The Audubon Warden

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the plume birds of Florida were in peril. Their valuable feathers were used in the international millinery trade and their extinction was imminent. A cadre of dedicated Audubon Society wardens helped to slow their destruction. Among them were the martyrs of early wildlife conservation, Guy Bradley and Columbus McCleod. Both of these men died in the line of duty protecting plume birds in South Florida. This book is based on what came after those tragedies, when a new generation of protectors picked up the conservation torch. It is nearly twenty-five years later, during a national period of economic hardship that this story unfolds in Southwest Florida. The early 1930s were a time when hard-working people were forced to live off the land. Some, like maladjusted Pug Wilson, were extremely dangerous.
Wilson threatens Jake Barnes, a successful tarpon fishing guide who changes his career path when he accepts a position as an Audubon warden. As a sworn lawman he is charged to protect birds and other wildlife. Despite serious threats on his life, Jake is determined to carry on his important work. In The Audubon Warden Jake Barnes deals with his loving, but sometimes mentally unstable wife, his dangerous livelihood, and interactions with callous outlaws during the time of the Great Depression.
The Audubon Warden brings the hard and perilous work of a Florida Audubon warden to life. Once again, Charles LeBuff captures his knowledge of Southwest Florida’s history, environment, and wildlife conservation. He writes about an important and ruthless era in a clear and easily understood narrative.