Bernan Press
Pages: 250
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-59888-782-2 • eBook • July 2016 • $41.50 • (£27.95)
Don Philpott has 20 years as a senior correspondent reporting on major news stories around the world, author of more than 170 books. Former editor of Homeland Defense Journal and International Homeland Security.
This compendium is the third offering in the Bernan Press Cabinet series, the previous two covering the Departments of State and Homeland Security. News correspondent Philpott, widely published in government and military affairs, definitely knows his stuff. A 30-page introductory chapter provides an overview of the Department of the Interior’s history, strategic mission, and goals. Each of the remaining nine chapters examines one DOI branch, such as Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Of particular interest are Philpott’s discussions of how each DOI section is challenged by the everchanging political climate in which it has to operate. For example, the National Park Service chapter addresses its relationship to mining interests, Native American affairs, and environmental groups. Philpott deserves credit for elaborating on these often-contentious issues without any hint of his personal political biases.
— Booklist