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Saving Tarboo Creek: One Family’s Quest to Heal the Land
“We all live in particular places and at particular times, but when we act with family and friends to preserve a local slice of nature, we are, together, saving the planet.” — Natural History Magazine
Can each of us, as stewards of our land, make an environmental difference that can be seen, felt, and measured? Scott Freeman emphatically says yes, and in Saving Tarboo Creek he explores how we can all do it by making small changes over time. Saving Tarboo Creek masterfully blends two stories of the Freeman family’s effort to reclaim a small patch of the one, a tale of the realities of rehabilitating a degraded fish run in what was once an old-growth watershed; the other, an account of human resource use over time and what that history means for the future. Based on the land ethics found in Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac , Saving Tarboo Creek is both a timely tribute to our land and a bold challenge to protect it.
Can each of us, as stewards of our land, make an environmental difference that can be seen, felt, and measured? Scott Freeman emphatically says yes, and in Saving Tarboo Creek he explores how we can all do it by making small changes over time. Saving Tarboo Creek masterfully blends two stories of the Freeman family’s effort to reclaim a small patch of the one, a tale of the realities of rehabilitating a degraded fish run in what was once an old-growth watershed; the other, an account of human resource use over time and what that history means for the future. Based on the land ethics found in Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac , Saving Tarboo Creek is both a timely tribute to our land and a bold challenge to protect it.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
December 29, 2017
*Free advanced copy from the publisher
What an inspiring story of environmental consciousness and action in this time of uncertainty. We would all benefit from hearing more stories like this one.
What an inspiring story of environmental consciousness and action in this time of uncertainty. We would all benefit from hearing more stories like this one.
January 21, 2018
Four and a half stars from me, owing to a couple of factual inaccuracies.
The extended family of Professor Carl Leopold, who wrote 'A Sand County Almanac' about restoring eroded, denuded and exploited land for his family and nature, feature in this book. Tarboo Creek is in Washington State and once supported salmon, which left the small waterway when some of it was culverted, a straight drain was created and trees were felled. Buying a partially timber-harvested strip along the stream, the author and his family have worked to restore nature. Their tale includes planting trees and planting again, with the help of school parties, protecting said whips and saplings from mice, deer and even beavers.
Not as simple is deciding which species to plant. The author explains that he is able to find records of original growth species, and find old stumps, and can order from nurseries or grow from collected local seeds. But climate change has already made the area warmer and drier, while forest fires are more frequent. Should he and his wife plant trees to survive in a warmer future, say trees from the California zone, which are not currently going to thrive? A very nice section explains the five factors found in old forest which make it so biodiverse, such as ancient trees and rotting logs.
I enjoyed particularly the section on recreating a natural stream. This was carefully planned and grant-aided, replacing the straight fast channel with meanders, ponds and logs. The slower flow means water has more chance to soak into both ground and wood, while returning, spawning salmon bring nutrients from the ocean in to land so the trees - and animals - benefit.
The author takes a few meanders himself, musing about the last mass extinction and the tendency of modern people to be depressed and to be fat (depression happened to young people long before the consumer mentality arose, I can assure him, while rich people, such as monarchs, always overate). But he means well, concluding that consumption on the rate now practiced by Americans is causing climate change, and population growth is going to continue destroying habitat.
The errors I noted relate to Ireland. We are told in the dedication that in "1941, the free world essentially consisted of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States. The government of every other country was a dictatatorship or fascist, with the exception of Sweden and Switzerland which remained neutral in the war against totalitarianism."
What about Ireland? The land which gained its freedom during the 1920s did not wish to throw in its lot with the late ruler, so remained neutral but interned any German pilots arriving, got bombed by Germany, sent fire crews to aid the UK part of the island - which is not included in the term Great Britain by the way - and sent many volunteer soldiers and workers to the Allies' aid. Is this author claiming we were a fascist nation? When we had free elections and journalism, produced the Kennedy ancestors, and gave safe haven to Jewish people fleeing the Nazis? Ireland had approaching twice the population of New Zealand in 1941.
The Irish Giant Deer is described as dying out with the aid of humans. Maybe it did in parts of the European continent, but mainly it was unsuited to changes at the end of the Ice Age, such as wet ground and tree growth, and it died out in Ireland thousands of years before humans arrived.
I don't blame the author for these slips, as we are not all going to be experts in everything, but I would think the publisher should have checked such details.
I enjoyed the constructive read, which is pessimistic about today yet hopeful for tomorrow. May your trees grow tall.
References are on pages 195 - 218 in my e-ARC. I am unable to say how many were female names, as only initials were used.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
The extended family of Professor Carl Leopold, who wrote 'A Sand County Almanac' about restoring eroded, denuded and exploited land for his family and nature, feature in this book. Tarboo Creek is in Washington State and once supported salmon, which left the small waterway when some of it was culverted, a straight drain was created and trees were felled. Buying a partially timber-harvested strip along the stream, the author and his family have worked to restore nature. Their tale includes planting trees and planting again, with the help of school parties, protecting said whips and saplings from mice, deer and even beavers.
