The Real Thing is the first official biography of Ian McTaggart Cowan (1910–2010), the “father of Canadian ecology.” Authorized by his family and with the research support and participation of the University of Victoria Libraries, Briony Penn provides an unprecedented and accessible window into the story of this remarkable naturalist. From his formative years roaming the mountains around Vancouver looking for venison to his last years finishing the voluminous and authoritative Birds of British Columbia, Cowan’s life provides a unique perspective on a century of environmental change—with a critical message for the future. As the head and founder of the first university-based wildlife department in Canada, Ian McTaggart Cowan revolutionized the way North Americans understood the natural world, and students flocked into his classrooms to hear his brilliant, entertaining lectures regarding the new science of ecology. His television programs in the 1950s and ’60s, Fur and Feathers, The Web of Life and The Living Sea, made him a household name around the world. He was also responsible for hiring a young David Suzuki, who followed in his nature-show-host footsteps. Illustrated throughout with colour and black-and-white photos from all aspects of Cowan’s life, The Real Thing takes the reader on an adventurous and inspirational journey through the heart of North American ecology, wilderness, landscape and wonder.

Should the wolf be reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park? Should hunting of "overabundant" deer and elk be permitted in some parks? How should grizzly bears be managed in frequently visited areas? Are mountain goats to be eliminated from Olympic National Park? R. Gerald Wright probes these and other issues of public interest in this exploration of the unique role national parks have played in the protection, study, and management of animal life. Controversy has often surrounded wildlife management, primarily when societal attitudes toward specific animals do not mesh with Park Service practices. Those practices are influenced by the public as well as by the evolution of a program of scientific study in the national parks. As park environments are increasingly threatened by growing numbers of visitors, outside land-use changes, and pollution, it is more important than ever that scientific knowledge, administrative willingness, and public support combine to help create the policies necessary for appropriate management and protection of park resources. Wright traces the history of wildlife management in the U.S. national parks, bringing together a diversity of literature and previously unpublished information that will be of concern to wildlife and land-management specialists, conservationists, and all those interested in our national parks.

1216 reports and studies concerning Canadian national parks undertaken or sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Service. Includes index.