Allen Cooperrider Wins Prestigious Award

by Betty & Gary Ball

Recently, Comptche resident Dr. Allen Cooperrider, a wildlife biologist and noted expert on biodiversity, was notified that he and Dr. Reed Noss have been chosen to receive the prestigious Natural Resources Council of America's (NRCA) conservation community award for outstanding achievement in the field of publication for their book Saving Nature's Legacy: Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity. The award will be presented to Drs. Cooperrider and Noss at the annual NRCA banquet to be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on June 15th. Also to be recognized at the banquet this year are former Senator Gaylord Nelson, Representative Connie Morella, Representative John Dingell, Representative Gerry Studds, and Senator John Chafee.

Dr. Cooperrider is a Conservation Biology consultant with Big River Associates, and also is employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He formerly worked for the BLM.

Our congratulations to Dr. Cooperrider and Dr. Noss. It is an honor to have you in our midst.

The book Saving Nature's Legacy is must reading for everyone concerned about their local and global environment. Michael E. SoulÚ, founder and first president of the Society for Conservation Biology says, "This is the most scientifically credible 'how to do it' book in conservation. Noss and Cooperrider fashion a practical, easy-to-follow guide for the protection of the diversity of life while avoiding neither the complexity of nature nor the diversity of values among managers and conservationists. I predict that the book will become a bible for wildlands managers, a valued guide to the literature for graduate students, a favorite text for undergraduates, and a powerful weapon for grassroots activists."

J. Michael Scott, senior research biologist for the National Biological Survey says, "Saving Nature's Legacy is a book that every conscientious land manager must read. It is nothing short of a blueprint for conservation action. This book clearly articulates the paradigm shift that land management agencies must confront if they are to save this nation's natural legacy."

The book is available by mail or telephone order. A limited supply of order forms are available at the MEC that offer a 20% discount. Contact Island Press at P.O. Box 7, Dept. 3DW, Covelo, CA 95428 or by telephone at 800-828-1302 (continental U.S.) or 707-983-6414 (outside continental U.S.) Of course, the book is also available at fine bookstores everywhere.