Rating: 
Summary: This is how you motivate people to save the environment
Review: Christopher Hallowell is not your average environmentalist bemoaning the impending loss of a part of America's natural beauty. Hallowell is a writer who travelled to the Louisiana coast and fell in love with its people and wonders. Now, with Holding Back the Sea, he returns some 20+ years later and chronicles the disappearing south Louisiana coast.The coast's disappearance, according to Hallowell, affects more than just the natural beauty of the area. It affects the petroleum and seafood supply for nearly half of the United States. It affects the livelihoods and a way of life for thousands of Louisianans who live and thrive in these bayou swamplands. And it puts the city of New Orleans at severe risk of disastrous hurricanes and severe flooding. Hallowell presents in everyman language the history of Louisiana, and especially southern coastal Louisiana, and shows how this history for hundreds of years has had its effect on the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico delta in Louisiana. He does so through very human contact with the people who live on the bayou and affect it's future. It is this homey touch, this affinity for humans, that makes Hallowell's appeal so much more effective than the appeals for endangered plant life that the typical environmentalist authors bombard us with. As Hallowell points out, the fight to save the Louisiana coast has been joined by environmentalists, government bureacrats, politicians, and corporations a like. And it will take all of their cooperation and wisdom to solve a problem that is only getting worse. Hallowell makes very clear the stagnation in efforts to save the coast. As a matter of fact, the way that Hallowell slips from optimism at the beginning of the book to frustration and discouragement near the end of the book, is disconcerting but likely very typical of the frustrations felt by south Louisianans. I was disappointed that the book took such a discouraging turn. It is testament to how bureacracies trying to solve problems often merely stop any progress that otherwise may be made. This is a must read for politicians and others who view the loss of the Louisiana coast as inconsequential. New Orleanians beware. This book will frighten you in a very friendly way. A very good book.
Rating: 
Summary: Long Overdue Book
Review: Hallowell as clearly written this book out of love and passion for a potential loss of one of America's premier natural places. The Louisana wetlands provide one of the great breeding grounds for wildlife above and below the waterline. It's slowly eroding away. Hallowell identifies this danger and explores the potential tragedy with an incisive intellectural curiosity and great analytical skill. Hallowell is empathetic but never criticizes directly. He allows you to draw your own conclusions based on a marvelous array of evidence. A masterful work. He knows how to write. It's an interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: An insightful cry for attention
Review: Hallowell as clearly written this book out of love and passion for a potential loss of one of America's premier natural places. The Louisana wetlands provide one of the great breeding grounds for wildlife above and below the waterline. It's slowly eroding away. Hallowell identifies this danger and explores the potential tragedy with an incisive intellectural curiosity and great analytical skill. Hallowell is empathetic but never criticizes directly. He allows you to draw your own conclusions based on a marvelous array of evidence. A masterful work. He knows how to write. It's an interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing, but some hyperbole
Review: I am not really much of a conservationist, but I enjoyed this book. Mr. Hallowell presents a convincing argument as to why the nation, as well as Louisiana, should be concerned about restoring, or at least halting the destruction of, Louisiana's coastal marshes and barrier islands. His treatment of the subject is objective with regard to all parties involved, though he does tend to resort to seemingly unnecessary hyperbole at times. For example, a whole chapter is devoted to what would happen if "the Big One" (hurricane) struck New Orleans from the worst possible direction. This is off-topic, because "the Big One" will cause massive damage to New Orleans even if all wetlands are somehow restored. I found the book put forth a refreshing view of conservation - one that advocates conserving lands not only for ecological reasons, but also for human use. It illustrated Louisianians are coming to this realization, but didn't indicate if this approach is being accepted nationwide. The book provided a lot of hard science, but I don't recall any references to evidence for a rising sea level, which is a refrain throughout the book. That makes me a bit skeptical. Generally, though, I highly enjoyed the book, learned some concepts and facts, and recommend this to people of all backgrounds. It is engaging and very easy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing, but some hyperbole
Review: I am not really much of a conservationist, but I enjoyed this book. Mr. Hallowell presents a convincing argument as to why the nation, as well as Louisiana, should be concerned about restoring, or at least halting the destruction of, Louisiana's coastal marshes and barrier islands. His treatment of the subject is objective with regard to all parties involved, though he does tend to resort to seemingly unnecessary hyperbole at times. For example, a whole chapter is devoted to what would happen if "the Big One" (hurricane) struck New Orleans from the worst possible direction. This is off-topic, because "the Big One" will cause massive damage to New Orleans even if all wetlands are somehow restored. I found the book put forth a refreshing view of conservation - one that advocates conserving lands not only for ecological reasons, but also for human use. It illustrated Louisianians are coming to this realization, but didn't indicate if this approach is being accepted nationwide. The book provided a lot of hard science, but I don't recall any references to evidence for a rising sea level, which is a refrain throughout the book. That makes me a bit skeptical. Generally, though, I highly enjoyed the book, learned some concepts and facts, and recommend this to people of all backgrounds. It is engaging and very easy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Wake Up !
Review: In the 3+ years since this book's publication, one can only shudder at how much more harm has been done to the bayou region. If legislators and think-tanks continue to fail to address the subsidence problem, at the very least they should be concerned with the potential energy crisis. It may now be too late to defend the Louisiana Offshore Oil Platform (LOOP) and the Port Fourchon facility from even a non-direct hit of a reasonably strong tropical storm/hurricane. Nearly the entire Eastern portion of the U.S. is in danger of having their oil and natural gas supply disrupted. HAVE A NICE SUMMER !
Rating:
Summary: Wake Up !
