Will Harlan

This is the story of Carol Ruckdeschel who has lived her adult life on Cumberland Island, Georgia the United States' most biologically diverse barrier island. As an unconventional and sometimes contentious preservationist, she has had many battles to fight, including those with lawmakers, the National Park Service and descendants of the rich families, particularly the Carnegies, who considered the island theirs. Ruckdeschel had no formal scientific training when she came to the island but but through careful research and data collecting spearheaded the preservation of many of the island's endangered species, particularly the loggerhead sea turtle.

In telling Carol's story the author includes the history of Cumberland Island, the impact of the rich and famous who frolicked there, and the political machinations that surround preservation.… (más)

I walked into a bookstore in Savannah and was about to walk out when I started leafing through this book. The fellow working at the store said if I bought it and I did not absolutely love it, he would refund my money. So I bought it. No refund necessary. One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. While it is absolutely a story about Carol, as is true to her character, she flips focus off her onto the turtles, precious wilderness and an absurdly interesting look at the local folklore, history and stories of Cumberland Island and all its noteworthy inhabitants, animal, plant and otherwise. If you care about the planet and its living beings, you cannot help but be charmed, horrified and well, inspired, to get of your butt and do something. Highly recommended.… (más)

At the same time a history of Cumberland Island - a biography of Carol Ruckdeschel - and a ecologial/conservation treatise. The primary figure, Carol Ruckdeschel is a true "force of nature" - a woman of limited formal education but a vast trove of real world experience in the scientific realms of biology and ecology. Her story and the history of Cumberland Island read like a work of fiction but are not fictional. At times the tales a very hard to believe - maybe because the book is written by an obvious devotee. Carol's experiences and beliefs teach us all so much about nature and man's place in it. Well worth the read.… (más)