Choice-Rezension

Conservationist Butcher provides an up-to-date overview of all National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the US. The first three chapters are written by contributors who examine the history, recent development, and current issues of the NWR system. The bulk of this book contains individual descriptions of 530 wildlife refuges organized by state. Each standardized description includes habitat, accessibility, facility, and contact information. The book concludes with a list of friends and related organizations, an appendix of references and readings, a NWR system index, and a general index. The utility of the book suffers from several shortcomings. First, it does not provide a species index, which would have been helpful to serious wildlife recreationists and academicians. Second, this 719-page volume contains only one not-so-legible historic map. A location map for NWRs in each state would have been useful. Finally, the list of NWR friends' organizations would have been more useful if their Web site addresses were provided. This book should serve well as a NWR guidebook for the general public. Its limitations, however, make it less suitable as an academic resource. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; faculty; professionals. Y.-F. Leung North Carolina State University