Wide rivers crossed : the South Platte and the Illinois of the American prairie / Ellen Wohl.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Streams of the shortgrass prairie : the South Platte River basin. At the headwaters ; Onto the plains ; River metamorphosis ; What the future holds -- Streams of the tallgrass prairie : the Illinois River basin. Natural history of the Illinois River ; Native Americans and the first European settlers ; Twentieth-century river metamorphosis ; What the future holds.

Print version record.

In this book, the author tells the stories of two rivers - the South Platte on the western plains and the Illinois on the eastern - to represent the environmental history and historical transformation of major rivers across the American prairie. The author begins with the rivers' natural histories, including their geologic history, physical characteristics, ecological communities, and earliest human impacts, and follows a downstream and historical progression from the use of the rivers' resources by European immigrants through increasing population density of the twentieth century to the twenty-first century. During the past two centuries, these rivers changed dramatically, mostly due to human interaction. Crops replaced native vegetation; excess snowmelt and rainfall carried fertilizers and pesticides into streams; and levees, dams, and drainage altered distribution. These changes cascaded through networks, starting in small headwater tributaries, and reduced the ability of rivers to supply the clean water, fertile soil, and natural habitats they had provided for centuries. Understanding how these rivers, and rivers in general, function - and how these functions have been altered over time - will allow for innovative approaches to restoring river ecosystems.

English.

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