The Fish and Wildlife Job on the National Forests: A Century of Game and Fish Conservation, Habitat Protection, and Ecosystem Management. By Theodore Catton and Lisa Mighetto. Washington, D.C.: USDA Forest Service, 1998. vii + 455 pp. Notes, bibliography, index, illustrations

Abstract

Although the management of wildlife and fish did not become a statutory responsibility of the Forest Service until the passage of the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act in 1960, at least since its organization in 1905 national forest employees have managed fish and game. This excellent survey places specific stories of wildlife management in the context of changing national forest policy and practice. Specific cases include the Kaibab deer, grizzly bear, anadromous fish, California condor, bald eagle, Kirtland's warbler, Mount Graham red squirrel, red-cockaded woodpecker, marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl, and peregrine falcon. Unlike much of the environmental history written in recent years, Catton's and Mighetto's history is progressive rather than declensionist. They argue, rightly I believe, that since the 1970s and especially since 1990, the methods of wildlife management have improved, and the Forest Service has experienced notable successes in rescuing animals and restoring habitats. The successes they document contrast sharply with conditions in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the nineteenth century, hunters eradicated the passenger pigeon, drove the American bison to the brink of extinction, and eliminated elk from much of the central Rockies. In the early twentieth century, the Forest Service, the states, and other agencies muddled along in ignorance and indifference. The service harvested little timber, so it managed grazing and watersheds. Tragicomic experiences like the 1920S Kaibab deer episode were the consequence. By contrast, in recent years these agencies have succeeded in retrieving certain species from the brink of extinction. In part, these successes resulted from changes in national forest policies and practices. These included the hiring of biologists since the early 1970s and especially since 1990, the implementation of the Endangered Species and National Forest Management Acts, and the adoption of ecosystem management. A major setback occurred during the 1980s when the Reagan administration and Congressional conservatives mounted attacks on the efforts to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems. These actions resulted in reduced funding for biologists, increases in the Allowable Sale Quantity (ASQ) of timber, and habitat destruction. Forest Service resistance to the conservative agenda surfaced especially in the 1989 Sunbird Conference and in the forced resignation of John Mumma as Northern Regional Forester. The authors analyze a number of conditions that led to salutary changes. These include the hiring of biologists, the publication of significant studies, the work of Jack Ward Thomas and Michael Dombeck, and the efforts of Ecosystem Management Teams. Nevertheless, the authors do not, I believe, give sufficient attention to the process and results of the drafting the first round of forest plans, which were generally approved after 1987. These plans contributed to a decline in ASQ from 12 to 14 billion board feet in 1987 to less than 5 billion board feet in 1992 and most importantly to