Product Description
During the past century approximately fifty percent of the world's wetlands have been destroyed, largely due to human activities. Increased human population has lead to shrinkage of wetland areas, and data show that as they shrink, their important functions decline. Reduced wetland area causes more flooding in Spring, less available water during drought, greater risk of water pollution, and less food production and reduced carbon storage. Much of the remaining pristine wetland systems are found in the world's largest wetlands, and yet these areas have received surprisingly little scientific research or attention. This volume presents the views of leading experts on each of the world's largest wetland systems. Here, this international team of authors share their understanding of the ecological dynamics of large wetlands and their significance, and emphasise their need of conservation. ... Read more

Product Description
Explains what a wetland is, why it is important, threats facing this ecosystem, and efforts to protect wetlands. ... Read more

Product Description
Wetlands were historically neglected until it was revealed that they could be economically valuable to man. They are one of the most dynamic ecosystems in the world and have many functions for society. For example, natural wetlands provide food staples, building materials, irrigation of agricultural lands, waterways, shelter for wildlife, and a means of flood control. Constructed wetlands provide a reliable treatment technology for various types of polluted water, including industrial and agricultural wastewater, stormwater runoff, municipal sewage and landfill leachate.

Both natural and constructed wetlands require careful management in order to optimally provide these functions, and this volume presents the latest results in the field of management and performance optimization of these systems. The book covers wetland science worldwide, with examples from Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa.

Audience: Ecological and environmental scientists, engineers, regulators and landscape planners.

Product Description
One winter day in 1988, as he surveyed his newly purchased land in California's wine country, Sam Sebastiani made a bold decision: He would plant vines on his hillside but he would restore the hayfield below it to its natural condition - a freshwater marsh. The road to realizing this vision was mined with difficulties but Sebastiani persevered, and with the help of Ducks Unlimited, he succeeded in creating a 90-acre preserve that is now home to 156 bird species and a host of other wildlife.
In The Winemaker's Marsh, award-winning author Kenneth Brower chronicles a year in the life of the restored wetland. He draws parallels between the seasonal transformations of the marsh and the shifting fortunes of Sebastiani himself, sketching a sensitive portrait of the environment and the man. As a perfect complement to the text, Michael Sewell's stunning photographs reveal a landscape of subtle splendor and surprising diversity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Wine-maker's Marsh
This is a visually lush and inspirational book about the rescue of damaged land and the creation of a flourishing ecosystem.Beautiful book!Beautiful idea!Thanks to Brower for another instance of ecological inspiration -- and thanks to Sam Sebastiani and the caretakers of the land.

Great with Fowl!
Proof that our heroes are all around us. Stunning photographs affirm that we can save this planet from ourselves. The results of one person's efforts are reproduced in a neat, coffee table format that shows how even a mere 100 acre marsh (a former hay field!) can be transformed into a life-sustaining ecosytem that supports a diverse number of species. As in many of Ansel Adams photographs that encompass the reflection of the small landscape within the larger one--Michael Sewell has illustrated the importance of the "small place" as an ecological bell-weather of the greater environment. He proves that determined individual efforts do pay off, and gives us hope for the future. Text by the Browers, Father & Son, heighten this moving, life-affirming experience. Inspiring! ... Read more

Product Description
Photographs and accompanying essays chronicle a voyage of ecological discovery through Maryland's Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Is it still possible to make a voyage of discovery here in Maryland, the nation's fifth most densely settled state?The Great Marsh: An Intimate Journey into a Chesapeake Wetland David W. Harp's vivid photography and Tom Horton's eloquent prose produce a compelling portrait of one such journey in an intriguing and endangered habitat.

Into this remarkable territory—whose shrinking dimensions frighten every naturalist and ecologist—Harp and Horton embarked on a canoe trip exploring, documenting, and photographing the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County.This volume, at its core, is the story of a single crossing of the Blackwater's length, east to west.Separate "sidebar" essays discuss how the marsh functions as a refuge for migrating butterflies, the wetlands sustain a lonely trapper, and the bogs yield archeological treasures—remnants of American Indian hunting forays and colonial boat building—to careful investigation.

