This book explores northwest California's magnificent Klamath Mountains—a region which boasts a remarkable biodiversity, a terrain so rugged that significant landscape features are still being discovered there, and a wealth of natural resources which have been used, and more recently abused, by humans for millennia. The author, a forest ecologist with more than fifty years' experience in the Klamaths, provides a multidimensional perspective on this region and asks: How can we most effectively steward this spectacular landscape toward a sustainable future? In a narrative laced with personal ane ... More

This book explores northwest California's magnificent Klamath Mountains—a region which boasts a remarkable biodiversity, a terrain so rugged that significant landscape features are still being discovered there, and a wealth of natural resources which have been used, and more recently abused, by humans for millennia. The author, a forest ecologist with more than fifty years' experience in the Klamaths, provides a multidimensional perspective on this region and asks: How can we most effectively steward this spectacular landscape toward a sustainable future? In a narrative laced with personal anecdotes, he introduces the dynamics of the Klamaths' ecosystems, including its geology and diverse flora and fauna, and then discusses its native cultures and more recent inhabitants, laying out the effects of industries such as logging, mining, water development, and fishing. Assuming that people will continue to have a close tie to the Klamaths, the author introduces the principles of restoration ecology to offer a vision of how we can responsibly meet the needs of both people and natural organisms, including plants, fish, and wildlife. This debate over the future of the Klamaths' rich landscape widens into a provocative meditation on nature, culture, and our relationship with the earth itself.