This Rough Magic
Description
Moving to a log house bordering the Columbia Slough, a couple discovers a vest-pocket Valhalla within the city, a place where nature's rough magic captivates them. The rich floodplain that once nourished Chinookan peoples is gone, its wetlands channelized by 20th century landowners to form today's nineteen mile slough.
As the authors walk, kayak, and bike an industrialized landscape, they celebrate a wealth of wildlife holding fast against the heavy-metal bedlam of development.
With evocative language and self-deprecating humor, Henry and Campbell tell an intensely personal story and highlight creative efforts to rewild the slough's denaturalized habitats. Amanda Marisa Williams' vivid pen and ink illustrations illuminate each chapter.
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CONTENTS
Prologue . Columbia River Floodplain 1
Introduction . The Adventure Begins 5
- Besotted by Water (2008) 11
- In Search of Hooterville 17
- A Brief History of the Slough 25
- Who Speaks for the Slough? 31
- Settling In 39
- The Sunderland-Love It or Leave It 43
- Un-Nested 49
- If Nutrias Ruled the World 53
- House and Sky 59
- Mother of Stars 65
- Pulling the Plug 71
- Fools on Fire 79
- Neighbors 91
- The Mole Chi Minh Trail 99
- Stuck in the Mud 107
- Citizen Crow: Up to No Good 115
- Bioaccumulation Is a Bitch 121
- What Gardens May Come 129
- Greens to Rough 137
- Standing on the Sky Bridge 147
- 2020-Refugia in Four Parts 155
- The Territorial Imperative 169
- Heavy Metal-A Slough Remediation Story 181
- Rewilding 189
Acknowledgments 199
Selected References 205
About the Authors 215