The edges of the Chesapeake Bay offer Americans some of their loveliest (and most sensitive) wetlands.The fertile waters and soggy vegetation provide a home to ducks, geese,eagles, and dozens of other species of birds; muskrats, squirrels, foxes; and of course insect varieties almost too numerous to count.The environmental importance of the marshes lies in their filtering pollutants, retarding erosion, and helping to maintain a natural balance among the critters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A journey without the bugbites!
I have always been curious about the Chesapeake Wetlands.They are so beautiful and mysterious. The Great Marsh took me on a wonderful tour.I have a new appreciation for the ecological importance of the Chesapeake Wetlands, and for the potential danger of attempting to navigate them as a novice. This is a great coffee table book as well.The photos are beautiful.

A sad, slanted view of a lovely habitat...
Many exquisite photos grace this volume, as well as some interesting facts. However, the excessive references (both in photos and text) to trapping, fishing, and hunting frequently intrude upon what could otherwise have been an enjoyable and informative coffee-table-type introduction to the marsh habitat.Those who love the marsh for its beauty and for non-violent enjoyment of its wildlife might want to look for a more wildlife-friendly book. The graphic descriptions of skinning animals are especially offensive and unnecessary. ... Read more

Product Description
Ages 5 to 9 years. A wide variety of plants and animals live, visit, and feed in wetlands, but wetlands are fast disappearing. This book explains which plants and animals live in this habitat and how they interact with one another in the marsh. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

How conservation was insertedfor allocation in naming the CCA.
Fritchey does a masterful job allowing the general public to view the deception that has gone on with so-called conservation organizations in the Gulf, and Atlantic, in order to achieve their selfish re-allocation objectives. From making commercial fishermen red herrings for the "alleged" slide in fishery stocks, to the ouright grab of resources for themselves, these allocation organizations have lied, perjured, and extorted the public's resources right out of the public's reach. In so doing, they have driven a wedge between the user groups, and deprived the non-fishing public access to the most regulated fishery resource in the world. Meanwhile, the marsh habitat that these resources depend on are being lost at an ever increasing rate daily. A truly spectacular job connecting the dots that have led to the ruin of many hard working, tax paying, American fishermen, and have left the marsh habitat they depend on in sad shape. Britton Shackelford

This book is a must read!!! Especially if you belong to the CCA
Wow, what a great book. It is sad that this is an account of true events. Unfortunately, these events are still taking place all over America's coastal states. Wherever Exxon's faux conservation group the Coastal Conservation Association shows up, they make it there mission to destroy the commercial fishing industry, and reallocate fish stocks to their wealthy membership. With Exxon's record profits and friends all the way to the white house it hasn't been hard for them to do. The argument the Coastal Conservation Association uses, is that more money is generated by wealthy sportfishers then by lowly commercial fishers and seafood consumers. Therefore all fish should be protected for their membership's exclusive enjoyment. Sounds simple, but this puts thousands of people out of work and denies the consumers their right to the fisheries resource.
This is truely a David and Goliath story. David being the inshore finfishermen whom represents the Free American Spirit that refuses to die and Goliath being Exxon who represents corprate greed.
Read this!
I Understand the sequel is being written as I type this. Can't wait for it to come out!!

Much help on a report
I'm doing a research paper for english and I chose the net ban as a topic. My father used to be a commercial fisherman on the Florida coast. He was put out of business after the net ban was put into effect in 1995. He's always had theories about why the ban was passed. He read and loved the book Wetland Riders and with his information, and the facts I got from the book I was able to write a strong paper against the net ban. The book was great and was a lot of help. Anyone who's been affected by Net limitations in any state should read this book.

Sport Fishermen versus Commercial Fishermen, Fun vs Food
I'm Robert Fritchey, the author of "Wetland Riders." I fell in with South Louisiana's traditional coastal finfishermen in 1980, deciding after graduate school that I would earn my living only from renewable resources. A lifelong sport fisherman, my addiction to fishing and the outdoor life led me to the Bayou State's rapidly vanishing coastal marshes, where I earned my livelihood netting redfish and other wetland-dependent species of fish through the 1980s.

"As the 1980s opened, fishermen worked freely, under few restrictions other than those imposed by nature," I wrote in the book's preface. "But earning a living as an inshore finfisherman became progressively more difficult--and finally next to impossible. What happened?"

