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Summary:
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was
written on rivers. Moving west of the Mississippi, the expedition
traveled along the Missouri, Snake, Yellowstone, Columbia and other
smaller rivers during its 1804 - 1806 transcontinental exploration.
When this "Corps of Discovery" struck out on its voyage close to 200
years ago, these various rivers raged -- bubbling with silt, flooding
after storms, and hauling debris as big as tree trunks down their
paths. Although these same rivers still define massive watersheds and
a huge tract of the North American landscape, they no longer run free
and wild.
Rivers of Change explores how Western rivers traveled on by the Lewis
and Clark expedition changed during two centuries since their voyage.
Many changes were born from an attitude (no longer prevalent) that
controlling nature was humans' right and duty. This attitude led to
the construction of massive dams and the creation of 'engineered'
rivers.
How did these changes impact people and their attitudes? Rivers of
Change lets conversations, research and odd historical tales tell the
story.
To succeed in their mission, Lewis and Clark solicited local
information and worked in concert with environments they moved
through. It's time to relearn those lessons if we want to preserve the
health of this country's rivers. Rivers of Change entertains as it
tells how.
At the dawn of U.S. history, the Lewis and Clark expedition
transformed Western geography from an unknown myth into documented
reality. It's time to celebrate the achievements of this band of
explorers, and to rethink how we manage rivers - the lifeblood of our
continent.
It's also time to enjoy a good book!
Want to read a chapter or two? If you do, then click on links in the
upper right portion of this page.
After you finish - reserve your copy
of the book Rivers of Change. You'll be happy you did! We'll contact
you when it's fresh off the press. Once you have your copy you can
flip open the cover and begin your own journey. Within minutes you'll
move along a snaking web of colorful rivers - through the heartland
and across the backbone of this wonderful country.
Enjoy!
About the Author:
Tom
Mullen spent over a decade working as a water resources consultant
while living in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America
and in the U.S. He has a Master Degree in Water Resource Systems
Management and has published articles and photographs in magazines
that include International Groundwater Technology, World Water,
Groundwater Age, Resource Recycling, and Buzzworm (Earth Journal). He
researched articles about the exploitation of water resources in the
Western United States with the award winning environmental newspaper
High Country News in Paonia, Colorado.
In April of 2001, Tom returned from a three year assignment in Panama,
Central America, to begin exploring the Lewis and Clark trail and to
research and write Rivers of Change.
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