Dating the official birth of the Commonwealth of Virginia's environmental movement as March 31, 1964, when the Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Outdoor Recreation Study Commission, Peters (former historian and publication manager, Virginia Department of Historic Resources) examines the early years of the movement, focusing on the activities of such groups as the state chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the Piedmont Environmental Council, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and APVA Preservation Virginia. She reviews milestone between 1966-1976 and provides thematic discussions of open-space land conservation, historic preservation, parks and scenic roads, and the Chesapeake Bay and the rivers. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)