Fragile Giants: A Natural History of the Loess Hills
by Cornelia F. Mutel
University of Iowa Press, 1989 eISBN: 978-1-58729-162-3 | Paper: 978-0-87745-257-7 Library of Congress Classification QH105.I8M87 1989 Dewey Decimal Classification 508.777
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Just east of the Missouri River in Iowa and northeastern Missouri, an angular band of rugged, prairie-topped and woodland-cloaked hills spans the otherwise uneventful skyline. These are the Loess Hills, recognized throughout the United States for their distinctive natural features. With clarity and thoroughness, Fragile Giants gives us a complete natural history of this area, including three auto tours and a comprehensive listing of public-use areas and educational programs.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Ecologist Cornelia Mutel has written or edited several books on Iowa’s natural history, most recently The Emerald Horizon: The History of Nature in Iowa (Iowa, 2008), Iowa’s first comprehensive environmental history, and A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008 (Iowa, 2010). Others include books leading to the rediscovery of western Iowa’s Loess Hills, Fragile Giants: A Natural History of the Loess Hills, (Iowa, 1989) and explaining techniques for restoring Midwestern ecosystems, The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook for Prairies, Savannas, and Woodlands, 2nd edition (2005). Connie is historian and archivist for IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa College of Engineering.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PART I.
Natural History of the Loess Hills
1
INTRODUCTION
2
ANCIENT LANDSCAPES AND COMMUNITIES
Earliest Times: Laying down the Ancient Bedrock
The Ice Age
3
HUMANS COME TO THE HILLS
Human Cultures of the Loess Hills
Natural Changes in Holocene Native Communities, Climate, and Landforms
Effects of Euro-American Settlement on the Natural Landscape
4
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TODAY'S LOESS HILLS
Characteristics of Loess
Shapes of the Loess
Hidden within the Loess
Soils
Climate
5
NATURAL COMMUNITIES OF THE LOESS HILLS TODAY
Prairies
Woodlands
Rare Species and Special Features
6
THE LOESS HILLS OF THE FUTURE
Preservation of Natural Areas
Management of Natural Features
Research Efforts in the Hills
Education and Interpretation
7
EPILOGUE: Taking a Broader View
PART II.
Touring the Loess Hills
8
INTRODUCTION
9
PUBLIC USE AREAS AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Iowa
Missouri
Nebraska
10
NORTHERN TOUR: Sioux City Area and North into Plymouth County
11
CENTRAL TOUR: DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge to Loess Hills Wildlife Area
12
SOUTHERN TOUR: Southern Loess Hills in Iowa and Missouri and Southeastern Nebraska
FURTHER READING AND OTHER RESOURCES
CHAPTER BIBLIOGRAPHIES
INDEX
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
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Fragile Giants: A Natural History of the Loess Hills
by Cornelia F. Mutel
University of Iowa Press, 1989 eISBN: 978-1-58729-162-3 Paper: 978-0-87745-257-7
Just east of the Missouri River in Iowa and northeastern Missouri, an angular band of rugged, prairie-topped and woodland-cloaked hills spans the otherwise uneventful skyline. These are the Loess Hills, recognized throughout the United States for their distinctive natural features. With clarity and thoroughness, Fragile Giants gives us a complete natural history of this area, including three auto tours and a comprehensive listing of public-use areas and educational programs.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Ecologist Cornelia Mutel has written or edited several books on Iowa’s natural history, most recently The Emerald Horizon: The History of Nature in Iowa (Iowa, 2008), Iowa’s first comprehensive environmental history, and A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008 (Iowa, 2010). Others include books leading to the rediscovery of western Iowa’s Loess Hills, Fragile Giants: A Natural History of the Loess Hills, (Iowa, 1989) and explaining techniques for restoring Midwestern ecosystems, The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook for Prairies, Savannas, and Woodlands, 2nd edition (2005). Connie is historian and archivist for IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa College of Engineering.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PART I.
Natural History of the Loess Hills
1
INTRODUCTION
2
ANCIENT LANDSCAPES AND COMMUNITIES
Earliest Times: Laying down the Ancient Bedrock
The Ice Age
3
HUMANS COME TO THE HILLS
Human Cultures of the Loess Hills
Natural Changes in Holocene Native Communities, Climate, and Landforms
Effects of Euro-American Settlement on the Natural Landscape
4
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TODAY'S LOESS HILLS
Characteristics of Loess
Shapes of the Loess
Hidden within the Loess
Soils
Climate
5
NATURAL COMMUNITIES OF THE LOESS HILLS TODAY
Prairies
Woodlands
Rare Species and Special Features
6
THE LOESS HILLS OF THE FUTURE
Preservation of Natural Areas
Management of Natural Features
Research Efforts in the Hills
Education and Interpretation
7
EPILOGUE: Taking a Broader View
PART II.
Touring the Loess Hills
8
INTRODUCTION
9
PUBLIC USE AREAS AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Iowa
Missouri
Nebraska
10
NORTHERN TOUR: Sioux City Area and North into Plymouth County
11
CENTRAL TOUR: DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge to Loess Hills Wildlife Area
12
SOUTHERN TOUR: Southern Loess Hills in Iowa and Missouri and Southeastern Nebraska
FURTHER READING AND OTHER RESOURCES
CHAPTER BIBLIOGRAPHIES
INDEX
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE