"In his enthusiastic explorations and fervent writing, Michael J. Yochim "was to Yellowstone what Muir was to Yosemite. Other times, his writing is like that of Edward Abbey, full of passion for the natural world and anger at those who are abusing it," writes foreword contributor William R. Lowry. A legendary hiker and an avid backpacker, Yochim worked for the National Park Service for three decades. In 2013 Yochim was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). While fighting the disease, he wrote Requiem for America's Best Idea. The book establishes a unique parallel between Yochim's personal struggle with a terminal illness and the impact climate change is having on the national parks-the treasured wilderness that he loved and to which he dedicated his life. Climate change is the existential threat facing this and future generations. Scientists warn us of the dangers of continued fossil fuel consumption and a changing climate that will disrupt agriculture and food supplies, flood coastal cities and communities, severely harm poor and at-risk populations, alter weather systems, and fuel powerful storms. Yochim explains how climate change is already impacting America's national parks with a focus on current and projected changes to vegetation, wildlife, and the natural conditions in Olympic, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yellowstone, and Yosemite National Parks. Written with the expertise of a naturalist who knew the parks intimately and the passion of a terminally ill man, each chapter considers what unbridled climate change will do to the parks by the year 2100 alongside the interwoven chronicle of a man's search for comfort and inspiration as a brutal disease overtakes him. A poignant and thought-provoking work, Requiem for America's Best Idea investigates the interactions between people and nature and the world that can inspire and destroy them"-- Provided by publisher.
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