Includes bibliographical references (p. 309-312) and index.
Contents
Chapters : Geology - "Nature's handiwork on display" / Economic Development - "A race for the river!" / Logging - "The trees came down like tall grass" / Floods - "We are going to try to beat the river" / Pollution - "A trifling inconvenience" / Nuclear Development - "There is absolutely no danger" / Farming - "Stewards of this garden" / Shad Restoration - "You can't be half-hearted" / The River and the Bay - "A long-term investment"
Summary
"Stranahan tells the sweeping story of one of America's great rivers - ranging in time from the Susquehanna's geologic origins to the modern threats to its ecosystem, describing human settlements, industry and pollution, and recent efforts to save the river and its "drowned estuary", the Chesapeake Bay. The result is a unique natural history of the vast Susquehanna watershed and a compelling look at environmental issues of national importance. Stranahan's vivid account of her experiences on the Susquehanna, including interviews with the colorful and engaging people she met along its shores, captures the river's continuing ability to fire the imagination, to stir the senses, to inspire dreams.Stranahan describes how canal builders, loggers, miners, and industrialists nearly destroyed the source of their wealth. And she tells of the river's frequent retaliation with historic, rampaging floods. Today, the Susquehanna is a study in contrasts: clean and healthy again along much of its length, in a few places still so polluted that nothing can survive. New threats from urbanization, modern agriculture, and nuclear power make the future uncertain. But Stranahan finds reasons for optimism." [from Goodreads]
