Wanderings of an environmental journalist in Alaska and the American West /

Fradkin roamed freely in the 1970s and '80s as the Los Angeles Times 's first environmental writer, and as a contributor to Audubon. These 15 pieces, about evenly divided in covering Alaska and the West, include several gems. ``The Eating of the West'' is a thoughtful exploration of the ``high environmental cost'' (overgrazing) of America's penchant for beef consumption. ``The First Pipeline'' describes the people and politics behind the ``expensive failure'' of the original Alaska pipeline, built during WW II. A late-'70s article on dangers facing supertankers in Valdez Narrows foretells the Exxon disaster. Some pieces are dated, but Franklin's engaging style and insights into ongoing issues--the ``alienation'' of Native Americans from their lands, overcrowding in the West, the constant threat of fire in California--make this a rewarding collection for concerned readers. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Fifteen essays by Fradkin (Fallout, 1989, etc.), originally published in the Los Angeles Times and Audubon magazine during the 1970's. The pieces offer a sobering, articulate view of specific environmental concerns in the West, most of which--as shown by an updating epilogue--have not improved in the interim. At times, the prescience of Fradkin's observations is stunning, as in a 1977 Audubon exposé about the hazardous shipping lanes outside Valdez, Alaska, that suggested that it was only a matter of time before a supertanker accident occurred. Other articles on Alaska reconstruct a desperate battle on the Aleutian island of Attu, where thousands of Japanese and American troops died in 1942; describe a giant (1,750-foot) wave that scoured the granite cliffs of Lituya Bay after a massive earthquake in 1958; and detail the folly and mismanagement behind the WW II construction of the first oil pipeline out of the Arctic. Perennial hazards of fire and drought in California are among the themes addressed in a section on the American West; also covered are the acute problems throughout that region that result from overgrazing. Of particular interest is a chronicle of a one-week visit in 1977 to the energy boomtown of Craig, Colorado, at the height of its growth, to witness the social and environmental implications of a community in painful transition. Not always as timely as when first published, perhaps, but these well-researched stories are still potent and varied enough to be both appealing and broadly informative. (Maps)