David Helvarg

Since its inception more than 200 years ago, the United States Coast Guard has rescued over 1.1 million people. Yet, despite having more than fifty thousand active and reserve members, most of us know very little
Filled with altruism and adrenaline, Rescue Warriors brings us into the daily lives of "Coasties" as well as dozens of death-defying rescues at sea and on hurricane-ravaged shores. A masterpiece of adventure reporting, Rescue Warriors is the definitive book on America's Coast Guard.… (altro)

The Golden Shore by David Helvarg
This book has so much to offer: the history of parts of the west coast, mainly CA and so many parts I was aware of and have been to and so many more I wasn't really aware existed there and the reason why they are there.
Love hearing how they rebuilt many parts from major disasters using their own resources.
To me this book is like a National Geographic encyclopedia of the area from earlier than the Ice Age and everything that shaped the coast and had any influence.
There is SO much knowledge you can gain from reading this.
Have watched and visited over the years various measures taken to bring back some fish to the area: dam near a power plant near Hurricane Ridge in the state of WA. Also very interesting to see the west coast with same issues as east coast had with fishing for whale and it's byproducts.
And most recently the overfishing til a species is just about deplete.
Love the references to John Muir and John Steinbeck, didn't know he played such a major role in things.
Chapters on the Navy and oil industry and how each of them has taken a part of the gold coast.
Parts of this are also better than a guided tour as details and names of other places to visit, where a tourist would never know about, are spoken about on the journey.
Besides the oceanographic and surfing there are throughout talks of saving the land, plastic bags and other garbage to preserve the land for the future.… (altro)