Dr. Mark V. Barrow, Jr. is an American author, environmental historian, and a prominent professor of history at Virginia Tech. His writing and academic research deeply explore the intersection of American culture, natural history, wildlife conservation, and human-induced extinction.
On this episode of Nature Revisited, we explore the history of human-caused extinction and the naturalists and concerned citizens who first recognized it. With the destruction of the passenger pigeon and the precipitous decline of the bison, professional scientists and wildlife enthusiasts alike began to understand that even very common species were not safe from the juggernaut of modern, industrial society. That realization spawned public education and legislative campaigns that laid the foundation for the modern environmental movement.
