United States West Coast : an environmental history / Adam M. Sowards.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 365-376) and index.

Series foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Maps -- 1. A land of upheaval and diversity -- Major forces -- Regions -- Arrival of humans -- Conclusion -- References -- 2. Reciprocity and the indigenous landscape -- Establishing human-ecological regimes -- Conclusion -- References -- 3. Displacement and replacement : establishing new ecological regimes -- Ecological imperialism and revolutions -- Explorations -- Exchanges -- Initial settlements -- Transforming water, changing culture -- Environmental conflict -- Conclusion -- References -- 4. Industrializing nature -- Institutional and intellectual frameworks -- Industrializing mining -- Industrializing agriculture -- Industrializing fisheries -- Industrializing forests -- Conclusion -- References.

5. Responding to industrialized environments -- Characterizing the conservation movement -- Fisheries, government science, and emerging conservation -- Crusade for reclamation and the illusion of control -- Forests and conservation -- Preservation movement -- Urban environmental change -- Conclusion -- References -- 6. Modern environmental conflicts -- The revision of modern agriculture -- Forest debates -- Energy and protests -- Cities in the modern Far West -- Episodes of conflict : environmental politics in the modern Far West -- Conclusion -- Epilogue -- References -- 7. Case studies -- Case study : environment and empire -- the Northwest Fur Trade -- Ecology of otters and beavers -- Initiating the trade in soft gold -- Competitive environments and declining furs -- The end of the fur trade and its consequences -- Conclusion -- References.

Case study : Los Angeles and the problem of water -- The nature of Los Angeles river development -- Solving the problem of too little water -- Solving the problem of too much water -- Postscript -- Conclusion -- References -- Case study : The forests, the owls, and the radicals -- The setting -- Activism in the woods -- Competing authorities -- Resolution : timber summit and the Northwest forest plan -- Conclusion -- References -- Documents -- Important people, events, and concepts -- Chronology -- References and further reading -- Index -- About the author.

"From Native people's skilled use of fire and plants to the California Gold Rush to ongoing efforts to provide Southern California with sufficient water, the North American West Coast has long been a region where humankind has nurtured, battled, and exploited the environment. This groundbreaking volume explores the interplay of ecology, economy, and culture throughout the history of this rich and abundant region, examining the ways its residents and their institutions both influence and are affected by the ecological systems in which they live." "United States West Coast covers the emergence of humans in the Pacific Northwest, the rise of European colonial trade networks, the era of industrialization and urbanization, and present-day Green movements and public-policy responses to environmental damage. By investigating how humans interact with their nonhuman surroundings across a specific expanse, United States West Coast shows the interdependent nature of the relationship between people and their environment."--BOOK JACKET.