Rocky Barker is the author of three books, including Saving All the Parts: Reconciling Economics and the Endangered Species Act (Island Press). The environmental writer for the Idaho Statesman in Boise, Barker has seen his column syndicated in newspapers across the nation. The National Wildlife Federation awarded him its National Conservation Achievement Award in 1999.
In 1988, forest fires raged in Yellowstone National Park, destroying more than a million acres. As the nation watched the land around Old Faithful burn, a longstanding conflict over fire management reached a fever pitch. Should the U.S. Park and Forest Services suppress fires immediately or allow some to run their natural course?
Saving All the Parts is a journalist's exploration of the intertwining of endangered species protection and the economic future of resource dependent communities -- those with local economies based on fishing, logging, ranching, mining, and other resource intensive industries.