Cradle of Conservation: An Environmental History of Pennsylvania

by Allen Dieterich-Ward

140 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2024

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a short (in academic terms), useful overview of PA's environmental history. If I had to summarize the entire book in one sentence, it might be this one from chapter 3: "Accelerated exploitation of natural and human resources produced not only enormous wealth for a few but also social and environmental problems that threatened the cultural and material foundation of the commonwealth and nation" (46). Yup, that's the American story in a nutshell, and it occurs again and again in regional variations.

I've been reading signs in PA state parks and forests for a while. Reading this book makes me think of those signs as puzzle pieces and the book is the huge puzzle - it really pulls together all those little stories into one coherent narrative. We learn about indigenous land use practices, how European settlers transformed the land (spoiler: resource extraction for short-term gain), how the idea of conservation took root, and where we are today after a 20th century period of re-industrialization. It seems we have largely settled on strategies for pollution abatement rather than prevention.

It's nice to read about the bipartisan support for environmental conservation that happened in the 1960s - it almost sounds like a fairy tale given today's polarized climate. Still, historian Dieterich-Ward doesn't leave out some tough details - like the controversy of Doc Goddard's plans to dam every waterway he possibly could (some were thwarted but many went through - including the Kinzua Dam which displaced the native descendants of Cornplanter on their grant of land).

Perhaps the pendulum will swing back and we will start caring for the land as if we'd like to be here in another hundred years. The current fracking phase does not make me confident, though. I think the author lets us all off a bit too easily, basically ending the book with a reference to how many Pennsylvanians enjoyed public lands during the COVID-19 lockdown period and how this will set the stage for a new wave of conservation. If that were true, I'd be cheering... but the story is so, so complicated. But hey, he's a historian - give it 50 years and then take another look!

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Who knew Pennsylvania had such rich environmental history… from the nation’s first forestry schools to the first urban water purification systems and wildlife refuges. Rachel Carson is a Pennsylvanian! Three Mile Island happened here! PA is 2nd in the nation in fracking! The history is so rich and bountiful. I look forward to learning more environmental history about this state

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent summary of PA environmental history and a great example of what good, state-level history can do! I wanted maybe a little more notes, or a suggested/for future reading section - I had to open so many Wikipedia pages to learn about more things!

[John Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of environmental history in Pennsylvania!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dnf, I’m just not that into this style of book, at least not during the school year when I’m also learning during the semester