Wilderness is smooth sippin'-whiskey for the outdoorsman's soul. But
it's also espresso for those determined to keep America's wildest places
untrammeled by man. For Jack Ward Thomas, it was both. Wilderness
Journals tells the story of how Thomas came to know the "high lonesome"
and how his experiences packing into rough country with fine horses and
good friends would fuel his passion and vision as chief of the U.S.
Forest Service. A true journal-style memoir, Thomas describes adventures
along the trail, including encounters with bold bears, reclusive war
veterans, and vast expanses of the West that only the heartiest
explorers ever see. He writes about the wildlife, forests, meadows, and
mountains with two voices. One is the voice of an emerging conservation
leader looking into the future of natural resource management. The other
is the voice of a backcountry horseman simply doing what he loves. When
Thomas moved to Oregon in 1973 to begin work as a research biologist, he
found a mentor and enduring friend in Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife regional director Bill Brown. It was a camaraderie that changed
Thomas's life and career. Together, the two embarked on a decades-long
odyssey of wild-country experiences that would galvanize Thomas's will
to beat back the exploiters who gaze upon America's wildernesses and see
only dollar signs. An appendix in Wilderness Journals includes specific
examples. During his tenure as Forest Service chief, which began in
1993, Thomas intended to enhance and expand America's wilderness system.
But changing the status quo comes hard for a federal agency. In
revealing commentary, Thomas probes behind-the-scenes political
struggles, internal resistance, final analyses of his defeats--as well
as his hopes for the future.