"Wetland Riders" details my own search for the answer to this question. But my interests were more than academic--in 1988, Louisiana's anglers--prodded by a Texas-based sportfishing organization which has since gone national--claimed the redfish for their own exclusive use. By taking the fish from us fishermen--and the seafood markets and restaurants--the sportsmen began to devalue Louisiana's threatened coastal wetlands. I wrote "Wetland Riders" as an educational tool, to circumvent a biased media and inform the public directly, as a prelude to getting back our fish.

Equipped with my experience as both a sport and commercial fisherman, I investigated the escalating fish fights between the recreational and food-producing industries which, I learned, were occurring around the coasts of America.

I also learned that the underlying cause of the sportsmen's aggression against our traditional seafood harvesters lies deeply embedded within our emotional human nature. In the book's introduction, I quoted a true sportsman, a Texan who-- in the 1930s--also sought to quell the destructive friction between these two environmentally important industries: "When the average sportsman sees a net fisherman make a good catch he is overcome in many cases with a feeling that must be experienced but cannot well be described." That feeling, unfortunately, is envy, an emotion that can easily overpower rational thought.

The number of recreational fishermen began to steadily increase following World War II, and exploded during the 1980s and 1990s, as financially successful Baby Boomers and their children took up fishing. A critical mass of these anglers have proven more than willing to be organized into a political movement whichimperils our domestic seafood industry.

As old Claude McCall--one of the 7 net fishermen that I profiled in "Wetland Riders"--explained, "There needs to be regulation, but not the kind we have now. The management that's being used now just tries to knock the commercial fisherman down. We'll wind up with almost no domestic production of seafood; it'll all be imported.

"How about if we get in a war and can't get imports? We'll have to eat steak, I guess."

In the chapter, "It's Not Me, It's Him!," I revealed that, "The collective impact of great numbers of recreational fishermen, each landing just a few fish, quickly adds up." Indeed, virtually every species of fish that is currently defined as "overfished" is being harvested by both recreational and commercial fishermen. And data presented in this chapter reveal that, in many fisheries, the recreational sector is responsible for harvesting a far larger slice of the pie than the food-producing sector!

As I investigated why this fact is not publicized, I described in "The `Con' in Conservation" the first attempt by a media conglomerate to expand their "educational program" beyond the sportsmen, to 30 million members of the general public. The campaign typified the recreational media's tactic of focusing blame on our family fishermen while avoiding any responsibility by sport fishermen.

In "The Recreational Fishing Industry: Something of Value?" I deconstructed the incredibly diverse recreational industry that is displacing our traditional commercial fisheries.Many of our commercial fisheries are centuries old, and predate recreational fisheries. They have achieved sustainability by merely harvesting fish which they send out to consumers in urban areas, thereby bringing only money into their rural communities. The tourism-based recreational industry, on the other hand, brings people into coastal communities which spurs coastal real-estate development.

The co-existence of both industries leads to a natural tension, a sort of two-party system where each "party" limits the impact of the other, though in different ways. As we go to a one-party system, the astute reader may envision the future of these old fisheries.

In "Conservation Through Use: Resource Management for the Twenty-First Century," I advocated sharing hotly-contested finfish species on an equitable basis, and cite the precedent for such an action. Upon the increased allocation of fish that commercial fishermen and consumers would receive, I proposed a per-pound severance tax. Inspired by the self-reliance, resourcefulness and optimism of our inshore fishermen, I suggested that taxes on our product be used to establish a local, sustainable source of revenue for a stewardship action fund dedicated to slowing the loss of fishery habitat.

As noted in the update to the book's second edition, "1998: New Players, Same Game," sportsmen in the mid-1990s benefited from a multimillion dollar national "fish crisis" campaign, which eerily failed to mention any negative impacts by the vast sportfishing industry. Amid that backdrop, well-heeled sportsmen demonized and outlawed nets, destroying some of the largest traditional food fisheries in the country, including Louisiana's.

