Robert W. Hastings, PhD, is a retired marine biologist and devoted conservationist. He served as a college professor for 30 years and was also director of the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station on Lake Pontchartrain. His book, The Lakes of Pontchartrain: Their History and Environments, was published in 2009. He also served several years as director of the Alabama Natural Heritage Program.

Schedule

1:00 pm to 1:45 pm
Capitol Park Museum, First Floor, Auditorium
The American Alligator: Abused, Protected, Restored
Robert W. Hastings with moderator Morgan Tarpley Smith

2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
Cavalier House Books Tent
Book Signing

The American Alligator: Abused, Protected, Restored

The American Alligator traces the history and success of the campaign to protect these crocodilians from extinction in the United States. From initial interactions with prehistoric Indigenous peoples to the recorded history of early European immigrants to North America, this book details the endangerment of alligators brought about by excessive hunting for hides and wetlands habitat destruction.

As the population declined significantly in the early 1800s and into the 1900s, concern grew across the South that the American alligator might be threatened with extinction. Conservation groups listed the species as endangered and pushed for legal protection, which in turn stimulated research and management and led to increased, stable populations. Today, the species is recognized as an economically valuable resource; captive farming and ranch production yield annual harvests valued at millions of dollars. Thanks to these efforts, the American alligator, abused for more than a century, has been restored.