Joel M. Vance

I have to give this five stars because of its potential value in the years to come. This is a coffee-table book that documents the decline and potential extinction of six species of North American prairie grouse. It is obvious from the author/photographer's writing that the work was a labor of love and concern, not a money making adventure. The author is also to be credited for giving photographic information for his images.

Each species is given its own chapter and the photography is outstanding, especially considering the difficulty in locating these elusive birds. Text is limited to explanation of the birds' habitat and mating behavior, and the environmental factors contributing to their declining numbers. The book is printed on very heavy paper and the reproduction quality is top notch. This may well be the last, definitive look at these birds that are being decimated by encroaching civilization and the break up of their mating territories by an expanding maze of oil drilling roads and the deadly consequences of wind generators.

Save the Last Dance should be a must-have book for any bird lover, conservationist or biologist many of whom may never see one of these once-plentiful inhabitants of our western plains.… (altro)