One Book One Community 2022: Atchafalaya Houseboat: Keep Reading

As with many people who live in Florida, Andrew Furman is a transplant, who at first did not recognize that this state has its own unique attributes and distinctive natural history beyond the popular perceptions of swampland and alligators. Each chapter of this book focuses on a particular type of Florida fauna or flora, imbued with the personal touch of Furman's real learning experience.

An exploration of the world's most remarkable lakes examines the significance of humanity's impact on iconic inland waters, sharing their stories and how they represent history, culture, and the importance of conservation.

In the spring of 1983, massive flooding along the length of the Colorado River confronted a team of engineers at the Glen Canyon Dam with an unprecedented emergency that may have resulted in the most catastrophic dam failure in history. In the midst of this crisis, Kenton Grua launched a small wooden dory named “The Emerald Mile" with the intent to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. The goal was to nail the all-time record for the fastest boat ever propelled—by oar, by motor, or by the grace of God himself—down the entire length of the Colorado River from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead.

As award-winning travel writer Mike Tidwell journeys through the bayou, he introduces us to the food and the language, the shrimp fisherman, the Houma Indians, and the rich cultural history that makes it unlike any other place in the world. But seeing the skeletons of oak trees killed by the salinity of the groundwater, and whole cemeteries sinking into swampland and out of sight, Tidwell also explains why each introduction may be a farewell—as the storied Louisiana coast steadily erodes into the Gulf of Mexico.

Twenty-five years after the publication of his first book, C. C. Lockwood returns to his favorite subject in Atchafalaya. He shares the thoughts of basin residents about how the Atchafalaya has changed over time, for better and for worse.

Originally published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers primarily for internal distribution, this environmental and political history of the Atchafalaya Basin is an unflinching account of the transformation of an area that has endured perhaps more human manipulation than any other natural environment in the nation.

With Robicheaux as her guide, McCutchan embarks on a musical, visual, literary, and historical tour of the Atchafalaya, where bayous, swamps, marshes, and river delta country have long sustained nature and culture, even as industry has changed both the landscape and the people.

Kathryn Aalto celebrates 25 women, both historical and current, whose influential writing helps deepen our connection to and understanding of the natural world. These inspiring wordsmiths are scholars, spiritual seekers, conservationists, scientists, novelists, and explorers.

A memoir about a woman spearheading a global initiative to heal the world's rainforests and the communities who depend on them.

In this thought-provoking study, Carolyn Finney looks beyond the discourse of the environmental justice movement to examine how the natural environment has been understood, commodified, and represented by both white and black Americans.

Wohlleben shares how to see, feel, smell, hear, and even taste your journey into the woods. Above all, he reveals a wondrous cosmos where humans are a part of nature, and where conservation is not just about saving trees--it's about saving ourselves, too.

A vibrant history of the modern conservation movement-told through the lives and ideas of the people who built it.

Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. It’s practical, effective, and easy—you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard.