""Rivers and streams are dynamic and powerful forces that have the ability to reshape the landscape on their own volition. They also respond to and reflect the hundreds of decisions we make related to development, transportation, agriculture, and overallmanagement of our lands. Although there is much agreement that our streams should be restored, the unanimity dries up as soon as the discussion turns to particular strategies. There is no one agreed upon approach to how exactly this work should be done. This confusion has created a situation where those who aspire to save our aquatic treasures must preach their vision and stake their claim. Channeling the optimism of a worlds-fair and the lawlessness of the wild-west, this field attracts activists of a different kind from the "eco-warrior" stereotype. It draws learned researchers, ambitious consultants, and seasoned public-servants. Although the problems are often systemic and complex, most of the solutions proposed by these practitioners are simple to comprehend. This book will tell their stories via a group of profiles of the people behind these restoration efforts: a charismatic former Forest Service employee without formal academic training, a geologist husband and wife team, a restoration contractor, the executive director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, members of the Tulalip Tribes in western Washington State, and fisheries biologists of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe. The central message is that different and multiple approaches will be necessary to restore our rivers and streams. This may seem a somewhat obvious conclusion, but the strong trend of discussions in the stream restoration world is that there is one right approach (with most people believing their approach is that correct one). Given that rivers reflect all of our impacts it will be necessary that we look to specific stream restoration techniques but also policy approaches and perhaps keystone species that can help. Pete Hill finds this drive for the one correct approach limiting and occasionally self-serving. Stream problems (like climate change) can be overwhelming if you consider the scale and trends; the book will explore the character and purpose of people engaged in this work and what they've accomplished in thecontext of limited funds, the need for certainty, and a culture of expecting immediate results.""--
Pete Hill—a twenty-year veteran of the field of watershed restoration—provides a deep dive into the world of river and stream conservation.
Centuries of mismanagement and destructive development have gravely harmed American waterways, with significant consequences for the ecosystems and communities built around them. But a range of passionate and committed people have stepped up to restore streams and rivers around the United States. A husband-and-wife scientist team in Pennsylvania lead projects to unclog the sediment left by early colonists’ dams. Members of the Tulalip Tribes in western Washington State bring beavers back to headwater streams. A public servant in Milwaukee drives the sewer department to remove concrete channels and reduce flood risk. Community activists in Atlanta push for environmental justice in river restoration.
Telling these stories and many more, Pete Hill—a twenty-year veteran of the field of watershed restoration—provides a deep dive into the world of river and stream conservation. He profiles the practitioners, scientists, and activists from all walks of life who take part in restoration efforts, exploring their differing, sometimes controversial approaches. Through their stories, Hill illustrates the challenges and rewards of river restoration and the evolving scientific understanding in the field. Underscoring the need for a variety of strategies adapted to different local contexts, he shows that new ideas have come from a wide range of people—from those operating the machinery to those researching stream ecology—and that Indigenous knowledge offers vital resources. At once personal and learned, insightful and inspiring, this book shines a light on the people working to heal our streams and rivers.
