"Chronicles the rise of environmental activism during the Long Sixties (1960-1973), telling the story of an indomitable generation that saved the natural world under the leadership of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon"-- Provided by publisher.

Preface -- Part I: Protoenvironmentalists (1945-1959). The ebb and flow of John F. Kennedy -- Harry Truman: polluted and radiated America -- Rachel Carson and the shore of the sea -- William O. Douglas and the protoenvironmentalists -- Wilderness politics, Dinosaur National Monument, and the Nature Conservancy -- Saving shorelines -- Protesting plastics, nuclear testing, and DDT -- Part II: John F. Kennedy's new frontier (1961-1963). Forging the new frontier: Stewart Udall and Lyndon Johnson -- Wallace Stegner's "Wilderness letter" -- The green face of America -- Rachel Carson, the Laurence Rockefeller Report, and Kennedy's science curve -- The White House Conservation Conference (May 24-25, 1962) -- Rachel Carson's alarm -- Point Reyes (California) and Padre Island (Texas) National Seashores -- Campaigns to save the Hudson River and Bodega Bay -- The tag team of John F. Kennedy, Stewart Udall, and Rachel Carson -- The limited nuclear test ban treaty -- Part III: The environmentalism of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon (1964-1973). JFK's last conservation journey -- The Mississippi fish kill, the Clean Air Act, and American beautification -- The Great Society: Rachel Carson and Howard Zahniser's legacies -- The Wilderness Act of 1964 -- Ending the bulldozing of America -- America's natural heritage: Cape Lookout, Big Bend, the Grand Canyon -- Defenders: historical preservation, endangered species, and bedroll scientists -- "Sue the bastards!" and environmental justice -- The unraveling of America, 1968 -- Lyndon Johnson: champion of wild rivers and national scenic trails (October 2, 1968) -- Taking stock of new conservation wins -- Santa Barbara, the Cuyahoga River, and the National Environmental Policy Act -- Generation Earth Day, 1970-1971 -- Nixon's environmental activism of 1972: the Great Lakes protection, the DDT ban, and the Stockholm Conference -- Epilogue: Last leaves on the tree.