Great Lakes Journey: A New Look at America's Freshwater Coast / Edition 1

by William Ashworth

Overview

A detailed picture of the status of the Great Lakes at the end of the twentieth century.

Great Lakes Journey is a follow-up to William Ashworth's earlier book The Late, Great Lakes, published in 1986. Fifteen years after his first trip, Ashworth journeys to many of the same places and talks to many of the same people to examine the changes that have taken place along the Great Lakes since the 1980s. Through personal observation, research, and numerous interviews with scientists, activists, and government agencies, Ashworth creates a detailed picture of the status of the Great Lakes at the end of the twentieth century. Among the most prominent changes he finds are the arrival of the zebra mussel and other exotic species, the rise and fall of the RAP process for pollution cleanup, a growing public mistrust of government action, a substantial loss of habitat and biodiversity, and an explosion of urban sprawl along the shores of the Lakes. Great Lakes Journey is a welcome update on the latest issues affecting the Great Lakes region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814328378
Publisher:	Wayne State University Press
Publication date:	07/09/2003
Series:	Great Lakes Books Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

William Ashworth is a reference librarian in Ashland, Oregon. He is the author of several books, including The Late, Great Lakes: An Environmental History (Wayne State University Press, 1987)

Editorial Reviews

Ashworth's message is clear and worthy. The Great Lakes are in terrible danger, and the greatest single source of that danger is not just mining or erosion or toxic rainfall but the lakes' 'ancient enemy,' complacency and apathy.

The Washington Post

I found [William Ashworth's] writing style very engaging as he led me on a grand tour of the Lakes. His narrative of the sites he visited, blended with insightful interviews along the way, presents an accurate account of the region -at times disturbing and at other times uplifting.

Ohio State University - Charles E. Herdendorf

Ashworth (Encyclopedia of Environmental Studies) has toured the Great Lakes twice, once in 1983 with a friend and then again in 1998 with his wife. This book is an account of his travels through the region and a discussion of its geology, geography, hydrology, history, and culture. To put the lakes in proper context and thereby understand the importance of this thoroughly researched account, it helps to understand that the lakes form the largest freshwater system on the planet. They sprawl over nearly 100,000 square miles; their 4000 miles of coastline exceed that of the United States on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Describing all the changes he has seen in the environment and the area's increasing urbanization in the past 15 years, Ashworth relates the numerous conversations he had with locals and illustrates his study with black-and-white photographs. Also included is a 200-source bibliography. Recommended for all libraries in the Great Lakes states and for large public and academic libraries in the rest of the country.--Thomas K. Fry, Univ. of Denver Lib. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Library Journal