She traces the decline of waterways back to the overhunting of beaver, the decimation of the buffalo and the freshwater clam, and of course, the clearcutting of forests as well as the obvious problems of pollution. The book not only deepens our understanding of how water works, it's an excellent basic text on ecology. If all this reading leaves you depressed about the state of the world, then pick up Kenny Ausubel's new book Restoring the Earth, published by H.J. Kramer. He interviews scientists and shamans, many of them participants at the annual Bioneers Conference, about their work with solutions to our environmental problems. Once we start working with nature instead of exploiting her, we actually can have solutions to even some of our worst problems.
Biological systems can clean polluted water and even extract heavy metals.
Bringing back the buffalo can restore the prairie as well as the economy of the Great American Desert. Learning to listen to nature and to work with plant spirits can help us heal our bodies and restore our damaged spirits. And once we know solutions do exist, we can stop feeling hopeless and start getting mad, getting active, and making change. It's the story of a woman who is a healer and a Witch, and based on a real legend of the New Jersey Devil. She's done a tremendous job of research on the period, and I learned lot from it as well as enjoying it thoroughly.