At a time when the Colorado River and all those who depend on it
are in peril, this urgent book offers "both a love song and a paean
of regret to America's most spectacular river" (Denver Post) and "a
plea to save [it] before it’s too late" (The Wall Street
Journal). From bestselling author, long-time former National
Geographic Explorer, and anthropologist Wade Davis comes the story
of America’s Nile: how it once flowed freely and how human
intervention has left it near exhaustion, altering the water
temperature, volume, local species, and shoreline of the river
Theodore Roosevelt once urged us to "leave it as it is." Plugged by
no fewer than twenty-five dams, the Colorado is the world’s most
regulated river drainage, providing most of the water supply of Las
Vegas, Tucson, and San Diego, and much of the power and water of
Los Angeles and Phoenix, cities that are home to more than 25
million people. If it ceased flowing, the water held in its
reservoirs might hold out for three to four years, but after that
it would be necessary to abandon most of southern California and
Arizona, and much of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. For
the entire American Southwest, the Colorado is indeed the river of
life, which makes it all the more tragic and ironic that by the
time it approaches its final destination, it has been reduced to a
shadow upon the sand, its delta dry and deserted, its flow a toxic
trickle seeping into the sea. Yet despite more than a century of
human interference, Davis writes, the splendor of the Colorado
lives on in the river’s remaining wild rapids, quiet pools, and
sweeping canyons. The story of the Colorado River is the human
quest for progress and its inevitable effects—and an opportunity
to learn from past mistakes and foster the rebirth of America’s
most iconic waterway. A beautifully told story of historical
adventure and natural beauty, River Notes is a fascinating journey
down the river and through mankind’s complicated and destructive
relationship with one of its greatest natural resources. Published
in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.
General
Imprint: |
Greystone Books,Canada
|
Country of origin: |
Canada |
Release date: |
September 2023 |
Authors: |
Wade Davis
|
Dimensions: |
215 x 139mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
184 |
Edition: |
Revised edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-77840-142-8 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-77840-142-2 |
Barcode: |
9781778401428 |
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