Peter S. Alagona is Assistant Professor of History and Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was Visiting Assistant Professor at Stanford and Beagle Environmental Fellow at Harvard and previously worked as a national park ranger and as a consulting ecologist. Since 2009, he has been an Associate Editor for the MIT Press series Histories for a Sustainable Future.

"Alagona adroitly documents the roles that historical contingency and a few influential, passionate people can play in shaping the mixed fortunes of endangered species." -- Stephen Redpath Science "The [author is] passionate about preserving the diversity and richness of the natural world and attuned to the complexities of related issues. Throughout, [this book teaches] us much about what we need to be doing-and why it is vitally important to care." Foreword "On the landmark species-saving law's 40th anniversary, environmental historian Peter Alagona explains why it doesn't quite work, and offers a path toward recovery." -- Matt Kettmann Smithsonian Magazine "Shows how a political system was designed around [four endangered species] to speak about broader issues of place." Santa Barbara News-Press "This book can improve understanding of sustainability because it re- minds us of the complex and interdependent nature of sustainability challenges." Conservation Biology "This well written and timely volume...is a must-read for students and researchers of natural resources law and policy..." -- Joel Heinen Biological Conservation "[Alagona] rightly argues that we need a larger vision that more forthrightly acknowledges human action within a greater biotic community." American Historical Review "Unquestionably one of the best books about endangered species in the United States ever written ... Richly detailed empirical research, compelling contemporary relevance, and arresting stories rendered in eloquent prose ... a major and much needed contribution. -- Nathan F. Sayre AAG Review of Books

• Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Land of the Bears 2. A New Movement 3. The Official Landscape 4. The Laws of Nature 5. The California Condor: From Controversy to Consensus 6. The Mojave Desert Tortoise: Ambassador for the Outback 7. The San Joaquin Kit Fox: Vixen of the Valley 8.The Delta Smelt: Water Politics by Another Name Epilogue Notes Selected Bibliography Index