Urban sprawl, wasteful water use, increasingly ferocious wildfires, changing weather patterns, chronic political infighting. These are but a few of the problems facing animal and plant species throughout the United States and the world. One law, the Endangered Species Act, serves as the primary safety net for protecting wildlife driven to the brink. Can it save us from an extinction crisis?

In Endangered, award-winning journalist Mitch Tobin investigates the threats to our planet and offers solutions to potential disaster. Tobin reports from the front lines of Endangered Species Act battles, using America's hottest, driest, fastest-growing region—the Southwest—as a snapshot of the complex and myriad issues confronting imperiled species. These firsthand accounts, eloquently and thoughtfully told, explain the challenges of protecting the natural world and give hope for ecosystems thrown off balance.

Mitch Tobin worked as a journalist from 1999 to 2006, covering wildlife, wildfires, and other environmental issues for the Tucson Citizen, Arizona Daily Star, and High Country News. Endangered grew out of Tobin's yearlong series on Arizona's endangered species, which was a finalist for the John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism. His work was honored in the Best of the West competition and received first prizes from the Arizona Press Club and Arizona Associated Press Managing Editors. Today, Tobin serves as a consultant to leading conservation groups and foundations.