Review: In the 3+ years since this book's publication, one can only shudder at how much more harm has been done to the bayou region. If legislators and think-tanks continue to fail to address the subsidence problem, at the very least they should be concerned with the potential energy crisis. It may now be too late to defend the Louisiana Offshore Oil Platform (LOOP) and the Port Fourchon facility from even a non-direct hit of a reasonably strong tropical storm/hurricane. Nearly the entire Eastern portion of the U.S. is in danger of having their oil and natural gas supply disrupted. HAVE A NICE SUMMER !
Rating:
Summary: Wetlands or canals?
Review: Louisiana's wetlands are a religious thing for Christopher Hallowell. 'Life begins for untold animal and plant species in the twilight of swamps and the hidden reaches of marshes,' he writes. 'They are breeding grounds, cradles, larders, the source of life, fecund beyond comprehension.' In 'Holding Back the Sea,' Hallowell sounds the alarm on behalf of these natural nurseries. Louisiana's 300-miles of wetlands--almost half the coastal wetlands in the US--are rapidly succumbing to man-made depredations. Artificial levees, reckless tunneling, and drilling for oil are killing off native wildlife, from marsh grass to oyster to muskrat. Throw in some global warming which is raising the level of the adjacent Gulf of Mexico, and you've got an entire state slowly sinking below sea level. It's not just a plethora of critters in peril, Hallowell explains. The loss of wilderness threatens Louisiana's booming oil and natural gas industries whose pipes lie under a shallow layer of sand on an eroding beach. With Louisiana quietly providing 25% of the nation's natural gas and nearly 20% of its oil, the prospect of losing this resource is horrifying. Salt water intrusion on freshwater wetlands also endangers Louisiana's oysters and the communities that have for generations made their livings oystering. Coastal erosion makes southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, vulnerable to hurricane devastation which could also wreck havoc with the nation's oil supply. Why is a nation so environmentally conscious letting it happen? Hallowell cites some tentative answers. Louisiana's reputation for dumping toxins in its own marshes is one reason. The state's relative invisibility is another. While Floridians raise a hue and cry over the everglades, the death of Louisiana's sweeping wetlands provokes few headlines, Hallowell indicates. 'The equal for sheer beauty, biological diversity, and cultural significance as the Everglades, but infinitely more productive, they are located in a place lacking Florida's political clout and ties to east coast influence,' he writes. Though it's necessarily scientific and technical, Hallowell's book is eminently readable--partly because of his ability to poeticize nature. His description of the lovely, but sinister oyster driller is particularly haunting. His ability to trace the demise of the Louisiana oyster backwards from the invasion of the oyster driller, to salt water intrusion, to Corps of Engineer tunneling conveys the fragile interconnection of living things in a way few writers have accomplished since Farley Mowat's 'Never Cry Wolf.'
Rating: 
Summary: Holding Back the Sea
Review: Louisiana�s wetlands are a religious thing for Christopher Hallowell. �Life begins for untold animal and plant species in the twilight of swamps and the hidden reaches of marshes,� he writes. �They are breeding grounds, cradles, larders, the source of life, fecund beyond comprehension.� In �Holding Back the Sea,� Hallowell sounds the alarm on behalf of these natural nurseries. Louisiana�s 300-miles of wetlands--almost half the coastal wetlands in the US--are rapidly succumbing to man-made depredations. Artificial levees, reckless tunneling, and drilling for oil are killing off native wildlife, from marsh grass to oyster to muskrat. Throw in some global warming which is raising the level of the adjacent Gulf of Mexico, and you�ve got an entire state slowly sinking below sea level. It�s not just a plethora of critters in peril, Hallowell explains. The loss of wilderness threatens Louisiana�s booming oil and natural gas industries whose pipes lie under a shallow layer of sand on an eroding beach. With Louisiana quietly providing 25% of the nation�s natural gas and nearly 20% of its oil, the prospect of losing this resource is horrifying. Salt water intrusion on freshwater wetlands also endangers Louisiana�s oysters and the communities that have for generations made their livings oystering. Coastal erosion makes southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, vulnerable to hurricane devastation which could also wreck havoc with the nation�s oil supply. Why is a nation so environmentally conscious letting it happen? Hallowell cites some tentative answers. Louisiana�s reputation for dumping toxins in its own marshes is one reason. The state�s relative invisibility is another. While Floridians raise a hue and cry over the everglades, the death of Louisiana�s sweeping wetlands provokes few headlines, Hallowell indicates. �The equal for sheer beauty, biological diversity, and cultural significance as the Everglades, but infinitely more productive, they are located in a place lacking Florida�s political clout and ties to east coast influence,� he writes. Though it�s necessarily scientific and technical, Hallowell�s book is eminently readable--partly because of his ability to poeticize nature. His description of the lovely, but sinister oyster driller is particularly haunting. His ability to trace the demise of the Louisiana oyster backwards from the invasion of the oyster driller, to salt water intrusion, to Corps of Engineer tunneling conveys the fragile interconnection of living things in a way few writers have accomplished since Farley Mowat�s �Never Cry Wolf.�
Rating:
Summary: Holding Back the Sea
Review: Mr. Hallowell did an exceptional job of capturing the complex causes, contributing factors, and environmental effects of wetland decline and loss in south Louisiana. There is no escaping the fact that this is an environmental disaster of a massive scale, one that is little appreciated outside of the region. When Mr. Hallowell describes people and cultures, though, he falls a bit short. His characterization of citizens living in south Louisiana seems to have been formed in part by bad movies and other forms of popular culture. Additionally, he didn't get an accurate feel for the diverse people working in wetland restoration in the state, often ascribing attitudes and viewpoints to individuals that are skewed and sometimes just plain wrong. I do recommend this book, however. Read it and learn from the science oriented parts. Learn about the culture and people from another source.
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