"A long-overdue and important work that promotes the future of community-based problem-solving, with a focus on restoring and protecting the land that sustains us"— Mike Dombeck, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Points, and Chief Emeritus, U.S. Forest Service

Finding Common Ground: Governance and Natural Resources in the American West (Yale University Press, 2002) by Ronald D. Brunner, Christine H. Colburn, Christina Cromley (NRCC Research Associate) Roberta A. Klein, and Elizabeth Olson, is the outcome of a workshop organized by Tim Clark (NRCC Board President) and Ronald Brunner in 1998. It examines the scope of governance problems surrounding natural resource policy issues in four in-depth case studies from around the West: water management in the Upper Clark Fork River, Montana; wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies; bison management in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; and forest policy in northern California. Lessons are drawn from these case studies to make future policy decisions more effective. For purchasing information, visit Yale University Press.

"A valuable work that finally makes Laswell's policy sciences framework accessible to thousands of students and practitioners in a wide range of technically trained fields, who confront the messiness of the policy process but until now have not had a systematic and broadly applicable framework for analyzing and navigating through it" —David Pelletier, Cornell University

The Policy Process (Yale University Press, 2002), by NRCC founder and board president Tim Clark, is a handbook aimed at improving practitioners' understanding of complex policy processes and their effectiveness as they participate in them. It also complements existing university curricula in various fields to help students develop the critical thinking skills they will need throughout their careers. The book outlines elements of the social process and methods for 'mapping' the context of a problem in ways that are useful for decision makers. It then describes the functions of the decision-making process and standards by which to judge how well they are being carried out. It focuses on problem orientation, or analyzing a problem in relation to people's goals so as to determine how to best achieve these goals. Throughout the book are case studies illustrative of the policy framework. For purchasing informatin, visit Yale University Press. 

"An Interdisciplinary Approach to Endangered Species Recovery: Concepts, Applications, Cases" (July/August 2002), edited by Rich Wallace, Tim Clark, & Rich Reading, is the latest in a series of issues addressing endangered species conservation that was initiated in 1988. Nineteen papers address basic concepts, applications, and case studies. The concepts section addresses theories of endangered species conservation, while the applications section bridges the gap between concept and practical application. Case studies complement the concepts and applications sections, illustrating a policy sciences approach to conserving black-tailed prairie dogs in the American West, great apes and bush meat in Central Africa, the Atlantic forest in Brazil, biological corridors in Costa Rica, and the Tasmanian tiger in Australia. Visit the Endangered Species Update webpage for more information .

Species and Ecosystem Conservation (Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Bulletin Series, 2001) introduces an interdisciplinary problem-solving approach to dealing with conservation issues from the species to ecosystem level. The volume introduces the challenges to conservation, provides an overview of the concepts associated with an interdisciplinary problem-solving approach to conservation, illustrates this approach with case studies from shellfish conservation in the Chesapeake Bay, exotic species management in the Galapagos, wolf recovery in Minnesota, and land conflict in Paraguay. Other abstracts provide overviews of similar case studies. The final section also introduces case studies in which the problem-solving approach was applied in a more flexible manner, based on student research from previous years. For purchasing information and to view a .pdf copy of this publication, visit Yale FES Publications.

"[This book] is a marvelously accessible introduction to understanding and addressing conservation problems, using the pwerful policy sciences framework applied to a series of compelling case studies. If you want to understand how to use a profound analytic and prescriptive framework to address conservation problems, this is the book—both in introducing the framework and in demonstrating its robustness across ten different domestic and international cases. Spanning grizzly bear survival in Wyoming to the rights of local people in Thailand to participate in designing conservation projects, this book is a remarkably coherent effort by a dozen different authors to refine and apply the framework. It succeeds admirably." —William Ascher, former professor of government and economics and dean of the faculty, Claremont-McKenna College

Foundations of Natural Resources Policy and Management (eds. Tim Clark, Andrew R. Willard, & Christina Cromley, Yale University Press, 2000) argues that efforts to improve resource management must take into account not only the scientific aspects of an issue but also political and social dimensions. The book explores ten case studies from around the world. For purchasing information, visit Yale University Press.

"I felt the studies NRCC/Yale did were excellent in providing solid, unbiased information on various topics concerning the [elk] refuge in a way that gave various interests the opportunity to think about these resources in a new light.” Barry Reiswig, Refuge Manager, USFWS

Developing Sustainable Management Policy for the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming (Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Bulletin No. 104, 2000), edited by Tim Clark, Denise Casey, and Anders Halverson, reviews management history, analyzes interactions of government and other participants, and recommends the use of capable partnerships to solve problems effectively, upgrade conservation efforts, and build cooperation and public trust. For purchasing information and to view an online .pdf of this publication, visit Yale FES publications.

