America’s Bountiful Waters is biography, natural history, and memoir; a look to the past and the look to the future of fisheries conservation in the U.S. Sales benefit the Booth Society, a charitable organization that exists to preserve the National Fish and Aquatic Conservation Archives in Spearfish, South Dakota, where I conducted much of my research. Here’s what folks say about the book.
Masterpiece. The book celebrates the 150 years of fisheries conservation…from the early days of the United States Bureau of Fisheries all the way to the present-day United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Craig Springer absolutely achieved this lofty and incredible goal…his passion, honed craft, and lifetime of blending art and science allows the book to do far more.
Patrick Cooney, The Fisheries Blog
Edifying. The book brims with information that’s easily accessible. The book’s audiences are those who want to know more about nature, the outdoors, history, as well as fishing. And not necessarily in that order.
Albuquerque Journal
No other book so thoroughly and insightfully connects the history and culture of fishing with the species themselves. It’s brilliantly edited and perfectly packaged for anglers of every level and all who care about our natural resources.
Kirk Deeter, Vice President, Trout Unlimited and Editor-in-Chief, Trout magazine
This is an essential piece of conservation history. What I value most in this book is the big picture it provides across 150 years of saving fish and aquatic ecosystems in America, and of the people on a quest to do just that.
Northern Woodlands
The book is an excellent addition to the library of those with a passion for fish and conservation. Edited by fisheries biologist and writer, Craig Springer, the book includes full-color and historical images and engaging storytelling of this important piece of conservation history.
Wildlife Management Institute
Fantastic. The book covers four major epochs in history—and there’s so many wonderful photos, historic and recent. It’s really cool, the juxtapositions of the old and new, the past and the present. It’s full of surprises. And personal.
The Fisheries Pod
This inspiring book celebrates the passion of countless sportsmen and women who have achieved monumental conservation successes on behalf of all Americans and serves as a powerful reminder that each of us has a responsibility to ensure the wise management of our natural resources.
Johnny Morris, noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder
You’ll learn plenty about fish, fisheries and the men and women who have spent their professional lives either preserving or restoring both. It made me aware of the praise they each deserve for their passion, skillful writing and most of all, their willingness to do work that’s often taken for granted by most of us. It’s work that editor Craig Springer—no stranger to our readers who appreciate good storytellers—described best when he writes: “America’s Bountiful Waters transcends the living and the dead and speaks to conservation opportunities that await the unborn. Beauty opens the soul’s attention to the loveworthy—and so it is with nature’s perfect creatures.”
Jim Shepherd, The Outdoor Wire
This book is a beautifully crafted history lesson told through a compilation of stories by those who have worked endlessly to safeguard the waters we call home.
Jen Ripple, Editor-in-Chief, DUN Magazine
There is so much to learn in America’s Bountiful Waters—about fish, plants, amphibians. I never heard of the Texas Blind Salamander—what an interesting story.
America Outdoors Radio
A compendium of all things piscatorial, the book details the long history of fisheries management in the U.S. and highlights many of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s most well-known employees — including two Ohioans who are prominently featured: Bob Hines and James Henshall.
Country Living
A mixture of both human and natural history, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in fish and other aquatic creatures that live in America’s waters and the people who manage them.
Dr. Scott A. Bonar, Past President, American Fisheries Society
America’s Bountiful Waters is a fascinating collection of profiles of fish species, the biologists that brought many of these fish back from the verge of extinction, or through propagation, allowed them to return to their former native range. It’s a treasure trove of information about the natural history, conservation, and ongoing efforts to restore and expand populations of dozens of freshwater and saltwater fish.
Northern Kentucky Tribune
It’s a classic. The reader witnesses the importance of the service, those who dedicated their lives to it salvaging many of our fisheries – giving up more monetary-driven lives for the sake of the higher goals. The science of the book flows – keeping any angler attentive and eager to turn a page. Also, the book is uniquely riveting to anyone who is species-specific interested, lending to the book’s certain classic rank.
FlyLife Magazine
It’s a beautiful book. Biographies cover a wide range…from field workers to scientists. The approach gives the reader a sense of how and why the USFWS was created and how its mission evolved over the past 150 years.
The American Fly Fisher