The Boone and Crockett Club recently published a trilogy of journals by Jack Ward Thomas, who served as chief of the U.S. Forest Service from 1993-96. Thomas' memoirs offer a rare, real-time peek behind the curtain of conservation leadership during a turbulent period marked by conflicts over spotted owl habitat, old-growth timber and the deaths of 14 wildland firefighters in 1994.

Equally featured in the trilogy are journals describing the hunting, horseback and wilderness experiences that shaped the values and vision of a field biologist who would go on to lead the agency created by two icons of the conservation movement: Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot.

"Jack Ward Thomas is a prolific journal keeper and extraordinary storyteller," said Julie Tripp, publications director for Boone and Crockett Club. "His memoirs tell the story of how conservation ? and conservationists ? evolved during the last-half of the 20^th Century. These books are of special interest to anyone who works in the natural resource industry, particularly biologists, land managers, and foresters."

The trilogy includes:

Forks in the Trail: A Conservationist's Trek to the Pinnacles of Natural Resource Leadership ? 344 pages with 25 B&W photographs. Before Thomas, only 12 men had ever known the staggering responsibility, political pressure ? and extraordinary opportunity to shape the future of natural resources in America ? that came with the job of Forest Service chief. From his youth on a hardscrabble Texas farm through his tenure in Washington D.C., Thomas' life and career led him squarely into confrontations with the hottest conservation topics of his day.

Wilderness Journals: Wandering the High Lonesome ? 288 pages with 12 B&W photographs. Rough country, fine horses and good friends. These memoirs are adventures in the saddle as Thomas explores some of the West's legendary skylines. Up the trail, deep in his beloved "high lonesome," he finds bold bears, reclusive war veterans, a treasure of wild places untrammeled by man, and a vision for America's forestlands.

Hunting Around the World: Fair Chase Pursuits from Backcountry Wilderness to the Scottish Highlands ? 240 pages with 13 B&W photographs. Hunting provided food for his family and a lifetime of enjoyment, but it also brought Thomas to his life's work in conservation. This collection of journal entries is classic sporting literature, offering the best stories and wisdom of a quintessential hunter-conservationist.

Visit the Boone and Crockett Club website for details, author bio, excerpts and more info.