The Enduring Wild
A Journey into California's Public Lands
The Enduring Wild is Josh Jackson’s captivating portrayal of California wilderness under the Bureau of Land Management, including large wilderness areas in the Mojave Desert, Eastern Sierra, and the Lost Coast.
The Bureau of Land Management manages 245 million acres across western states and Alaska, and this book documents the degradation of Bureau land through overgrazing and unchecked extraction of coal, gas, oil, and various minerals. Bureau lands are important, it says, because they are “refuges of sanity and solace” that provide sanctuary to biodiversity and help alleviate the impacts of a warming planet. A visit to Bodie Hill, for instance, uncovers upheaval and toxic waste at an abandoned gold mine. The book also cites the impacts of climate change on desert ecosystems and populations of coho and Chinook salmon.
Jackson describes his adventures traversing rutted gravel roads and remote trails on land across the state. These parcels are often described as “leftover lands” that weren’t suitable for homesteading, weren’t profitable enough to interest businesses, and weren’t attractive enough to be designated as a national park or forest. Jackson asserts, however, that these lands are “a gift of seismic proportions” that possess a “subtle” beauty. With “the contemplative steps of a pilgrim,” he observes quiet splendor in a moonrise over desert mesas, the delicate red flowers of an ocotillo, and a surprise sighting of a northern spotted owl in the King Range. Ninety spectacular color photographs showcase dramatic views of snowy mountain peaks, wild rivers, barren deserts, and dazzling shorelines while dozens of illustrations, rendered in striking earth tones, depict local plants and animals.
The Enduring Wild is a breathtaking tribute to the threatened California public lands that many people overlook.
Reviewed by
Kristen Rabe
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
