This new course surveys the history of North America’s wildlife and human ecology of the last two centuries (1800-2000) up to the present. Major themes this semester will include: endangered wildlife, lives of great 19th and 20th century biologists and naturalists; the natural history of major eco-regions such as Alaska, California and the Southwest, and the birth of the conservation movement. Classes will also occasionally focus on individual mammals, reptiles or birds, such as buffalo, beaver, alligators, moose or the Passenger pidgeon. The influence on the conservation movement by John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, David Brower, Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson will be examined. It will conclude with current environmental challenges (global warming, human population increase, resource management) and the explosive growth of new conservation initiatives, national organizations and strategies. The course includes use of films, lectures, readings, fieldtrips and guest lecturers.