Product Description
Examines the swamp--traditionally regarded as a place of horror and ill health in western culture--from a cross-disciplinary standpoint. Gilbert uses material from fiction, films, and popular culture and draws on cultural studies, philosophy, social theory, and other disciplines to criticize the urge to drain swamps ('the project of modernity') as masculinist and imperialist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Is this guy serious?
I have never been so disappointed in a book. I bought this book hoping to read an intelligent review of the role of wetlands throughout history. Instead I got a load of psychological babble that had nothing to do with wetlands and had everything to do with the author's apparent need to use all the big words he learned in college. If you want to read about wetland culture, history, and ecology I suggest you find another book.

Fascinating discussion of changing human value of wetlands
This book describes changing attitudes about wetlands over the centuries based on their cultural values. It explains how the world's wetlands got to the sad shape they are in today - and why. Giblett explores the cultural and literary mythology that tagged swamps and marshes as hideouts for the boogey-man and the "Creature from the Black Lagoon." (Remember the "Creature" sprang from the mind of man, not from a swamp.) I believe that understanding where we came from is cruicial to understanding - and changing - where we are going. This book demonstrates how and why humans of different ages and cultures assigned values to wetlands, and why destroying them was seen as a mark of civilization - a civic duty. Without dicussing the evirnomental issues specifically, it teaches the reader that wetlands have a value apart from that which western man assigns - this is their timeless value. This is scholarly writing that requires concentration and thought, but is well worth the effort. Anyone interested in environmental issues and fascinated at how our perception of "nature" has changed and is changing will appreciate this book.

Author's Reply
I am at pains to distinguish two strands within the western tradition - that of the canon (only 2 n's in canon) such as Dante and Milton who theologise and demonise the wetland as a place of evil and that of thecounter-tradition of Thoreau, indigenous Australians and contemporarywriters like Graham Swift and Coraghessan Boyle who see the wetland as bothlife-giving and death-dealing.

The range and scope of the book ishardly narrow and stilted when it takes in medical, military and socialhistory, psychoanalysis, post-structuralism, and literature and philosophyspanning 2000 years.

postmodern wetlands: culture, history, ecology
In this book, the author argues that the wetland has been poorly understood and little apreciated in traditional western culture. He follows this well sourced piont with a common argument of late for critics of western culture: we have projected our ignorant fears and prejudice onto anow degraded natural resource.As a result we have done great harm to ourcontinued growth in understanding as well as the world around us. Whith the increasing importance of ecological thought this is an importanttime to culturaly rehabilitate our view of the wetland.However, Giblitappears to be using the same classical sources that previously vilified thewetland to somehow rehabilitate it in western thought.To make hisargument that the wetland should be culturaly valued in the west stick,Giblit needs to expand his range outside the narrowly confined perspectiveshe investigates for this book.The presintation of wetland narrative inthe western cannon the author undertakes is well studied, helpfull andtimely.Yet the analisys of what this narative means for wetlands in thepostmodern age seems stilted and slightly lame because of its narrow scope. ... Read more

Product Description
A spectacular tour of the world's largest wetland.

The Pantanal covers 81,000 square miles in the middle of South America, extending over parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.

About half the size of California and 20 times the size of the Everglades, the Pantanal flood plain is the largest wetland network on Earth.

Pantanal reveals the abundant wildlife and beauty of this remarkable eco-system, home to some of the most spectacular concentrations of flora and fauna on the planet.

The text explains the Pantanal's ecology, its people, plants and animals, presented in five chapters:
- The Pantaneiro: People of the Pantanal
- Wetlands
- Grasslands
- Forests of the Pantanal
- Caiman: the comeback crocodile.

The book also examines the impact of deforestation, overfishing and overhunting in the Pantanal and the efforts by conservationists to protect this magnificent region for future generations.

Pantanal is a superbly photographed tour of one of the most memorable regions on the planet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pantanal
I live in Venezuela and I am planning to go to the Pantanal in Brasil, this book is perfect for anyone interested in doing Ecoturism in Pantanal, it is complete with information on the animals you can see in Pantanal.

