Spearheading Environmental Change

"Floyd Fithian was an effective and inspirational leader who cared deeply about the environment and his constituents. This book, which reflects upon his achievements, is a timely reminder of what it means to be a true and dedicated public servant. It was an extreme honor to have worked for Congressman Fithian, and I hope his story will inspire others to consider public service." —Judge Steven Meyer, Superior Court 2, Tippecanoe County, Indiana

"Do I focus on the challenges in my home district or on those of the nation? Floyd Fithian, a superb politician, resolved that challenge as well as any member of Congress I knew and achieved significant achievements in both areas." —Lee H. Hamilton, former member of the United States House of Representatives

"Extending from the upper Midwest to the country as a whole, Spearheading Environmental Change is truly ambitious in scope, charting the trajectory of environmental thinking and policy during the second half of the twentieth century. While hewing to some elements of conventional biography grounded in extensive archival research, this volume offers much more: an expansive account of how the ideals of conservation took shape nationally as well as how they were put into practice—but above all how leading figures such as Floyd Fithian sought to resolve the seemingly intractable controversies that often arose in the process and that ultimately 'hold substance for all progressives fighting for transformations in public policy.' In the end, this beautifully crafted book tells a complex story—and a compelling one." —Christian Knoeller, Professor Emeritus of English at Purdue University and author of Reimagining Environmental History: Ecological Memory in the Wake of Landscape Change

"The book’s greatest contribution is its exposure of how environmental policy is a deeply flawed process, with different competing and even contradictory interests struggling for domination." —H-Net