February 2, 2007                                                                              Contact: Jim Pasinski

For Immediate Release                                                                   (814) 362-0248

AUTHOR TO DISCUSS FINDINGS OF ‘ENVIRONMENTAL BATTLE’

ON THE ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST

            BRADFORD, Pa. – The author of a book that investigates the ongoing debate over the use of the Allegheny National Forest will speak at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford next week.

            Sam MacDonald, author of The Agony of an American Wilderness, spent 18 months investigating the battle between loggers and environmentalists over the best uses of the Allegheny National Forest. He will speak at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, in the Mukaiyama University Room in the Frame-Westerberg Commons. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Pitt-Bradford Environmental Studies Program.

            Titled “The Allegheny National Forest: Loggers, Environmentalists and the Struggle for Control of a Forgotten Forest,” the event consists of a presentation by MacDonald followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.

            MacDonald’s book uses the Allegheny National Forest to cast in new light questions over what a forest is and what they are meant to be used for. It takes a look at both sides of the issue of usage of forest land.

“The national environmental movement has become less willing to compromise since its victories in the Pacific Northwest, and the Allegheny is its newest proving ground. This book explains what activists are after, how the struggle differs from more familiar environmental battles and what it means for the future of the American landscape,” the publisher stated.

Copies of The Agony of an American Wilderness will be available for purchase at the event.

            MacDonald, a native of Ridgway, has served as the Washington editor of the monthly libertarian publication, Reason. He has covered courts, crime, Washington politics, and the war is Bosnia during his career. MacDonald has been recognized by the District of Columbia Press Association and was awarded a Phillips Foundation Fellowship in 2002.