Federalism, Preemption, and the Nationalization of American Wildlife Management

Environmental law expert Lowell E. Baier reveals how over centuries the federal government slowly preempted the states’ authority over managing their residential wildlife. Baier describes how state authority over its resident wildlife established in the 1600s for the food security of its citizens, has slowly eroded under the pressures of nationalism driven by the forces of industry, commerce and technology; how federalism has become unbalanced; and, how preemption became the legal tool used to extend the reach of the federal government invading state sovereignty over its resident and migratory wildlife. In doing so, he educates elected officials, wildlife students, and environmentalists in the precedents that led to the current state of wildlife management, and how a constructive environment can be fostered at all levels of government to improve our nation’s wildlife and biodiversity.