Marc Reisner
Encyclopedia
Marc Reisner was an American
environmentalist
and writer best known for his book Cadillac Desert
, a history of water management in the American West.
He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, and graduated from Earlham College
in 1971. He then worked as a staff writer and director of communications
for the Natural Resources Defense Council
. In 1979 he received an Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship, which enabled him to conduct research and write Cadillac Desert, which was first published in 1986.
He went on to write additional books and helped develop a PBS documentary on water management. In 1997 he published a discussion paper for the American Farmland Trust
on water policy and farmland protection.
Reisner died of cancer
in 2000 at his home in San Anselmo, California
. His final book, A Dangerous Place, was completed before his death but did not appear in print until 2003.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
and writer best known for his book Cadillac Desert
Cadillac Desert
Cadillac Desert, by Marc Reisner, is a 1986 book published by Viking about land development and water policy in the western United States. Subtitled The American West and its Disappearing Water, it gives the history of the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and their struggle...
, a history of water management in the American West.
He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, and graduated from Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
in 1971. He then worked as a staff writer and director of communications
Director of Communications
Director of communications is a position in both the private and public sectors. A director of communications is responsible for managing and directing an organization's internal and external communications...
for the Natural Resources Defense Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
. In 1979 he received an Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship, which enabled him to conduct research and write Cadillac Desert, which was first published in 1986.
He went on to write additional books and helped develop a PBS documentary on water management. In 1997 he published a discussion paper for the American Farmland Trust
American Farmland Trust
The American Farmland Trust is an organization founded to preserve farmland and ranchland in the United States and to promote sustainable agricultural practices....
on water policy and farmland protection.
Reisner died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2000 at his home in San Anselmo, California
San Anselmo, California
San Anselmo is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, in the western United States. San Anselmo is located west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet . It is located about north of San Francisco. Neighboring towns include San Rafael to the east, Fairfax to the west, and Ross to the...
. His final book, A Dangerous Place, was completed before his death but did not appear in print until 2003.
Books
- Cadillac DesertCadillac DesertCadillac Desert, by Marc Reisner, is a 1986 book published by Viking about land development and water policy in the western United States. Subtitled The American West and its Disappearing Water, it gives the history of the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and their struggle...
: The American West and Its Disappearing Water (1986, revised 1993). ISBN 0-14-017824-4 - Overtapped Oasis: Reform or Revolution for Western Water (with Sarah Bates) (1990). ISBN 0-933280-75-0
- Game WarsGame WarsGame Wars is a non-fiction book by Marc Reisner which gives accounts of several U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sting operations. First published in 1991, the book centers on undercover agent Dave Hall as he infiltrates groups of poachers and gathers evidence to prosecute them...
: The Undercover Pursuit of Wildlife Poachers (1992). ISBN 0-436-41053-2 - A Dangerous Place: California's Unsettling Fate (2003). ISBN 0-14-200383-2