{"product_id":"a-road-running-southward-following-john-muirs-journey-through-an-endangered-land-9781642831948","title":"A Road Running Southward: Following John Muir's Journey Through an Endangered Land","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Engaging hybrid - part lyrical travelogue, part investigative journalism and part jeremiad, all shot through with droll humor.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Atlanta Journal Constitution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 1867, John Muir set out on foot to explore the botanical wonders of the South, keeping a detailed journal of his adventures as he traipsed from Kentucky southward to Florida. One hundred and fifty years later, on a similar whim, veteran Atlanta reporter Dan Chapman, distressed by sprawl-driven environmental ills in a region he loves, recreated Muir's journey to see for himself how nature has fared since Muir's time. Channeling Muir, he uses humor, keen observation, and a deep love of place to celebrate the South's natural riches. But he laments that a treasured way of life for generations of Southerners is endangered as long-simmering struggles intensify over misused and dwindling resources. Chapman seeks to discover how Southerners might balance surging population growth with protecting the natural beauty Muir found so special. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Each chapter touches upon a local ecological problem--at-risk species in Mammoth Cave, coal ash in Kingston, Tennessee, climate change in the Nantahala National Forest, water wars in Georgia, aquifer depletion in Florida--that resonates across the South. Chapman delves into the region's natural history, moving between John Muir's vivid descriptions of a lush botanical paradise and the myriad environmental problems facing the South today. Along the way he talks to locals with deep ties to the land--scientists, hunters, politicians, and even a Muir impersonator--who describe the changes they've witnessed and what it will take to accommodate a fast-growing population without destroying the natural beauty and a cherished connection to nature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Road Running Southward\u003c\/i\u003e is part travelogue, part environmental cri de coeur, and paints a picture of a South under siege. It is a passionate appeal, a call to action to save one of the loveliest and most biodiverse regions of the world by understanding what we have to lose if we do nothing. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDan Chapman is a writer, reporter, and lover of the outdoors. He grew up in Washington DC and Tokyo, the son of a newspaperman and an English teacher. He worked for \u003ci\u003eCongressional Quarterly, The Winston-Salem Journal, The Charlotte Observer, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution\u003c\/i\u003e. He has also reported from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He currently writes stories about conservation in the South for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Island Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50568032780562,"sku":"9781642831948","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7fc19e75-7368-4136-8141-06d704f8fef6.jpg?v=1776156908","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-road-running-southward-following-john-muirs-journey-through-an-endangered-land-9781642831948","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}