"This book is a tremendous achievement and a major milestone in Yellowstone Park's long history as a scientific laboratory. The list of reasons for society to protect the extraordinary Yellowstone carnivores grows longer and more compelling with every chapter."— Michael V. Finley, superintendent, Yellowstone National Park

Carnivores in Ecosystems: The Yellowstone Experience (Yale University Press, 1999), edited by Tim Clark (NRCC Board President), Peyton Curlee (NRCC Board), Steven Minta (NRCC Research Associate) & Peter Kareiva, pulls together all of the information from the extensive studies on carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem over the last forty years. After surveying individual species, conservation genetics, and ecosystem dynamics, the book closes with a thorough look at the history and theory of carnivore ecology, setting the stage for major improvements in carnivore and ecosystem conservation in the near future. For purchasing information, visit Yale University Press.

The Natural World of Jackson Hole: an Ecological Primer (Grand Teton Natural History Association, 1999) was first published in 1981. This revised and updated version contains vibrant photographs and new information regarding the natural history of Jackson Hole. It contains chapters on ecology, the physical environment, plants and animals, population ecology, biotic communities, the Jackson Hole ecosystem, and the ecology of humans in this ecosystem. Author Tim Clark writes that he “hopes this treatment will meet the needs of beginners as well as advanced students of natural history and ecology who are new to this area. [He] hopes this primer will help increase people’s understanding and appreciation so that we can secure a healthy, spacious future for Jackson Hole.” Available from the Grand Teton Natural History Association.

Clark first describes and analyzes efforts to restore the black-footed ferret after 1981 and looks at the processes, people, institutions, and programs that were involved in the endeavor. Finding that the ferret case illustrates many things that go wrong in the implementation of complex environmental policy, fresh approaches to endangered species recovery are proposed. Clark gives guidelines for improving decision making and development of policy, devising organizational strategies and structures that are more conducive to learning, and defining new civic professionalism that will raise the standards for performance and better meet society’s needs. This policy-oriented approach opens up new avenues, methods, and hope for species recovery. For purchasing information, visit Yale University Press.

Tales of the Wolf (Homestead Publishing, 1996) is a compilation of 51 stories of wolf encounters from across North America, detailing historical perceptions of this legendary animal. The stories, told by such figures as John Audubon and Zane Grey to mountain men and wagon travelers, illustrate wolf encounters in five time periods: tales from Native America, early explorers and naturalists, frontier encounters and old world attitudes, serious killing, and a contrary point of view, detailing the changing perception in the early nineteenth century from wolves as pests to a species worthy of conservation. For purchasing information, contact Homestead Publishing in Moose, Wyoming or order online at the Valley Bookstore.

"This is absolutely essential reading for anyone who wants to make endangered species policy work better." R. Edward Grumbine, author of Ghost Bears and Professor at UC Santa Cruz

Endangered Species Recovery: Finding the Lessons, Improving the Process (Island Press, 1994), edited by Tim Clark, Rich Reading, and Alice Clarke, is about improving endangered species conservation. The book focuses on two major targets for change that rarely come to mind when people speak of conservation: the professionals and the organizations that do the work of species restoration. The contributors to this volume have carefully considered how the accumulated knowledge and diverse perspectives of both practitioners and theorists can be used to improve the two critical elements of species recovery programs. This volume seeks to learn from lessons of the past in order to improve our chances for success in the future. The multiple perspectives presented here, if applied, promise to improve endangered species conservation significantly. For purchasing information, visit Island Press.

"An extraordinary synthesis of sociology and science. Here, for the first time, the roots of ecosystem management are traced to post-modern constructionism and systems theory. A shocking conclusion is that any hope for Yellowstone's wildness lies in the unpredictable occurrence of political and ecological surprises." Michael E. Soulé, Professor, University of California

In Greater Yellowstone's Future (Homestead Publishing, 1994), authors Tim Clark and Steve Minta examine the role of the policy sciences to address and solve ecosystem management problems in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. They describe the GYE from biogeophysical, human, economic, and legal parameters which affect management decisions, and identify barriers to effective policy. Case studies are used to illustrate these problems of management. The authors conclude with speculation as to Greater Yellowstone's future, given the current management situation. For purchasing information, visit the Valley Bookstore.

Tales of the Grizzly (Homestead Publishing, 1992) is a compilation of thirty-nine stories from pre-European days on the Plains until 1929. They are divided into five subsections illustrating changing perceptions and feelings towards the grizzly over this period: Indian legends, explorers and mountain men, missionaries, surveyors, emigrants, railroad builders, prospectors, and the Army, ranchers and sportsmen, and finally, Yellowstone-the last refuge. These stories illustrate not only the encounters of people with bears, both romantic and terrifying, but also the habits and haunts of grizzlies before they were relegated to the small refuges the occupy today. For purchasing information, contact Homestead Publishing, Moose, Wyoming (307-733-6248) or order online at the Valley Bookstore.