Marc Reisner

Research

Marc Reisner, who was best known as the author of the book Cadillac Desert, about the dams of the American West, died shortly after he was awarded his Pew fellowship. He would have used his fellowship to address Pacific salmon restoration efforts. His plans included research, writing, public speaking, outreach, and negotiations to support endeavors to remove dams on rivers where salmon have been blocked from their ancestral spawning, holding, and rearing habitats. At the time of his death, he was at work on a book about California and its history of, and inclination toward, natural and unnatural disaster. His articles have appeared in dozens of periodicals and newspapers over the years. Reisner was also distinguished visiting professor at the University of California, Davis, lecturing on the complex interaction between human civilization and the natural environment.