Gag-Ordered No More: The 800-Pound Gorilla in the U.S. Government : 9781732993372

In this hard-hitting memoir, Brian Czech recounts a hamstrung career in the U.S. government. Czech was hired as the first "Conservation Biologist" in the history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A certified wildlife biologist with copious field experience, Czech had branched out into ecological economics during his Ph.D. research. He brought to agency headquarters a specialty on the conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation. Leadership claimed to understand the profound challenge posed by growth, yet issued a series of gag orders, prohibiting Czech from writing or even speaking about it. Gag-Ordered No More is Brian's story about a feeble First Amendment, censorship in the U.S. government, and a federal agency gone astray. No mere complaint, however, this book provides a refreshing vision for wildlife conservation, environmental protection in general, and federal government leadership in raising public awareness about limits to growth and the need for a steady state economy.