Splendid photography
Pantanal - just one word that makes you itch to see for yourself the wonders of this magical wetland in the heart of Brazil! Dozens of caimans lurking in the current, mouths agape; a big jaguar comes stalking through the understory at the shoreline; giant otters appear out of thin air right next to the boat; a tapir crosses the lagoon in marvelous light; a group of hyacinth macaws gathers on a fence of a fazenda, and in the savanna a young giant anteater clings cutely to his mother's fur - wildlife photographers' dreams, subjects everyone exploring the Pantanal with a camera longs for.
Theo Allofs got all these images - thanks to his patience, photographic excellence and his cooperation with Conservation International (CI), opening doors to subjects of some of the most beautiful farms in the area.
Large pictures, great colors and fine printing - impressive, even at a first glance. A closer look reveals that among some 150 pictures there is no weak or even mediocre one! A photographic gourmet-piece and yet, even more: the publisher and the CI writers found an elegant and well balanced way of presenting pictures and heaps of information on such a vast region, its human inhabitants and breathtaking biodiversity. A fine example of a cooperation between nature conservation and nature photography! ... Read more

Product Description
This book explains what wetlands are and how they fit into our complex environmental systems. It discusses the functions and values of wetlands and details the scientific classification of wetlands. You'll find easy-to-understand flowcharts guiding you through the delineation of wetlands, step-by-step guidance to the permit process and enforcement, and tips for determining which activities require a permit and which activities are exempt. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is suitable for ages 6-12. The constantly changing ecosystems of salt and freshwater wetlands support an amazing variety of wildlife species. Children will be intrigued by the fascinating animals, such as alligators and hippopotamuses, that depend on wetlands and the ways in which wetland plants and animals depend upon one another. This book also investigates: different types of wetland habitats, including swamps, salt marshes, and flood plains; the many plants and animals that make their home in wetlands; dangers to wetlands and threats to their wildlife; and the function of wetlands in relation to other ecosystems. ... Read more

Product Description
Louisiana's Chenier Plain is a 2,200-square-mile region of marshes and oak-covered ridges (cheniers) that stretches along the Gulf of Mexico from Sabine Lake to Vermilion Bay. Its inhabitants, some 6,000 people of Cajun and other ancestries, retain strong economic and cultural ties to the land and its teeming wildlife. They call it paradise . . . but it is a vulnerable paradise. In this multifaceted study, Gay Gomez explores the interaction of the land, people, and wildlife of the Chenier Plain, revealing both the uniqueness of the region and the challenges it faces. After describing the geography and history of the Chenier Plain, Gomez turns to the lifeways of its people. Drawing on their words and stories, she tells how the chenier dwellers combine modern occupations with traditional pursuits such as alligator and waterfowl hunting, fur trapping, and fishing. She shows how these traditions of wildlife use provide both economic incentives for conservation and a source of personal and place identity. This portrait of a "working wetland" reveals how wildlife use and appreciation can give rise to a stewardship that balances biological, economic, and cultural concerns in species and habitat protection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book!
I live in Creole, LA. and to read this book was a great experience. I would recomemend this book.It explains how we live our lives down in Creole,LA. ... Read more

Product Description
Award-winning author Cathryn Sill and her husband, noted wildlife illustrator John Sill, offer young readers a first glimpse into wetlands habitats. In simple, easy-to-understand language, this guide teaches children what wetlands are, what kinds of animals and plants live there, and how wetlands help maintain the delicate balance among Earth s environments.

John Sill s beautifully detailed full-color illustrations reflect the diversity of wetlands topography from salt marshes along the seacoasts to tropical mangrove swamps. The astonishing varieties of wetland plants and the birds, mammals, and fish that live there are also represented. A glossary and afterword provide young readers with further fascinating details on wetlands, its creatures, and its conditions. ... Read more

Product Description

The geologically ancient Tidewater region of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina rests precariously atop millions of years of erosion from the nearby Appalachian Mountains. An immense wetland at near sea level, it is host to every conceivable body of fresh water, ranging from brooding swamps and large hidden lakes to sluggish blackwater rivers and brackish sounds (one of which was so large an early explorer thought he had found the Pacific Ocean). In this engaging book, biologist and Tidewater native Roy T. Sawyer delivers an ecohistory of this unique waterland whose wind-driven tides cover a rich human and natural past.

