River Profiles The People Restoring Our Waterways

About this book

Centuries of mismanagement and destructive development have gravely harmed American waterways, with significant consequences for the ecosystems and communities built around them. But a range of passionate and committed people have stepped up to restore streams and rivers around the United States. A husband-and-wife scientist team in Pennsylvania lead projects to unclog the sediment left by early colonists' dams. Members of the Tulalip Tribes in western Washington State bring beavers back to headwater streams. A public servant in Milwaukee drives the sewer department to remove concrete channels and reduce flood risk. Community activists in Atlanta push for environmental justice in river restoration.

Telling these stories and many more, Pete Hill – a twenty-year veteran of the field of watershed restoration – provides a deep dive into the world of river and stream conservation. He profiles the practitioners, scientists, and activists from all walks of life who take part in restoration efforts, exploring their differing, sometimes controversial approaches. Through their stories, Hill illustrates the challenges and rewards of river restoration and the evolving scientific understanding in the field. Underscoring the need for a variety of strategies adapted to different local contexts, he shows that new ideas have come from a wide range of people – from those operating the machinery to those researching stream ecology – and that Indigenous knowledge offers vital resources. At once personal and learned, insightful and inspiring, this book shines a light on the people working to heal our streams and rivers.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction
1. Fumbling for Bankfull: Dave Rosgen and the Strong Currents of a Stream-Restoration Methodology
2. The Bog Architect: Reimagining Streams and Stormwater on the Coastal Plain of the Chesapeake
3. Legacy Sediment: Dorothy Merritts and Robert Walter Dig Back in Time in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
4. The Human Beaver: Mega- to Micro-Engineering Solutions in Greater Cincinnati
5. Beaver Wranglers: Facilitating Functional River Restoration in Western Washington
6. Wisconsin Trout: Restoring Driftless Area Streams and Mitigating for Effects of Climate Change
7. River Cane Dreams: A Plant That Restores Connections
8. Naturalized Channels in Milwaukee: Removing Concrete and Lowering Floodwaters
9. Community Bonds: Organization and Collaboration in West Atlanta
10. South River Action Hero: Environmental Justice and Activism in Suburban Atlanta
11. Dam Removal and Complicated Histories: Unfinished Business on the Elwha River in Washington State
Conclusion: Returning to Watts Branch
Epilogue: New Currents of the Snake River

Notes
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Pete Hill is the principal and owner of Great Lakes Watershed Opportunities, a consultancy in the Milwaukee area. He previously worked in watershed planning and stream and wetland restoration for the Washington, DC, Department of Energy and the Environment. Hill holds a master's degree in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.