Edge: The Pressured Past and Precarious Future of California's Coast - Tapa blanda

"The Edge is an important reminder that life in nature can only survive if we accept our responsibility to be good stewards." -Leon Panetta, former congressman and chair of the Pew Oceans Commission

"I loved this book. A paean to the California coast, weaving together science, history, and politics, from two of the most eminent, and personally invested, scholars on the subject. If you want to pull together the myriad impressions and questions of a drive or hike down the coast, if you want to understand it on all its many facets -- read this book." -Andreas Merkl, President, Ocean Conservancy

"Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs each have had a long love affair with the California coast. You can see it in their personal stories, and how they worry about the long-term effects of human interaction between land and water. This is a must read for anyone who shares their love for the coast and concern for its future." -John Laird, California Secretary for Natural Resources, and Chair of the California Ocean Protection Council

"This book captures the magic of the coast. It has an intimate blend of nature, science, politics, policy, culture, history, and adventure, and there is a well-informed urgency that gives readers more than just the information and heightened awareness they need to bring about real change to our ocean policies and practices: It is a personal call to action. Dive in!" -Sam Farr, former congressman and ocean advocate

"The Edge is an extremely readable and personal exploration of the history of California's coast and the issues that face this extensive and diverse boundary with the ocean. Steinhardt and Griggs are true to the science of the coast while making it accessible to the casual reader." -Margaret Leinen, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

"The Edge melds natural history and personal memories to reveal the shifting baselines of the California coast ... and our role in maintaining its beauty." -Meg Caldwell, Packard Foundation Deputy Director for Oceans and former chair of the California Coastal Commission

"In Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs' engaging book, rife with illustrative photos and beachgoer commentaries, we learn not just about king tides and climate change, otters, whales and oil wells, the people who plundered and those who sought to save our shore, but also some of their own salty adventures where the world's sixth largest economy meets the world's greatest wilderness range." -David Helvarg, ocean advocate and author of The Golden Shore: California's Love Affair with the Sea

"Fact-packed ... beautifully illustrated and easy to read, The Edge offers a well-documented study of the coast's past and present and a thoughtful consideration of its future." -Georgia Rowe, San Jose Mercury News

"Steinhardt and Griggs have created a delightful and insightful tour of California's coastal edge, past, present, and future. They do a masterful job of weaving together the interconnections of the changing natural world over different time scales with the changing societal landscape and human interventions to modify the coastal edge as population grew and societal priorities changed. I recommend this book to all who are interested in one of the most beautiful coasts in the world." -Jerry R. Schubel, Ph.D., President and CEO, Aquarium of the Pacific

"Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs skillfully weave together environmental science, history, politics and law with their personal experiences in a wonderful presentation of the incredible diversity, vitality and social significance of the California coast. A must-read for anyone concerned about protecting this incredible coastal experience for future generations." -Charles Lester, former executive director, California Coastal Commission

The Pacific coast is the most iconic region of California and one of the most fascinating and rapidly changing places in the world. Densely populated, urbanized, and industrialized -- but also home to wilderness with complex, fragile ecosystems -- the coast is the place where humanity and nature coexist in a precarious balance that is never perfectly stable.
The Edge is a dramatic snapshot of the California coast's past, present, and probable future in a time of climate change and expanding human activity. Written by two marine experts who grew up on the coast, The Edge is both a celebration of the coast's natural and cultural uniqueness and a warning of the many complex changes that threaten that uniqueness. As ocean levels rise, coastal communities are starting to erode, and entire neighborhoods have been lost to the sea. Coastal ecosystems and wildlife that were already stressed by human settlement now face new dangers, some threatening their very existence. The combined impacts of climate change, housing and commercial growth, commercial fisheries, oil drilling and production, along with environmental advocacy, all come together to define the future of the region. A masterful and sweeping synthesis of environmental and social science, The Edge presents a comprehensive portrait of natural and cultural history -- the story of the people, communities, industries, ecology, and wildlife of the California coast.