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Smith (Jordan Fisher) Papers on Environmental Writing
D-650
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Contributing Institution:
University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections
Title: Jordan Fisher Smith Papers on Environmental Writing
Creator:
Smith, Jordan Fisher
Identifier/Call Number: D-650
Physical Description:
9.9 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1927-2013
Date (bulk): 1970-2013
Abstract: Correspondence, notebooks, drafts, clippings and one scrapbook documenting Jordan Fisher Smith's career as a writer and his
work with the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the California State Parks.
Physical Location: Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Language of Material:
English
.
Jordan Fisher Smith (1955-) is a California narrative nonfiction and nature writer. Born in San Francisco to a German immigrant
mother and an English immigrant father, he was raised along the boundaries of Muir Woods National Monument and Mt. Tamalpais
State Park in Marin County. Smith later worked as a park and wilderness ranger and firefighter for the US Forest Service,
National Park Service, and California State Parks in the northern Rocky Mountains, California, and Alaska.
Smith began publishing with a 1991 essay in a professional journal urging park rangers to discuss climate change and mass
extinction with park visitors. His 1992 interview with Al Gore appeared in
Orion during that year's presidential campaign, when Smith was working in the Alaskan bush. He later wrote for
Men's Journal, the
New Yorker,
Orion,
Discover,
Aeon, Time.com, The Daily Beast, and other periodicals. His first book,
Nature Noir (2005), a memoir of his work as a ranger in the canyons of the American River condemned to be inundated by the uncompleted
Auburn Dam, was lauded by
The New York Times,
The Boston Globe, the
San Francisco Chronicle,
Newsweek,
Outside magazine, the
Los Angeles Times, the
Seattle Times, and other outlets. His second book
Engineering Eden (2016) won a 2017 California Book Award and was longlisted for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing. Smith
also appears in three films, one of which, "Under Our Skin," (Open Eye Pictures) made the 2010 Oscar Shortlist for Best Documentary
Feature.
Biography by Jordan Fisher Smith
Eleven boxes and one scrapbook of materials documenting Jordan Fisher Smith's career as a writer and his work with the US
Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the California State Parks.
The collection contains correspondence with writers, artists, and other public figures, including Wendell Berry, Amy Tan,
Gary Snyder, Rebecca Solnit, Jim Herrington Tom Killion, and Joe Breeze as well as letters from readers, publishers, and editors.
Jordan Fisher Smith's writing process is documented through personal notebooks, research files, and annotated drafts of his
books
Nature Noir and
Engineering Eden as well as his shorter works.
The collection also documents public lands management, wildlife management and interactions of humans with large carnivores,
flood control history, and climate in the Sacramento Valley.
Collection is open for research with the exception of forensic photographs and archaeological surveys.The archaeological survey's
of the Auburn Dam area are restricted to qualified researchers who receive permission from the Head of Archives and Special
Collections.
Liz Philips prepared the collection-level finding aid information, the biography, and Series 1: Notebooks. Series 2 to 12
were processed by Jason Sarmiento, Vanessa Cardona Ocegueda, and Toby Chao.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jordan Fisher Smith, 2019.
[Identification of item], Jordan Fisher Smith Papers on Environmental Writing, D-650, Archives and Special Collections, UC
Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Nature -- Effect of human beings on
Auburn Dam (Calif.)
Auburn State Recreation Area (Calif.) -- History
Parks -- California
National parks and reserves -- United States -- History
Authors -- American -- 21st century
Smith, Jordan Fisher -- Archives