An examination of today’s biodiversity crisis, foregrounding the wisdom of the hunters and anglers who best understand the threats America’s fish and wildlife face today.

American wildlife is in crisis.

For centuries, millions of buffalo roamed the plains; trout and salmon filled rivers from bank to bank; and elk, bears, and deer thrived from sea to shining sea. Now, many of our nation’s species are in rapid decline. Amid this “sixth mass extinction,” conventional approaches to environmental activism have not worked.

To save America’s wildlife, we must turn to the unconventional wisdom of the hunters and anglers who are on the front lines of the biodiversity crisis, working tirelessly to protect the animals that sustain their communities. Mark Kenyon, an outdoorsman himself, embarks on a journey through wild terrains from Florida to Alaska, getting up close and personal with America’s most charismatic and threatened fish and wildlife, and the men and women fighting to save them. Through backcountry fishing trips, high alpine hunts, tropical snorkeling excursions, and more, Kenyon maps a route toward a better future for fish and wildlife in America.

A grand adventure, both urgent and inspiring, Before They’re Gone shows us how to rekindle a deep connection to the natural world and commit ourselves to concrete action in defense of it.