A must read for anyone interested in fisheries issues
Mr. Fritchey drew on his background as a commercial fisherman and his impressive skills as a researcher to put together this compelling story behind the story of the so-called "fish conservation" movementthat's become so popular with the mass media today. In Wetland Riders he'sexposed this blatant resource grab for what it really is; awell-coordinated and well-financed assault on the U.S. consumer's right tofisheries resources that belong to us all. From consumer to commercialfisherman to someone who enjoys the ambiance of coastal communities withoutboardwalks and amusement parks and tee shirt shops, if you have anyconnection to the seafood industry at all you owe it to yourself to readthis book. ... Read more

Product Description
Papers presented at the International Conference on Land-Water Interactions organized by National Institute of Ecology, New Delhi during 8-14 December 1991. ... Read more

Product Description
This timely new book is a "must-have" for anyone involved with wetland conservation, in particular bottomland hardwood forests, a habitat in which over 50% of our nation's inventory has been destroyed.Authored by recognized experts, the book thoroughly covers the ecological processes in bottomland hardwood forests and relates these processes to human activities. Chapters include original research into ecological processes, discuss impacts of human activities on flood plain ecosystems, and examine human perceptions of bottomland values and management strategies for ecosystem restoration and conservation. The book focuses on impact assessment and management, featuring local sites and ecosystems, as well as the processes in larger areas, such as watersheds and hydrological basins. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Unique perspective on plants
More than a identification guide, this steel-spiral bound book explores how plants fit into the daily life of wetlands. Covering an area generallyfrom Canada to Florida, between the Missisippi and East coast, it describeshow plants interact with insects, mammals, reptiles, people, and so on. Itis not a complete flora, but it was not meant to be. The entries read likenature center or museum displays; plain English, but still with enoughtechnical features to make a confident ID. The book includes a glossary,species list for interacting organisms, and field forms to recordobservations on specific plants. 394 pages. ... Read more

Product Description

Written both as a textbook and as a professional reference book, Sustaining the World's Wetlands: Setting Policy and Resolving Conflicts contains detailed case studies of wetland management worldwide.  Examinations of international wetland policy in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America generate a discussion of the differences between wetland management issues in developed and developing countries, and culminate in suggested strategies for the future of wetland management.

Key themes addressed in the case studies include the tradeoffs between sustainable use of wetlands for food, fuel, and fiber vs. the protection of ecosystem diversity and stability, and the respective roles of big international NGO's, national and regional government, and local community-based organizations when faced with wetland management issues.

With its global scope and its emphasis on policy and management analysis, Sustaining the World's Wetlands is a unique and valuable tool both for students and for practitioners.

About the Author:

Richard C. Smardon is Professor and Chair of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and Director of the Randolph G. Pack Environmental Institute at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, USA.

Product Description
A primer introducing the principles and practices of wetland design. Covering the creation, restoration, enhancement, and construction of designed wetlands, this book provides a practical guide for wetland design on a local, site-specific scale, and reviews the impact of wetland design projects on the environment. More than 150 key principles and practices of wetland design and planning are presented, accompanied by detailed illustrations and case studies. 150 illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

not so useful
I was looking for a book that would be a good introduction to created wetlands, particularly treatment wetlands - something a little less massive than the recent tome by Kadlec and Wallace. This book wasn't what I was looking for.Although it covered the basics, (and had lots of design diagrams) the organization of the book is awful.It looks like the author just shoved a bunch of power-point presentations together and got it published. Even the numerous diagrams weren't much use, as most of them lacked information on scale and virtually all of them lacked information on loading rates, hydrology, etc.The theoretical considerations presented are also presented in such a general way as to be pretty much useless.There are a lot of case studies in the book, but I didn't get around to reading them.Overall, this book was light on the "principles" mentioned in the title.It might be worth $30, but I'm not convinced. ... Read more

Product Description
A high-level case-study reference volume, Freshwater Wetlands and their Sustainable Future: Evidence from the Trebon Basin Biosphere Reserve adds to the body of knowledge on how wetlands effect the environment. Using evidence collected from studies on the Trebon Basin biosphere reserve, the book covers the key role of wetlands, ecological consequences of fishpond management, wetlands surrounding an ancient man-made lake, mires in a marginal situation, and future prospects for wetlands. It includes bibliographic references plus indexes by author, subject, and scientific name of organisms. The book presents otherwise inaccessible information about one of Europe's most important and well studied wildlife areas, an area that has been documented for over thirty years. It examines the information through the lens of sustainability and future prospects. The insights gained here can be applied to wetlands world wide, both natural and constructed. In addition, Freshwater Wetlands and Their Sustainable Future: Evidence from the Trebon Basin Biosphere Reserve provides a complete picture of how wetlands function long-term. ... Read more

Product Description
Avoid or minimize expenses or delays when you develop projects in wetland areas. This practical reference explains the regulations and provides guidance on mitigation requirements and the permitting process. You'll learn everything you need to know about evaluating, selecting, negotiating, and implementing the various mitigation measures available. ... Read more

Product Description
For centuries, marshes, floodplains, lagoons, deltas, and other wetland systems of the world which our home to a rich diversity of plant and animal life have been perceived as wasteland, obstacles to the overriding need for agricultural and urban development.This book provides comprehensive coverage of these natural reserves: the dangers they face, and what we must do to preserve what remains of them.Up-to-date, full-color maps cover the wetlands region by region, providing information on the various types of wetland systems, wildlife, and vegetation in each area, and charting the course of conversion and degradation.As beautiful as it is important.

"The finest world conservation atlas I know of." --Whole Earth Review ... Read more

Product Description
Published in association with the International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau, this superbly illustrated volume brings together a world survey of wetlands, on a continent-by-continent basis. Chapters include the major wetlands of the world, the natural functions of wetlands, their main characteristics, and wetland conservation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best book on the subject, period
This book is just simply superlative in every respect, bar none. It comprises a survey of the world's wetlands, continent by continent, following a comprehensive introductory section. You will surely read about wetlands areas of which you have never been aware.You will see pictures of them that will simply amaze you by their beauty and form.Each chapter contains vignettes on that area's most important wetlands, as well as a detailed map of each continent and its wetlands.The written text is excellently organized and easily readable.

Depending on the reader's preference, however, the most attractive feature of the book may be its incomparable color photography.Some of it is so compelling as to present an almost surreal effect.A good example is the cover photograph of the baobab tree, standing like a huge bottle over lily pads in an African pond.

Each chapter, as well as the book's conclusion shows the harm that is being done to wetlands, and the consequences that follow such activity.This is a must read part of the text.

In summation, the book is endlessly fascinating.I received it as a Christmas present a few years ago, and I have enjoyed it endlessly since that time.I am sure this experience will apply to any person of a high school education with an interest in nature.

My recommendation is so high as to be off the scale. ... Read more

Product Description
An understanding of environmental gradients (physical, chemical, hydrological, and biological) is a prerequisite to the accurate delineation of wetland boundaries. Presenting the wide-ranging views of academicians, environmentalists, policy makers, consultants, planners, engineers, hydrologists, biologists, geochemists, ecologists, and conservationists, Wetlands: Environmental Gradients, Boundaries, and Buffers focuses on current topics and research related to wetland delineation; summarizes the main issues of concern; and provides recommendations on research needs.In addition to integrating the most important research and theoretical aspects, this book includes a strong prescriptive component, providing practicing professionals with specific guidance on defining the true dimensions of a wetland area. ... Read more

Product Description
Ecological approach to natural history provides descriptions of 80 wetland plants (North American). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Sweet!
This is a really great book. It explains way more then you would expect for a field guide. It goes in depth about each plant, animals that depend on them and other interesting tidbits that you wont find in any other guide.The awsome illustrations are done so beautifully and true to life no one should have any problems idtentifying plants on the trail. They also truly give this book a nice touch.It's like a book of old documenting new discoveries!

Great book!
This is a must have book if you live in areas with swamps/bogs.Its so accurate I'm just amazed.It is also very easy to use.It has drawings and it talks not only about id of the plants but also their "lifestyle" (e.g. how they reproduce, various ideosyncasies of the plants, insects that are associated etc.)Each plant also has a short section on lore which adds a nice bit of history.I really like the book

Just what I was looking for!
For those people who already kind of know their way around the forest, and are more interested in what they are going to see ASSOCIATED with the plants they see than what an Audobon book says, this is a naturalist's dream come true!

Great b/w illustrations of not only leaves and fruits, but insects, diseases, toothmarks, clawmarks and nests that can be found on and around the trees and plants listed in the book...

Also highly recommended is the Forest and Thicket book by the same authors...

Unique resource for understanding this ecosystem
The authors' love of nature and years of experience clearly show in this unique field guide.Most books have an encyclopedic and repetitive approach.In contrast, this book looks at the individual plants and howthey fit into the entire ecosystem ranging from companion plants, anddependent bird, mammal, and insect species.I have not seen another bookthat describes eastern wetlands in as much detail and yet still be highlyreadable. ... Read more