Coastal Sage

“With unusual insight and an engaging writing style, Tom Osborne reveals the backstory of coastal protection in California. The central character in this drama is Peter Douglas. Outrageous, colorful, stubborn, passionate, and infinitely creative, Douglas is a leading candidate for environmental sainthood.”—Mary Shallenberger, Past Chair, California Coastal Commission Osborne reveals a critical chapter in California’s history by chronicling the heroic career of Peter Douglas, whose leadership of the California Coastal Commission made it the most effective coastal management agency in the world. Douglas may have done more to define what California is today than anyone else. Osborne, an activist who loves the coast, writes with passionate prose that is backed by academic rigor.—Chad Nelsen, CEO of Surfrider Foundation “Coastal Sage is a keen appraisal of the California Coastal Commission’s legendary first director, Peter Douglas. Its timing is perfect. If the current administration accelerates offshore oil production, the beaches Douglas preserved will be despoiled. In these contentious times, Coastal Sage reads like an activist’s primer.”—Char Miller, author of Not So Golden State: Sustainability vs. the California Dream “This is a remarkably important study of California’s coastal region as well as a portrait of the sage who led the effort to conserve its beauty and resources. Deeply steeped in historical research, Coastal Sage should inform all future debates about California’s coastline.”—David Igler, author of The Great Ocean: Pacific Worlds from Captain Cook to the Gold Rush