In the spirit of wetlands Reviving habitat in the Illinois River watershed

Clare Howard

Book - 2022

"Individuals from all walks of life have devoted their time, energy, and money to restoring the state's lost wetlands. Clare Howard and David Zalaznik take readers into the marshes, bogs, waterways, and swamps these people's efforts have brought back to life. Howard's storytelling introduces grassroots conservators dedicated to learning through failure and persistence, to heeding the lessons taught by wetlands, to undertaking hard work inspired by the necessity of flood abatement or a desire to reconnect with the earth. Zalaznik's stunning black and white photos illuminate changes in the land and the people themselves. Seeds sprout after lying dormant for one hundred years. Water winds through ancient channels. Anim...als and native plants return. As the forgiving spirit of a wetland emerges, it nurtures a renewed landscape that alters our view of the environment and the planet. An inspiring document of passion and advocacy, In the Spirit of Wetlands reveals the transformative power of restoration"--

Saved in:

2nd Floor Show me where

333.918/Howard
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor 333.918/Howard Checked In
  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • 1. Eliida Lakota and Michael Wiant
  • "I am in the river. The river is in me. The river is me."
  • 2. Sue and Wes Dixon
  • Sovereign Republic of the Goldeneye
  • 3. Bud Grieves
  • A River Runs Through His Life
  • 4. John Ryan
  • Banking on Wetlands
  • 5. Mayor Kristina Kovarik
  • Watching, Waiting, and Worrying
  • 6. Donald Hey
  • The Riverine National Park System Financed by Nutrient Farming
  • 7. Doug Blodgett
  • A Huge Cattle Feedlot Becomes an Internationally Acclaimed Wetland
  • 8. Doug and Diane Oberhelman
  • From "Hell With the Fires Put Out" to Quail Lakes Wetland Sanctuary
  • 9. John Franklin and Jim Fulton
  • Invisible Harvest
  • 10. Mike Miller and Jim Kleinwachter
  • An Army of Wetland Advocates
  • Epilogue
  • Glossary
Review by Library Journal Review

Howard, an independent journalist, profiles a series of conservationists, farmers, scientists, politicians, and businesspersons who have been facilitating the restoration or creation of new wetland habitats along the Illinois River watershed. By turning the spotlight from the science to the passionate people involved in this work, the author highlights the long-term aesthetic and metaphysical benefits of these areas, going beyond the practical environmental benefits of flood reduction, biodiversity, and pollution management. Nature and the wetlands themselves are anthropomorphized as a benevolent and forgiving partner that reward humanity when people work with the natural cycles of the river rather than building dikes, drainage, and irrigation channels. This nearly metaphysical metaphor is enhanced by photojournalist Zalaznik's black-and-white photos, which capture both the people amid the landscape as well as the natural habitats being reborn or literally brought to life by these projects. A short glossary of scientific terms follows. VERDICT Citizen environmentalists will be encouraged by the variety of approaches used to accomplish ecological and development goals far beyond this north-central Illinois watershed.--Wade Lee-Smith

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.