States of Nature

Conserving Canada's Wildlife in the Twentieth Century

Table of contents

Foreword: Troubles with Nature / Graeme Wynn

Introduction

1 Wild by Law: Animals, People, and the State to 1945

2 Make Way for Wildlife: Colonization, Resistance, and Transformation

3 The Dominion of Father Goose: Local Knowledge and Wildlife Conservation

4 The Hudson’s Bay Company and Scientific Conservation

5 Buffalo Burgers and Reindeer Steak: Government Wildlife Conservation in Postwar Canada

6 Predators and Postwar Conservation

7 From Wildlife to Wild Places

Conclusion

Photo Essay

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Description

States of Nature is one of the first books to trace the development of Canadian wildlife conservation from its social, political, and historical roots. While noting the influence of celebrity conservationists such as Jack Miner and Grey Owl, Tina Loo emphasizes the impact of ordinary people on the evolution of wildlife management in Canada. She also explores the elements leading up to the emergence of the modern environmental movement, ranging from the reliance on and practical knowledge of wildlife demonstrated by rural people to the more aloof and scientific approach of state-sponsored environmentalism.

Reviews

Loo uses the history of Canadian wildlife conservation as a lens through which to view the changing attitude of Canadians to wildlife in the twentieth century . .. It is this kind of reassessment that makes States of Nature such a welcome addition to the literature on wildlife conservation.

- Bill Waiser