Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman

May 23, 2016
Horn (Earth: The Sequel, cowritten with Fred Krupp), a former journalist now at the Environmental Defense Fund, shines a light on “conservation heroes” who are leading ambitious environmental initiatives in their communities and beyond. Human activities, such as the overharvesting of fish and the overtilling of fertile soil, continue to compromise the biodiversity of landscapes around the world; to balance the scales, Horn offers redemptive portraits of five stewards of the American heartland whose daily work “has itself become the path to restoration.” Unlike the policy makers who remain distant from the practical effects of their policies, these five—a Montana rancher, a Kansas farmer, a Mississippi riverman, a Louisiana shrimper, and a Gulf of Mexico fisherman—are “real Americans” whose “livelihoods and communities will live or die with these ecosystems.” Motivated by deep allegiances to the places they live, as well as an understanding of the “irreducible interdependency” between humans and nature, these individuals are taking radical steps toward sustainability: one restores depleted soils through industrial-scale farming methods, and another advocates for fishing regulations that will support the long-term regrowth of threatened red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico. Horn’s intimate profiles reveal undervalued environmental change makers while countering popular notions of what it means to be a conservationist.

Starred review from July 1, 2016
Journalistic portraits of pioneering farmers, harvesters, and conservationists unafraid to fight for the protection of the American landscapes they cultivate.Covering territory from the rambling Northwest to the Louisiana bayou, journalist Horn (co-author: Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming, 2008, etc.) delivers a cautionary yet compelling chronicle spotlighting threatened productive farmlands and introduces "the families who run the tractors and barges and fishing boats who are stepping up to save them." Among those she profiles is a Montana frontiersman who prides himself on veteran stockmanship; he is praised for his effective collaborative strategies with other grassland ranchers and wildlife managers to peaceably "keep both livestock and wild carnivores alive." In other sections, a Kansas prairie farmer uses environmentally trailblazing strategies to refertilize depleted soil after years of devastating drought conditions, and a marine transportation company CEO maintains a commitment to improved efficiency of his operations to preserve and maintain the Mississippi River's infrastructure. Horn then directs her focus to the sea, which is just as endangered as the land and in need of dedicated champions like the Vietnamese shrimper who fights for the preservation of Louisiana's estuaries and aquacultures and a Gulf of Mexico fisherman dedicated to balancing both commercial and sport fishing in the gulf to appease recreational anglers while keeping small, family-run businesses afloat. All of these valiant men and women, writes the author, are fiercely protective of the land and sea and its bounty not only because these delicately balanced ecosystems directly support their livelihoods, but because there is also an enduring love of the land itself and an allegiance to preserve it. A founder of the Clean Energy Program at the Environmental Defense Fund, Horn translates her passion for ecological balance and environmental sustainability into this passionate, unwavering tapestry of "conservation heroes" dedicated to coexisting with their American agricultural terrains. An optimistic journal of promise for the future and a supremely motivational text for readers interested in Earth's compromised biodiversity.

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June 15, 2016

In this penetrating book, Horn (Earth: The Sequel) explores the lives and philosophies of five unlikely conservationists: a Montana rancher, a Kansas farmer, a Mississippi riverman, a Louisiana shrimper, and a Gulf fisherman. The Mississippi River watershed--the "immense funnel" that drains more than 40 percent of the continental United States--forms the backdrop of the volume, and readers will learn about the area firsthand from those for whom it's a "working landscape." Although their issues differ, the men and women portrayed share a deep knowledge about their places, a few having family connections going back generations. Horn takes a nuanced look at their environmentalism, noting how they eschew "ideological trenches"; how they strive toward a large, inclusive vision that balances long-term ecological values with immediate economic ones; and how they comprehend the interconnectedness of things, such as how the Kansas farmer's decisions about crop fertilization could impact the fisherman's harvest thousands of miles downstream. Horn's prose flows with the river north to south, neatly reinforcing a recurrent theme of working with nature, not against it. VERDICT For those with a special interest in environmental issues, this is an essential read; for more general readers, the trip down Ol' Muddy promises a fascinating itinerary.--Robert Eagan, Windsor P.L., Ont.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2016
In the midst of heated discussions about climate change and global warming, Horn (Earth, the Sequel, 2008) takes a straightforward approach to the topic of conservation by focusing on five different individuals from the American Heartland: a Montana rancher, Kansas farmer, Mississippi river man, Louisiana shrimper, and Gulf of Mexico fisherman. In long profiles, she provides detailed looks at how her subjects live and the interesting, even revolutionary ways in which they have chosen to approach conservation issues. Each lives and works closely with the land or water beneath his or her feet, and each is deeply committed to preserving the ecosystems near his or her home. Refreshingly, in what could have been an extremely political title, Horn and her subjects go out of their way to illustrate how it is only through taking an apolitical and far-reaching view of environmental issues that true success can be found. This broadens the book's appeal considerably as these Americans candidly discuss their positive work, moving past political differences to concrete solutions. Hopeful and educational, Horn's chronicle will educate many readers on how to work together in their hometowns, making this a great choice for nature-minded book groups.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)