Jutting prominently into the Atlantic, this wetland is the final stop for the warmth of the Gulf Stream before it is deflected from the American mainland. At the top of a narrow, warm coastal strip, it provides an ideal home for a vast array of animal and plant life, including prodigious numbers of reptiles (such as the world's northernmost population of alligators) and overwintering waterfowl. It is also home to the oldest known living trees east of the Rocky Mountains. The climate and geography made the area a natural choice for very early human habitation--as far back as the last ice age, when the region was a rich oasis just south of a veritable tundra.

In examining the impact of humans upon this environment, and vice-versa, Sawyer reveals how our alarming shortsightedness has produced a fragile and endangered present. Although human manipulation started here as early as ten thousand years ago (coinciding with extinction of mammoths and other megafauna), the environment has been altered most radically over only the last one hundred years, particularly in regard to land drainage, deforestation, overfishing, and pollution.

The author provides an authoritative overview of the human impact on these wetlands and suggests ways in which we might still salvage them. In so doing, he explores the effects of hurricanes, droughts, forest fires, and ice ages of the past--and anticipates, in this age of global warming, natural events that may be still to come.

Product Description
This volume represents the proceedings of a workshop held from 30 July 3 August 1995 at Fairmont Hot Springs, Montana. The workshop was designed to meet the scientific and regulatory need for current information describing ecotoxicology and risk assessment for wetlands. Professionals from government, industry, and academia were selected to participate based on their expertise on the specific topic to be considered. These workshops have provided an excellent forum for stimulation and exchange of ideas on the technical and scientific issues underlying chemical fate and effects in the environment and overall hazard assessments of chemicals in ecosystems. The organizers and participants of this workshop hope that the current proceedings will be as useful as the previous workshop proceedings to scientists, engineers, and decision-makers concerned with maintaining and reducing the loss of the nation's wetland resources. Althought the organization and objectives of this !workshop were similar to some earlier workshops, this is the first workshop to deal primarily with the environmental aspects of an ecosystem rather than with a discrete environmental problem. The proceedings of this workshop is published by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. ... Read more

Product Description
This introduction to freshwater wetlands describes those abiotic features of wetlands that make them unique as a habitat and examines in detail the adaptations, distributions, and interactions of various organisms (microbes, invertebrates, plants, and vertebrates) that collectively form wetland ecosystems.All kinds of freshwater wetlands are covered including lacustrine, palustrine, riverine and tidal forms.The management, conservation and restoration of wetlands are also covered. This is an accessible text suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in wetland ecology as well as professional researchers in the fields of limnology and freshwater ecology requiring a concise overview of the topic. ... Read more

Product Description
Summarizes the Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP) study and presents for the first time the nutrient dynamic models that integrated all the data. Discusses the management implications of the prairie wetland ecology provided by the MERP. DLC: Wetland ecology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A long term prairie wetlands research project
As a result of decades of conservation research we now understand the basic underlying value and fundamental necessity of sustaining prairie wetland ecologies for the overall well-being of the ecosystem, with implications for wildlife habitation, and the impact of human activity (including agriculture) upon natural resources. Henry R. Murkin, Arnold G. van der Valk, and William R. Clark have successfully collaborated in summarizing the findings of the Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP) in Prairie Wetland Ecology: The Contribution Of The Marsh Ecology Research Program, which also reflects the contributions from ten field experts. This comprehensive and long term prairie wetlands research project was a joint effort of Duck Unlimited Canada and the Delta Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Station. Prairie Wetland Ecology is a superb and highly recommended introduction to prairie wetland ecology research in general, and MERP in particular, as well as providing a superbly informative background for further ecosystem research. ... Read more

Product Description

Together with its companion Volume 190 Wetlands and Natural Resource Management, this volume gives a broad and well-integrated overview of recent major scientific results in wetland science and their applications in natural resource management issues.

After an introduction into the field, 12 chapters contributed by internationally known experts summarize the state of the art on a particular subject. They are divided into the following three sections: Functioning of Plants and Animals in Wetlands - Conservation and Management of Wetlands - Wetland Restoration and Creation.

The volume is of interest to wetland scientists, natural resource managers, as well as policy makers.

