The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles: Archie Carr and the Origins of Conservation Biology

"In this book, you will come to know, as I did during the exciting years when I was his student and friend, a unique and inspiring scientist. Frederick Davis has beautifully captured the intertwined personal, public, and scientific lives of the extraordinary person who -- if anyone deserves the title -- really was the man who saved sea turtles." --David Ehrenfeld, Professor of Biology at Rutgers University and founding editor of Conservation Biology "Archie Carr aficionados will be perpetually grateful that their hero left such a rich heritage of both published writings and fifty years of correspondence with many of the leading naturalists of the 20th century. His fans will now be equally grateful to Fritz Davis for distilling this monumental wealth of data and anecdote, much of it little known, into what will surely be recognized as the definitive biography of the man."--Peter C. H. Pritchard, Director, Chelonian Research Institute "Archie Carr was a pioneering conservation biologist, an inspiring educator, a gifted nature writer, and a passionate advocate for endangered wildlife. No one has done more to unravel the mysteries of sea turtles or more to rescue these beleaguered creatures from the brink of extinction. This deeply researched biography brings to life the enduring legacies of an important but now largely forgotten figure who not only made fundamental scientific discoveries but also conveyed a sense of nature's wonder to a broader public."--Mark V. Barrow, Jr., Associate Professor of History, Virginia Tech "Davis gives us a picture of what it meant to be a naturalist in the twentieth century, and he ties Carr to the long tradition of naturalists going back to Linnaeus. But he does a lot more. He ties natural history to ecology, environmental science, and conservation biology. Carr is a perfect subject for doing this, and the book gives a wonderful picture of how closely these subjects are interrelated."-- Paul Farber, Professor of History of Science, Oregon State University "Archie Carr represents the best in academics. During his 50 years on the faculty at the University of Florida, Archie reached out to instruct all of us on the necessity of appreciating the natural world in order to save it. Convincing some with the soundness of his scientific studies and persuading others with the beauty of his natural history writings, Archie inspired us to conserve sea turtles and all wild places on earth. Throughout, his humor leavened his lessons and delighted his readers and colleagues."--Karen A. Bjorndal, Director and Professor, Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida