Photographer Tim Palmer presents hundreds of images of the U.S.'s rivers and discusses their protection and the life within them.

Rivers of North America, Second Edition features new updates on rivers included in the first edition, as well as brand new information on additional rivers. This new edition expands the knowledge base, providing readers with a broader comparative approach to understand both the common and distinct attributes of river networks. The first edition addressed the three primary disciplines of river science: hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology. This new edition expands upon the interactive nature of these disciplines, showing how they define the organization of a riverine landscape and its processes. An essential resource for river scientists working in ecology, hydrology, and geomorphology. - Provides a single source of information on North America's major rivers - Features authoritative information on more than 200 rivers from regional specialists - Includes full-color photographs and topographical maps to illustrate the beauty, major features, and uniqueness of each river system - Offers one-page summaries help readers quickly find key statistics and make comparisons among rivers

Based on the comprehensive, award-winning book Rivers of North America, the new Field Guide to Rivers of North America describes 200 of North America's most significant rivers in a reader-friendly, concise format. The guide is organized by geographic regions - each section begins with a map showing the relationship of rivers within one territory and a summary of the region's most important elements. Each individual river summary includes a two-page spread with a basin map, a full-color photograph and key river characteristics. The compact format of this guide will be particularly useful to scientists carrying out field research in areas such as field ecology, entomology, botany. It is an easy-to-use reference that can easily be packed away with other scientific gear. Anglers and recreational boating enthusiasts will find a wealth of information on river topography, native and nonnative fish species, as well as average temperatures that will help them plan their next adventure.The only field guide to cover this broad geographic area. Each river features: - Color topographic river basin map - Color photograph - Precipitation graph - Vital physical and biological statistics

Throughout history, rivers have run a wide course through human temporal and spiritual experience. They have demarcated mythological worlds, framed the cradle of Western civilization, and served as physical and psychological boundaries among nations. Rivers have become a crux of transportation, industry, and commerce. They have been loved as nurturing providers, nationalist symbols, and the source of romantic lore but also loathed as sites of conflict and natural disaster.Rivers in History presents one of the first comparative histories of rivers on the continents of Europe and North America in the modern age. The contributors examine the impact of rivers on humans and, conversely, the impact of humans on rivers. They view this dynamic relationship through political, cultural, industrial, social, and ecological perspectives in national and transnational settings. As integral sources of food and water, local and international transportation, recreation, and aesthetic beauty, rivers have dictated where cities have risen, and in times of flooding, drought, and war, where they've fallen. Modern Western civilizations have sought to control rivers by channeling them for irrigation, raising and lowering them in canal systems, and damming them for power generation. Contributors analyze the regional, national, and international politicization of rivers, the use and treatment of waterways in urban versus rural environments, and the increasing role of international commissions in ecological and commercial legislation for the protection of river resources. Case studies include the Seine in Paris, the Mississippi, the Volga, the Rhine, and the rivers of Pittsburgh. Rivers in History is a broad environmental history of waterways that makes a major contribution to the study, preservation, and continued sustainability of rivers as vital lifelines of Western culture.

Daniel McCool chronicles the surging grassroots movement to bring America's rivers back to life and ensure they remain pristine for future generations. This book confirms the surprising news that America's rivers are indeed returning to a healthier, free-flowing condition. Through passion and dedication, ordinary people are reclaiming the American landscape, forming a nation-wide "river republic" of concerned citizens from all backgrounds and sectors of society. McCool profiles the individuals he calls "instigators," who initiated the fight for these waterways and have succeeded in the near-impossible task of challenging and changing the status quo. He ties the history, culture, and fate of America to its rivers and presents their restoration as a microcosm mirroring American beliefs, livelihoods, and an increasing awareness of our shared environmental fate.

A new vision is sweeping through ecological science: The dense web of dependencies that makes up an ecosystem has gained an added dimension-the dimension of time. Every field, forest, and park is full of living organisms adapted for relationships with creatures that are now extinct. In a vivid narrative, Connie Barlow shows how the idea of "missing partners" in nature evolved from isolated, curious examples into an idea that is transforming how ecologists understand the entire flora and fauna of the Americas. This fascinating book will enrich and deepen the experience of anyone who enjoys a stroll through the woods or even down an urban sidewalk. But this knowledge has a dark side too: Barlow's "ghost stories" teach us that the ripples of biodiversity loss around us now are just the leading edge of what may well become perilous cascades of extinction.

"SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY": p. 443-451.

Photographer and writer Tim Palmer has spent more than 25 years researching and experiencing life on the waterways of the American continent. He has travelled by canoe or raft on more than 300 different rivers, down wide placid streams and rough raging rapids. His journeys have taken him to every corner of the country, where he has witnessed and described the unique interaction of geographical, historical, and cultural forces that act upon our nation's vital arteries. America by Rivers represents the culmination of that grand adventure. Palmer describes the rivers of America in all their remaining glory and tarnished beauty, as he presents a comprehensive tour of the whole of America's river systems. Filled with important new information as well as data gathered from hundreds of published sources, America by Rivers covers: the network of American waterways and how they fit together to form river systems unique features of individual rivers along with their size, length, and biological importance environmental problems affecting the rivers of different regions and what is being done to protect and restore them cultural connections and conflicts surrounding the rivers of each region Chapters address the character of rivers in distinct regions of the country, and each chapter highlights one river with a detailed view from the water. Rivers profiled include the Penobscot, Potomac, Suwanee, Minnesota, Niobara, Salmon, Rio Grande, American, Rogue, and Sheenjek. Eighteen maps guide the reader across the country and 100 photos illustrate the splendor of Palmer's fascinating subject. America by Rivers provides a new way of seeing our country, one that embraces the entire landscape and offers fresh avenues to adventure. It is compelling reading for anyone concerned about the health of our land and the future of our waterways.

The experiences of such individuals as John Sutter, Lola Montez, Mark Twain, Kit Carson, and John Muir are touched upon in a work that considers the river's rich history and crucial role in the nation's development.

The wondrous roll of American rivers' names! Because of the rivers' significance, because of their power to shape human endeavor and to stimulate creativity, U.S. history can quite properly be told through them. On the Ohio River in 1817, a literate traveler named Morris Birkbech saw that connection; he sensed the end of one historical age and the beginning of another when he noted the heavy pulsing of the waterborne traffic. He exclaimed, "Old America seems to be breaking up and moving westward!" In the twentieth century, rivers have continued to be at the center of American concerns, as agriculturalists and dam builders contend with shippers and environmentalists. Within the pages of this exciting and insightful book, well-known historian Russell Bourne takes readers on a journey through time and place, to the rivers that gave life to our nation and to the communities that flourished along their banks. - Jacket.