Amazon comRunning 100 miles from north to south and 200 miles from east to west, the Sandhills make up about a quarter of the state of Nebraska and constitute the largest grass-stabilized dune field in the Western Hemisphere Sparsely settled, the regionhas inspired a fine literature, numbering books by Jim Harrison, Mari Sandoz, and Merrill Gilfillan, одозк among other writers Stephen Jones's The Last Prairie is a welcome, elegant addition to that library An inspired blend of science, natural history, ethnography, and memoir, it recounts Jones's travels along the Niobrara River and deep into the heart of dune country--once the province of buffalo, cranes, and scattered bands of Pawnee and Cheyenne Native Americans, now the site of huge ranches and, as Jones notes, an army of white-tailed deer and other former denizens of wetland forests that edged out onto the plains with the disappearance of large predators "When it comes to ecosystem disturbances," Jones notes, "the white-tailed deer are just the tip of the iceberg," and indeed the Sandhills are threatened at every turn by industrial agriculture and other manifestations of putative progress Jones considers some of the programs that have been advanced to save the area, including the apparentlyill-advised "Buffalo Commons" preserve that residents fear would make the region an unnatural zoo; he suggests instead a more modest prairie preserve that would attract tourists and provide new revenue for the region's residents, now dependent on ecologically destructive ranching But Jones's book is less a program for action than a literate, attractive celebration of a place unlike any other--a book that will inspire readers to go and have a look for themselves --Gregory McNameeBook DescriptionIt is an area that has captivated and inspired travelers, philosophers, and artists for centuries Long celebrated as one of the most visually stunning regions of the American landscape, it is also one of the most historically significant And now, this vast, 25,000-square-mile expanse known as the Nebraska Sandhills is brought to life with passion, perspective, and ecological timeliness in an unforgettable collection by Stephen Jones The Last Prairie is an extraordinary triumph of the essayist's art By turns graceful and penetrating, introspective and universal, ruminative and prescient, the 20 essays in The Last Prairie embodies the essence of Sandhills life Jones delivers a series of riveting accounts of the Sandhills, flora and fauna, wildlife, and rich cultural history Fascinating descriptions of bald eagles, trumpeter swans, and the annual migratory flight of a half-million sandhill cranes stand alongside equally vivid accounts of trailblazing homesteaders, range wars, and devastating prairie fires Jones speaks eloquently to such timeless themes as humanity's search for community and the ties that bind man and nature.  Muttonh2006 г 242 стр ISBN 0803276303.