The Maumee River Basin is the largest watershed in the Great Lakes region, collecting runoff from more than 6,600 square miles in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan and depositing it in Lake Erie—though as the lake’s largest tributary the river’s influence is not entirely positive. In this lively, ruminative book, Ryan Schnurr explores the history, ecology, and culture of the Maumee River, from the influence of glaciers, through its role in Native American and American history, to contemporary environmental issues. Part cultural history, part nature writing, part personal narrative, In the Watershed is a lyrical work of nonfiction in the vein of John McPhee and Ian Frazier with a timely and important message at the core. (From the jacket copy.)
Praise for In the Watershed:
“The Maumee River may be relatively small and unknown, but reading this book it’ll feel as big and important as the Mississippi. It’s a rich, complex, and fragile place, and Schnurr is a superb guide through it.”
— Mark Athitakis, author of The New Midwest
“Every watershed needs observers who monitor its health, who care about the quality of wild and human life it supports. The Maumee Valley now has a new and keen-eyed caretaker in Ryan Schnurr.”
— Scott Russell Sanders, author of Earth Works: Selected Essays and A Conservationist Manifesto
“In the Watershed is a perfect example of the sort of tightly written, hyper-local bulletin from the Anthropocene that we need right now, from writers around the world.”
— Nicie Panetta, Frugal Chariot
“I am entranced by this slender, luminous volume. Ryan Schnurr has created a subtle monument to a place that we overlook, yet glows with sacredness under his measured gaze. Delightful.”
— Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The Devil’s Highway and Into the Beautiful North
“Many books are bloated. Schnurr’s is just right: short but not superficial, poignant but animated by a stubborn hope.”
— John Wilson, former editor of Education and Culture and Books and Culture
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Ryan Schnurr 