Saving Point Reyes

"Compelling history, well told. Warburg argues, convincingly, that the fight for Point Reyes holds lessons for eco-activists today."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Gerald Warburg has written a fascinating account of the personalities and politics that managed to come together, over a long period of time, to protect the magnificent seashore at Point Reyes. This well-researched and inspiring study makes a major contribution to the history of both California and national environmental policymaking and offers important insights into how to better protect our natural environment."—David J. Vogel, professor emeritus of political science, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, and author of California Greenin’: How the Golden State Became an Environmental Leader

"Gerald Warburg has written the definitive history of the titanic, and ultimately successful, struggle to preserve an irreplaceable seashore. Saving Point Reyes is a valuable account of the rise of the modern environmental movement as a formidable political force. Warburg captures the battle by which a determined coalition of preservationists prevails over the developers who viewed Point Reyes as a resource to be exploited rather than a national treasure to be safeguarded for future generations. A first-rate history of one of the most important public lands battles in the American experience that provides an accessible road map for how elected officials and community activists can collaborate to win lasting political victories."—John A. Lawrence, author of Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi’s Speakership 2005–2010

"As a political science graduate student at Berkeley back in the 1990s, I visited Point Reyes countless times, never pausing to ask how this extraordinarily beautiful national treasure was conserved and protected from development. In Saving Point Reyes, Gerald Warburg not only offers a rich historical account of this remarkable victory, he also provides potent insights into how diffuse environmental interests are served in a political system that often discounts them. Warburg’s deeply researched, sophisticated account shows that no single factor is responsible for environmental progress. Instead, meaningful change occurs when grassroots coalitions, entrepreneurial leadership, issue framing, insider lobbying, political timing, and the evolving economic and electoral context converge to open new possibilities for governance. This is an insightful analysis of democracy in action that will captivate and engage students of politics and public policy for years to come."—Eric M. Patashnik, Julis-Rabinowitz Professor of Public Policy, professor of political science, and chair of the Department of Political Science at Brown University, and author and editor of nine books, including Countermobilization: Policy Feedback and Backlash in a Polarized Age

"In Saving Point Reyes, Gerald Felix Warburg traces the absorbing, decade-long story of how relentless local organizing, careful coalition building, and shrewd DC lobbying created a sweeping, spectacular protected area next door to a major American metropolis. The strategies, themes, and many of the leaders of the campaign for Point Reyes National Seashore set a pattern for preservation efforts across the country and far-reaching changes in California politics. Warburg tells a story of cherished shoreline, wildlife conservation, and practical political lessons."—David Sarasohn, retired editor and columnist at the Oregonian, author of The Party of Reform: Democrats in the Progressive Era, and co-author of The Green Years, 1964–1976: When Democrats and Republicans United to Repair the Earth

"You don’t have to be from California or have visited the beautiful Point Reyes Seashore to appreciate the breadth and mastery of Gerry Warburg’s history of the struggle to preserve this environmental jewel. It is a compelling story of politics, conflicting interests, and remarkable people who fought major odds, in a struggle that took many twists. This is a story about California, but also about the modern history of the environmental movement, and a lesson in how public policy is made."—Norman Ornstein, emeritus scholar, The American Enterprise Institute

"The Point Reyes National Seashore is one of my favorite places on earth. This is a fascinating book for anyone who loves our great outdoors and wants to see it preserved for future generations, and it’s also a superb road map for how environmental policy gets made. Saving Point Reyes is a story of how stakeholders big and small can influence politics and policy for the better."—Tim Kaine, US Senator, Virginia

"Gerald Warburg’s Saving Point Reyes is an astonishing environmental history of how California’s great national seashore was saved. The spate of legislation that grew out of the preservation victory is remarkable. And Warburg provides a vivid cultural history of Point Reyes to boot. While this book is full of heroes it’s the local save-the-seashore activists who shine brightest. The amount of research Warburg undertook is impressive. This is one of the finest books ever written about a treasured national park unit. Highly recommend!"—Douglas Brinkley, author of Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening