Salt Marshes

Price: $23.95  

Subtitle: A Natural and Unnatural History
Author: Judith S. Weis and Carol A Butler
Subject: Environment, Natural History
Paper ISBN: 978-0-8135-4570-7
Cloth ISBN: 978-0-8135-4548-6
Pages: 216 pages
Publication Date: August 2009

Praise for Salt Marshes:

"In this book for students and naturalists, the authors present a comprehensive overview of the flora, fauna, and physical processes that comprise a salt marsh ecosystem and explore the contemporary human threats disrupting this ecosystem's ecological balance."
—Quarterly Review of Biology, December 2010

"Judith Weis and Carol Butler have created a clear, wide-ranging, nontechnical explanation of salt marshes that will engage readers at every level of knowledge. Coastal residents, biology students, environmental planners, consultants, and naturalists should read this book."
—Erik Kiviat, executive director, Hudsonia Ltd

"Here is a book that tells everyone about wetlands--their wildlife, plants, and functions. Weis and Butler have written a delightful, informative, and readable book for young adults and adults alike. It may be the only one of its kind and should be added to everyone's nature library."
—Lorna Salzman, environmental activist, writer, lecturer, organizer, and a former natural resources specialist with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection

"Rutgers Univ. biologist Weis and science writer Butler compile an outstanding study of North American salt marshes, their natural histories, contributions to human well-being, and what their destruction means from human life and property. After describing the formation and maintenance of coastal marshlands (through tidal and river flows), Weis and Butler discuss in detail the plants and animals that populate marshes, arranged by general complexity, beginning with small invertebrates and insects. Next is a historical overview, introducing the calamitous, long-held belief that marshes are little more than wastelands (the first attempts to “reclaim” marshlands came from European settlers) and a painful exploration of invasive species and their effects. Research data on the widespread benefits of marshlands precede a specific case study, looking at how the Hackensack Meadowlands were destroyed by more than 250 years of “development, drainage, diking, filling, garbage dumping, and sewage pumping.” Ongoing restoration projects are also profiled, and the volume concludes with thorough notes. This account should make an informative treat for any armchair conservationist."(Aug.)
—Publishers Weekly

"This basic primer on salt marshes can be an essential reference for college-level coursework or a supplement for secondary students doing research on wetlands. I recommend this volume as an introduction for those unfamiliar with the characteristics of salt marshes or their importance in the environmental health of the planet."
—NSTA Recommends, October 2009

"The authors provide a detailed account of the biodiversity of salt marshes and the tremendous benefits that they provide to the natural world. By enhancing understanding of the benefits of these areas, the damage caused to coastal marshes may be avoided in the future if we remain vigilant."
—Wildlife Activist

"As Weis and Butler indicate in this work, salt marshes have a natural history, but a long unnatural history due to their use and misuse by humans. This resource adds to the small collection of books that focus on salt marshes and their biology and economic value to humans. Recommended."
—Choice, Jan 2010

"Weis and Butler turn Teal’s classic story of the life and death of the salt marsh into a story of rebirth, with a compelling narrative about salt marsh restoration. A good resource and a pleasure to read. Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History is a well-written and compelling narrative of the past, present, and future states of salt marshes.  The book is both scholarly and timely, and it outlines what is at stake if we do not tend to these threatened and ecologically important habitats."
—BioScience Magazine, June 2010

"Salt Marshes provides a thoughtful balance between what might be expected in a "natural" marsh and what actually exists in many urban coastal marshes today. The book is a great resource for nature lovers, birders, and naturalists [and] also provides a useful and compelling overview of human impacts on marshes. This is an interesting and insightful read for anyone engaged in and concerned about salt marsh ecology."
—Ecology

Description:

Tall green grass. Subtle melodies of songbirds. Sharp whines of muskrats. Rustles of water running through the grasses. And at low tide, a pungent reminder of the treasures hidden beneath the surface. All are vital signs of the great salt marshes’ natural resources.

Now championed as critical habitats for plants, animals, and people because of the environmental service and protection they provide, these ecological wonders were once considered unproductive wastelands, home solely to mosquitoes and toxic waste, and mistreated for centuries by the human population. Exploring the fascinating biodiversity of these boggy wetlands, Salt Marshes offers readers a wealth of essential information about a variety of plants, fish, and animals, the importance of these habitats, consequences of human neglect and thoughtless development, and insight into how these wetlands recover.

Judith S. Weis and Carol A. Butler shed ample light on the human impact, including chapters on physical and biological alterations, pollution, and remediation and recovery programs. In addition to a national and global perspective, the authors place special emphasis on coastal wetlands in the Atlantic and Gulf regions, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area, calling attention to their historical and economic legacies.

Written in clear, easy-to-read language, Salt Marshes proves that the battles for preservation and conservation must continue, because threats to salt marshes ebb and flow like the water that runs through them.

Judith S. Weis is a professor in the department of biological sciences at Rutgers University, Newark. An expert on estuarine biology, she is past-president of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and frequently serves as a consultant to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Carol A. Butler, Ph.D. is the originator and co-author of the Rutgers University Press series of natural history question-and-answer books, launched with Do Butterflies Bite? (2008), and followed by Do Bats Drink Blood? (2009), Why Do Bees Buzz? (2010),  and Do Hummingbirds Hum? (2010).  She is also the co-author of Salt Marshes (2009), The Divorce Mediation Answer Book (1999) and several articles in print and online. She is a psychoanalyst and a mediator in private practice in New York City, an adjunct assistant professor at New York University in the Department of Applied Psychology, and a docent at the American Museum of Natural History. More information about her is available at www.seetheotherside.com and www.members.authorsguild.net/cabutler.