Product Description
Whether you call it a swamp, a bog, a fen, a march, a slough or a quagmire, a wetland is a remarkable world where land and water meet. Wetlands naturally filter pollution and sediment from our water, control flooding and protect stream and riverbanks from erosion. They also provide a home to many plants and animals from microscopic algae and moss to muskrats and herons. This informative book contains easy-to-follow experiments and projects so readers can learn firsthand just how important wetlands are. It's an excellent resource for home, school, nature groups and summer holidays. ... Read more

Product Description
Forested wetlands are a major component of northern landscapes, important both for their ecological functions and their socioeconomic values. Historically, these lands have been used for timber and fiber products, hunting, fishing, trapping, food gathering, and recreation. There are many questions about the use and management of these lands in the future, particularly with respect to forest products, hydrology and water quality, plant and wildlife ecology, landscape dynamics, and wetland restoration. Northern Forested Wetlands: Ecology and Management provides a synthesis of current research and literature. It examines the status, distribution, and use of these wetland resources. The book focuses on understanding the role of wetlands in the landscape and on how to manage these wetlands and sustain their important functions. This is a primary reference text for the study and management of northern forested wetlands, providing a forum for information discovered by researchers and managers from many nations. ... Read more

Product Description

The wetland is a murky, moist, and mysterious world. Atop its glittering surface and beneath its shadowy depths, birds, bass, minks, and muskrats struggle to survive and flourish. Madeleine Dunphy’s lyrical prose shows the relationships between the wetland’s plants and animals, giving young readers a clear picture of how each living creature depends on the others for survival. Illustrator Wayne McLoughlin adds stunning visuals,  with luminous, detailed paintings that convey the fragile beauty and complexity of this critically important ecological community.

Customer Reviews (3)

Wet, wild and wonderful!
As an avid birder (bird watcher) I have a deep appreciation for, and attraction to, our wetland areas.I have visited great ones all over the country including the swamps of Southern Missouri, Florida's Everglades and New Mexico'sBosque del Apache NWR.And although many places like those still exist, by 1993 half the world's wetlands had been drained and that percentage is MUCH higher for the US.It is ironic to me that many of the wetlands that I can visit in order to view and photograph wild birds exist primarily due to the efforts and fees paid by hunters.Any effort to explain the importance of these unique ecosystems to the general public is much needed and appreciated.It is even more necessary to involve children as they are the ones who will inherit these precious natural resources."Here Is the Wetlands", another book in the Web of Life series does just that.

By introducing the habitat and inhabitants of a freshwater marsh one by one, Madeleine Dunphy not only tells of the diversity of life present but also their interdependence.The watercolor illustrations by Wayne McLoughlin are striking in their gorgeous simplicity and captivating use of rich, luxurious color.At the end of the book is a section that deals with the issue of our loss of wetlands and a plea for the reader to become involved in their protection.This is an excellent book for children of any age but especially for those in elementary school.

DISCLAIMER: Although I was not paid for this review, I was given the book for free by the author in the hope that I would review it.Thank you.

Beautifully captures life in the wetlands
The "Here is..." series of books featuring animals in their natural habitats by author Madeleine Dunphy are well-written and educational. Most are also beautifully illustrated with vibrant full-color pictures which enhance the cumulative verse style employed by the author.

In "Here is the Wetland", readers are introduced to the animals that inhabit the wetlands, specifically the freshwater marsh. Some of these animals include the muskrat, mink, bass, heron, frog, snake, blackbirds, coots, ducks, etc. The cumulative style employed here makes this book a perfect read-aloud for young children (ages 4-8), and may also motivate beginning/intermediate readers. My five-and-a-half-year old daughter enjoyed reading this book, and was entranced by the rich life in the wetlands, not to mention the detailed and vivid illustrations of wetland animals. Highly recommended for children ages 4-8.

Wonderful! Highly recommended!
I quite enjoyed reading this with kids, and they enjoyed repeating and memorizing the words.The illustrations are lovely and provide plenty to talk about. ... Read more

Product Description
How people perceive wetlands has always played a crucial role in determining how people act toward them. In this readable and objective account, Hugh Prince examines literary evidence as well as government and scientific documents to uncover the history of changing attitudes toward wetlands in the American Midwest.

As attitudes changed, so did scientific research agendas, government policies, and farmers' strategies for managing their land. Originally viewed as bountiful sources of wildlife by indigenous peoples, wet areas called "wet prairies," "swamps," or "bogs" in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were considered productive only when drained for agricultural use. Beginning in the 1950s, many came to see these renamed "wetlands" as valuable for wildlife and soil conservation.

Prince's book will appeal to a wide readership, ranging from geographers and environmental historians to the many government and private agencies and individuals concerned with wetland research, management, and preservation. ... Read more

Product Description
A simple description of what a wetland is and what kinds of life can be found in it. ... Read more

Product Description
Wetlands and riparian areas between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada are incredibly diverse and valuable habitats. More than 80 percent of the wildlife species in this intermountain region depend on these wetlands--which account for less than 2 percent of the land area--for their survival. At the same time, the wetlands also serve the water needs of ranchers and farmers, recreationists, vacation communities, and cities. It is no exaggeration to call water the "liquid gold" of the West, and the burgeoning human demands on this scarce resource make it imperative to understand and properly manage the wetlands and riverine areas of the Intermountain West. This book offers land managers, biologists, and research scientists a state-of-the-art survey of the ecology and management practices of wetland and riparian areas in the Intermountain West. Twelve articles examine such diverse issues as laws and regulations affecting these habitats, the unique physiographic features of the region, the importance of wetlands and riparian areas to fish, wildlife, and livestock, the ecological function of these areas, their value to humans, and the methods to evaluate these habitats. The authors also address the human impacts on the land from urban and suburban development, mining, grazing, energy extraction, recreation, water diversions, and timber harvesting and suggest ways to mitigate such impacts.In addition to the editors, the contributors to this volume are:Paul Adamus, Oregon State University, CorvallisMichael A. Bozek, University of Wisconsin, Stevens PointRobert C. Ehrhart, Oregon State University, BendJames H. Gammonley, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Fort CollinsPaul L. Hansen, Bitterroot Restoration, Corvallis, MontanaE. Andrew Hart, University of Wyoming, LaramieMurray K. Laubhan, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, ColoradoKirk Lohman, University of Idaho, MoscowJames R. Lovvorn, University of Wyoming, LaramieNeal D. Niemuth, University of Wisconsin, Stevens PointRichard A. Olson, University of Wyoming, LaramieNeil F. Payne, University of Wisconsin, Stevens PointMark A. Rumble, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Rapid City, South DakotaMaureen Ryan, University of Toledo (Ohio) College of LawBrian E. Smith, U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, North DakotaMark Squillace, University of Toledo (Ohio) College of LawStephen A. Tessmann, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, CheyenneDavid W. Willis, South Dakota State University, Brookings ... Read more

Product Description
This new edition explains what wetlands are and how they fit into our complex environmental systems. It incorporates recent court cases and regulations, discusses the functions and values of wetlands, and details the scientific classification of wetlands. ... Read more

Product Description
Wetlands perform a host of ecological and hydrological functions that benefit mankind. Some of the most important functions of wetlands are their roles in water supply, water purification, recycling of nutrients, recharging of ground water, maintaining stream flow and flood control etc. wetlands are considered to be the best habitats for fish, wildlife, fodder, fuel, and offer recreation to the society. In spite of its great ecological significance, in recent times, the wetlands are neglected and their habitats degraded due to indiscriminate exploitation of its resource in many parts of India, Particularly in the NE Region. Now the management and conservation of the wetlands and sustainable utilization of their resources has become on e of the greatest challenges of 21st century.The present book is a synthesis of an intensive research made by several professors, scientists and ecologists over decades on the wetlands of the NE region. Over 26 articles on various aspects of wetlands viz. ecology, limnology, hydrology, microbiology, biology, biodiversity, conservation, community participation, traditional utilization of resource etc. are included. These research articles will play a key role in opening new vista play a key role in opening new vista in the field of welted research and conservation. The book would be immensely useful to everyone dealing of with ecology and conservation of wetlands such as wetland managers, conservationists, scientists, researchers, teachers, decision-makers, students and local communities as well. ... Read more