Description:
The Blue Ridge Mountains run 500 miles from Pennsylvania to Georgia and take in some of the eastern United States' wildest country, including seven national parks and many state parks and wilderness areas. The mountain chain also embraces, environmental journalist Steve Nash writes, 29 species of snakes, 70 species of mammals, more than 200 species of birds, 70 species of fish, 1400 species of flowering plants, and more than 130 species of trees--almost as many as can be found in all of Europe. The richness is astonishing, but also, Nash writes, seemingly unappreciated, for the Blue Ridge is now under threat from industrial, commercial, and residential development, with acid rain and other hazards affecting its many ecosystems. Guiding his readers through many scenarios on how these environmental problems might best be lessened, Nash points out that conflicting scientific data lends an "illusion of precision" to the idea, on one hand, that nature will automatically right itself or, on the other hand, that catastrophic change is irreversible. Neither case, he suggests, is strictly true, and he invites his readers to participate in the business of developing a vision for the Blue Ridge's sustainable future. Residents of the region and students of regional planning alike will find Nash's book to be of much interest. --Gregory McNamee
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