In Service of the Wild: Restoring and Reinhabiting Damaged Land

A growing number of individuals have become actively engaged in ecological restoration. As Mills (Whatever Happened to Ecology?) defines it, ``ecological restoration is the art and science of repairing damaged ecosystems to the greatest possible degree of historic authenticity.'' Here she repeatedly attempts to bridge the gap between art and science. The first half of the book, in highly personal prose, offers a paean to the 35 acres in northern Michigan she calls home. These chapters are not nearly as focused as those of the second half, which detail the specifics of five different restoration projects: Aldo Leopold's Sandy County Midwestern farm, which is acknowledged to be the birthplace of the restoration movement; the University of Wisconsin at Madison's arboretum; prairie preserves in and around Chicago; the Mattole River in Northern California; and Auroville, a supposedly self-sufficient, ecologically attuned village in tropical India. Interviews with the professionals and amateurs involved in the projects bring each to life and demonstrate the deep commitment some people develop to their environment. (June)