The Nature of the Place – A History of Living with the Land in Columbia County, NY

Description

“Everyone who cares about Columbia County, who appreciates its exceptionally scenic and ecologically rich landscape, should read this book. Conrad Vispo’s vivid descriptions of the county’s forests, fields, soils and waters provide fascinating insights into the mysteries of the natural world, mysteries only deepened by his reflections on the uses to which the land has been put in successive eras of settlement, farming and industry and the ways in which this exercise of human dominion has affected the land. The book calls on us to ponder the interactions between the human and the natural world and the enormous, not always obvious consequences of decisions we make about how we occupy the land.” — Peter R. Paden, Executive Director, Columbia Land Conservancy

“An ambitious and remarkable book, learned, sharp, and fascinating, that describes the present nature of Columbia County and traces it to its historical and biological roots. It is one of the few books to describe how and why the Hudson Valley landscape has changed over time, and the only one that I know that relates contemporary biodiversity to agricultural history. In doing so – by presenting, if you will, forest and field as collaborative rather than competing landscapes – it gives us a deepened picture of where diverse landscapes really come from and, hence, what we will need to do to conserve them.” —- Jerry Jenkins, Ecologist, Wildlife Conservation Society Adirondack Program, Co-author of The Adirondack Atlas

“Blending natural and human history in an insightful interpretation of the Hudson Valley landscape The Nature of the Place will captivate anyone interested in the history, ecology, and conservation of the eastern U.S.” —- David Foster, Director of the Harvard Forest, author of Thoreau’s Country – Journey through a Transformed Landscape