The Vanishing Present: Wisconsin's Changing Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
Donald M. Waller and Thomas P. Rooney
Abstract
Straddling temperate forests and grassland biomes and stretching along the coastline of two Great Lakes, Wisconsin contains tallgrass prairie and oak savanna, broadleaf and coniferous forests, wetlands, natural lakes, and rivers. But, like the rest of the world, the Badger State has been transformed by urbanization and sprawl, population growth, and land-use change. For decades, industry and environment have attempted to coexist in Wisconsin—and the dynamic tensions between economic progress and environmental protection make the state a fascinating microcosm for studying global environmental c ... More
Straddling temperate forests and grassland biomes and stretching along the coastline of two Great Lakes, Wisconsin contains tallgrass prairie and oak savanna, broadleaf and coniferous forests, wetlands, natural lakes, and rivers. But, like the rest of the world, the Badger State has been transformed by urbanization and sprawl, population growth, and land-use change. For decades, industry and environment have attempted to coexist in Wisconsin—and the dynamic tensions between economic progress and environmental protection make the state a fascinating microcosm for studying global environmental change. This book brings together scientists, naturalists, and policy experts to examine how human pressures on Wisconsin's changing lands, waters, and wildlife have redefined the state's ecology. Though the chapters here focus on just one state, the text draws conclusions about changes in temperate habitats that can be applied elsewhere, and offer insights into the future of the ecology, conservation, and sustainability of Wisconsin and beyond.
Keywords:
temperate forests,
grassland biomes,
Great Lakes,
Wisconsin,
tallgrass prairie,
oak savanna,
broadleaf forests,
coniferous forests,
wetlands,
natural lakes
Bibliographic Information
Print publication date: 2008 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780226871714 |
Published to Chicago Scholarship Online: February 2013 |
DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226871745.001.0001 |