visionary in the American conservation movement.
"Steven Mark is to be congratulated for capturing
the essence of Merriam and that original America,
the one that in giving rise to conservation believed
in parks as the nation's soul."--Alfred Runte,
author of National Parks
"Merriam's role in the evolution of early 20th
Century American conservation thinking is not as
well understood as it should be."--Keir B. Sterling,
Senior Editor of the Biographical Dictionary
"We need to hear and heed John C. Merriam's voice,
calling for education, inspiration, and spiritual
contact to be paramount in the administration of our
natural preserves."--Michael Frome, author of
Battle for the Wilderness
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