“Disappearing Destinations: 37 Places in Peril and What Can Be Done to Help Save Them” ($15.95, Vintage Books) sends out a distress signal loud and clearand those who cherish the top travel spots listed by authors Kimberly Lisagor and Heather Hansen are encouraged to listen and act. Written in matter-of-fact prose and without the puffery and frantic overtones often associated with environmental propaganda, “Destinations” hits upon areas at risk not only from repeated foot traffic but other human meddling: overdevelopment, pollution, water diversion, dredging. Places such as the bio- luminescent bays in Puerto Rico, where food writer Kristen Browning-Blas and I just four years ago quietly swam with the glowing dinoflagelletes in Mosquito Bay, are now threatened by a sudden increase in tourism. The military left in 2003, opening up vacated land to development, as well as sediment runoff from bulldozing and deforestation. In addition to enlightening narratives about the challenges facing the locales, the book includes contact information for advocacy groups and responsible tourism resources.
Kyle Wagner
