Steward's Fork

by Agee, James K.

• ISBN13: 9780520251250
• ISBN10: 0520251253
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-07-15
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

A compelling story of place, "Steward's Fork "explores northwest California's magnificent Klamath Mountains--a region that boasts a remarkable biodiversity, a terrain so rugged that significant landscape features are still being discovered there, and a wealth of natural resources that have been used, and more recently abused, by humans for millennia. James K. Agee, a forest ecologist with more than fifty years experience in the Klamaths, provides a multidimensional perspective on this region and asks: how can we most effectively steward this spectacular landscape toward a sustainable future? In an engaging narrative laced with personal anecdotes, he introduces the dynamics of the Klamath's ecosystems, including its geology and diverse flora and fauna, and then discusses its native cultures and more recent inhabitants, laying out the effects of industries such as logging, mining, water development, and fishing. Assuming that people will continue to have a close tie to the Klamaths, Agee introduces the principles of restoration ecology to offer a vision of how we can responsibly meet the needs of both people and natural organisms, including plants, fish, and wildlife. This debate over the future of the Klamath's rich landscape widens into a provocative meditation on nature, culture, and our relationship with the earth itself.

Author Biography

James K. Agee is Virginia and Prentice Bloedel Professor of Forest Ecology in the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The physical world	p. 9
Forest melange	p. 19
A rose by any name	p. 31
My botanical contest with Miss Alice Eastwood	p. 41
Wild creatures of the Klamaths	p. 56
Change is the only constant	p. 71
First peoples of the rivers	p. 106
Gold is where you find it	p. 124
Green grass and green gold	p. 145
Dam the world	p. 164
Modern myths and monsters	p. 180
Principles of future sustainability	p. 198
Hard times for hardrock	p. 206
Forests for the future	p. 215
Restoring the rivers	p. 233
Steward's fork	p. 246
Biota mentioned in the text	p. 255
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.