"In Nature's Allies, Larry Nielsen profiles the lives of eight pioneers--John Muir, Ding Darling, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Chico Mendes, Billy Frank Jr., Wangari Maathai, and Gro Harlem Brundtland--all individuals from modest backgrounds who have influenced the course of conservation over the past century, showing us better ways to live in balance with nature. Some famous and some little known, they all spoke out to protect wilderness, wildlife, fisheries, rainforests, and wetlands. They exposed polluting practices and fought for social justice. They wrote books, marched, testified before Congress, and performed acts of civil disobedience. One was martyred for standing up to the perpetrators of institutionalized environmental destruction. Nature's Allies pays tribute to these heroes as it seeks to rally a new generation of conservationists to follow in their footsteps."--Dust jacket.