Wilks provides a historical background, list of publications, and description of activities for most of the major science initiatives undertaken at the federal level. He surveys a wide range of government documents and monographic and serial science collections used by both faculty and students.

A Passion for Wildlife chronicles the history of the Canadian Wildlife Service and the evolution of Canadian wildlife policy over its first half century. It presents the exploits and accomplishments of a group of men and women whose dedication to the ideals of science, conservation, and a shared vision of Canada as a country that treasures its natural heritage has earned them the respect of their profession around the world.

"Acid rain poses a serious threat to wildlife that rely on aquatic ecosystems in eastern Canada, including many birds, mammals and amphibians. Studies conducted by the Canadian WiIdlife Service (CWS) since 1980 have shown that aquatic birds are adversely affected by acidity through a variety of ecological and ecotoxological processes that occur at lower trophic levels, but which may ultimately cause reproductive impairment and/or shifts in habitat selection or diet. The CWS LRTAP Biomonitoring Program was established in 1987 to verify the rate, nature and extent of biological recovery of aquatic ecosystems in eastern Canada following the implementation of acid rain control programs in Canada and the United States"--Abstract.

Throughout history most people have associated northern North America with wilderness – with abundant fish and game, snow-capped mountains, and endless forest and prairie. Canada’s contemporary picture gallery, however, contains more disturbing images – deforested mountains, empty fisheries, and melting ice caps. Adopting both a chronological and thematic approach, Laurel MacDowell examines human interactions with the land, and the origins of our current environmental crisis, from first peoples to the Kyoto Protocol. This richly illustrated exploration of the past from an environmental perspective will change the way Canadians and others around the world think about – and look at – Canada.