Our Natural History

Botkin discusses changes in the ecosystem within the United States, using the detailed observations made during the Lewis and Clark expedition as a reference for what nature had been like before the impact of European settlement. Topics include rivers, grizzly bears, timber wolves, buffalo, salmon, forests, and prairies. The book is as much a compressed summary of the expedition as it is a concerned, scientific look at how choices made in the last 200 years have altered our ecologic environment.

Dr. Botkin has a superb ability to ascertain the broad parameters of a topic and then clearly and concisely delineate the details. He has the all-too-rare ability to cut through the complexities of a problem, reducing them to clear,understandable terms. This skill is of inestimable value in identifying ways to cope with, if not solve, seemingly insoluble problems.His use of baseline information provided by the journals of Lewis and Clark enables a reader to appreciate just how dramatically conditions have changed in the two centuries since the expedition penetrated and then methodically reported on what lay along and beyond the "wide Missouri."The book is interesting, well written and a valuable resource for those interested in the changes wrought by the the settlement of the Louisiana Purchase.

Using the journals reporting the manifold findings of the Lewis And Clark Expedition, Dr. Botkin has contrasted the explorer's findings with today's conditions along the L & C Trail. He has a superb ability to ascertain the the broad parameters of a topic and then clearly and concisely delineate the details. He has the all-too-rare ability to cut through the complexities of a problem so as to reduce them to clear, comprehensible terms.This skill is of inestimable value in identifying ways to cope with, if not solve, seemingly insoluble problems.

Unlike the previous reviewer, I find a book to be a fantastic success if it raises new questions and new perspectives for me. In this case, Dr. Botkin provides a very accessible natural history perpective on the Lewis and Clark Trail...greatly needed as popular interest ramps up with the bicentennial upon us. Whether your interest is in the rivers, plants, or animals of the trail, you will find thought-provoking reading here. It might even raise some questions for you!:->