Bayou d'Arbonne Swamp - by Kelby Ouchley (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Kelby Ouchley's "Bayou D'Arbonne Swamp: A Naturalist's Memoir of Place" is an environmental history of Bayou D'Arbonne in northeast Louisiana. Ouchley grew up near the swamp and has deep familial roots in the area. He later spent much of his professional life as a wildlife biologist and naturalist, overseeing a wildlife refuge superimposed on most of Bayou D'Arbonne. His work addresses the vibrant natural history of the bayou and its cultural and social history. The result is a kaleidoscopic view of the place that reveals its unique history and distinctive flora, fauna, and people. In addition, Ouchley addresses the enormous changes that have occurred in the bayou over the last century, including the array of reasons behind the vast transformations. One of his main goals is to foster an awareness of the environmental impact of human decisions that encourages readers to consider ecological choices in their daily lives. While Ouchley's work is about a specific bayou, readers can apply the themes within his narrative to other wetlands or even prairies, mountains, and deserts. The result is a work that presents an intimate and multi-layered natural history of Bayou D'Arbonne. It is certain to appeal to a broad swath of readers interested in the environmental history of Louisiana, conservation, naturalism, and ecological change"--

Book Synopsis

Winner of the John Burroughs Medal

Bayou D'Arbonne Swamp addresses the vibrant natural, cultural, and social history of a north Louisiana swamp. Kelby Ouchley grew up near Bayou D'Arbonne Swamp, and he later spent much of his professional life as a wildlife biologist and naturalist overseeing the national wildlife refuge created from much of the area. His deep personal and professional connections to the landscape give him valuable insight into the enormous changes that have struck the swamp over the last century and the reasons behind this transformation. In this fascinating narrative, Ouchley offers a kaleidoscopic view of Bayou D'Arbonne Swamp that reveals its unique past and distinctive flora, fauna, and people.

Although these are stories of a particular swamp, they tell us much about issues facing other wetlands, as well as prairies, mountains, and deserts, when viewed through an ecological, social, and historical lens. Ouchley aims to foster an awareness of the environmental impacts of human decisions that encourages readers to consider ecological choices in their daily lives. The result is a work that presents an intimate and multilayered natural history of Bayou D'Arbonne Swamp that extends beyond the edges of the ever-changing Louisiana wetland, informing the environmental history of Louisiana, conservation, and ecological change.

Review Quotes

"Ouchley's writing is highly approachable and will quickly captivate readers. . . . This is a book for all libraries and readers."--Choice

About the Author

Kelby Ouchley is a former US Fish & Wildlife Service biologist. He is the author of several books concerning natural history, including Bayou-Diversity: Nature and People in the Louisiana Bayou Country.