In a powerful work of environmental history, Martin Doyle tells the epic story of America and its rivers, from the U.S. Constitution's roots in interstate river navigation, to the failure of the levees in Hurricane Katrina and the water wars in the west. Through his own travels and his encounters with experts all over the country-a Mississippi River tugboat captain, an Erie Canal lock operator, a project manager buying water rights for farms along the Colorado River-Doyle reveals the central role rivers have played in American history and how vital they are to its future.
Martin Doyle is director of the Water Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and a professor of river science and policy at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. He lives in North Carolina.
In a powerful work of environmental history, Martin Doyle tells the epic story of America and its rivers, from the U.S. Constitution's roots in interstate river navigation, to the failure of the levees in Hurricane Katrina and the water wars in the west. Through his own travels and his encounters with experts all over the country-a Mississippi River tugboat captain, an Erie Canal lock operator, a project manager buying water rights for farms along the Colorado River-Doyle reveals the central role rivers have played in American history and how vital they are to its future.
Martin Doyle is director of the Water Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and a professor of river science and policy at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. He lives in North Carolina.
Martin Doyle is director of the Water Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and a professor of river science and policy at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. He lives in North Carolina.
"Move over Cadillac Desert and The Last Oasis: a new classic on
American rivers has arrived."
*James Salzman, author of Drinking Water*
"Original… [and] poignant."
*Robert Glennon - New York Times Book Review*
"Authoritative.… Even readers with an allergy to learning history
will come away with a greater understanding of how rivers have
literally made our country."
*Tracy Ross - Outside*
"In [Doyle’s] telling, rivers become a lens on federalism, energy
and conservation—a rolling narrative."
*Nature*
"The Source is one of those rare books you look up from and see
with fresh eyes."
*Dan Flores, best-selling author of Coyote America*
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