Not as simple is deciding which species to plant. The author explains that he is able to find records of original growth species, and find old stumps, and can order from nurseries or grow from collected local seeds. But climate change has already made the area warmer and drier, while forest fires are more frequent. Should he and his wife plant trees to survive in a warmer future, say trees from the California zone, which are not currently going to thrive? A very nice section explains the five factors found in old forest which make it so biodiverse, such as ancient trees and rotting logs.
I enjoyed particularly the section on recreating a natural stream. This was carefully planned and grant-aided, replacing the straight fast channel with meanders, ponds and logs. The slower flow means water has more chance to soak into both ground and wood, while returning, spawning salmon bring nutrients from the ocean in to land so the trees - and animals - benefit.
The author takes a few meanders himself, musing about the last mass extinction and the tendency of modern people to be depressed and to be fat (depression happened to young people long before the consumer mentality arose, I can assure him, while rich people, such as monarchs, always overate). But he means well, concluding that consumption on the rate now practiced by Americans is causing climate change, and population growth is going to continue destroying habitat.
The errors I noted relate to Ireland. We are told in the dedication that in "1941, the free world essentially consisted of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States. The government of every other country was a dictatatorship or fascist, with the exception of Sweden and Switzerland which remained neutral in the war against totalitarianism."
What about Ireland? The land which gained its freedom during the 1920s did not wish to throw in its lot with the late ruler, so remained neutral but interned any German pilots arriving, got bombed by Germany, sent fire crews to aid the UK part of the island - which is not included in the term Great Britain by the way - and sent many volunteer soldiers and workers to the Allies' aid. Is this author claiming we were a fascist nation? When we had free elections and journalism, produced the Kennedy ancestors, and gave safe haven to Jewish people fleeing the Nazis? Ireland had approaching twice the population of New Zealand in 1941.
The Irish Giant Deer is described as dying out with the aid of humans. Maybe it did in parts of the European continent, but mainly it was unsuited to changes at the end of the Ice Age, such as wet ground and tree growth, and it died out in Ireland thousands of years before humans arrived.
I don't blame the author for these slips, as we are not all going to be experts in everything, but I would think the publisher should have checked such details.
I enjoyed the constructive read, which is pessimistic about today yet hopeful for tomorrow. May your trees grow tall.
References are on pages 195 - 218 in my e-ARC. I am unable to say how many were female names, as only initials were used.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
August 8, 2019
This was an authentic and impressive voice in eco nonfiction!
For three generations the Leopold family has practiced what they preached by being equally kind to their community and their land.
Harmony, simplicity, balance, fulfillment, and hope are what’s found working weekends restoring Tarboo Creek. It will inspire you to make changes...
“...when thousands of people are throwing pebbles in thousands of places at the same time, things change.”
January 4, 2018
A preachy book about a families quest to restore a section of a creek to provide a salmon habitat. Their actions and deeds are honorable and I fully support the intent of what he and his family are doing and trying to inspire others to do. However, I sense a feeling of superiority over us (people without the will or means to do this). What really turned me off was the final chapter when he makes sweeping generalizations about the "Greatest Generation" and the "Baby Boomers" (I teach junior college history) and numerous other topics. He should stick to Ecology. The illustrations are generally worthless.
January 1, 2018
This family is ridiculously knowledgeable about all things nature. I was continually amazed at how much information was prevalent in the book—not only was it a documentation of their work on Tarboo Creek, it also served as a makeshift nature guide. I learned about the mating and spawning habits of salmon, of the variations of trees and how they grow best, and the different species of birds
I am also immature enough to laugh at the name “bushtit” for a bird.
Seriously though, this was a nonstop effort by what seemed like hundreds of people to refresh an area bogged down by people. Too much human consumption without a thought to the other living things in the area. The dedication is admirable and the book highlights how much work (and how necessary it is) to nurture nature.
I am also immature enough to laugh at the name “bushtit” for a bird.
Seriously though, this was a nonstop effort by what seemed like hundreds of people to refresh an area bogged down by people. Too much human consumption without a thought to the other living things in the area. The dedication is admirable and the book highlights how much work (and how necessary it is) to nurture nature.
February 25, 2018
Interesting project, the book needed a better editor.
To this reader it seemed a bit preachy and not as worthwhile as other books I have read on the topic of nature, land conservation, and ecology.
Freeman's family was privileged enough to obtain some acreage on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, near Tarboo Bay which they spent years working to recreate in its more natural form. With a group of others, including school children and their families who helped to plant trees they worked over years to plant trees they would never see mature and establish a route for the fish thrive. Their goal was to try to heal a salmon stream by renewing the streams former self, before it was logged and redirected.
His wife comes from the Leopold family, a fact he repeats way too many times throughout the book, and so conservation is perhaps more a life goal than many other people. He is as a University professor specializing in the science and the natural world.
There are definitely some things to learn here but it pales in comparison with other books. Theirs was a worthy project, no doubt, but I closed the book thinking the overall theme was "bully for me we did good, now where's my parade?" I support land conservation more than most but this book could have used a little more time with the editor to make it beyond three stars.
To this reader it seemed a bit preachy and not as worthwhile as other books I have read on the topic of nature, land conservation, and ecology.
Freeman's family was privileged enough to obtain some acreage on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, near Tarboo Bay which they spent years working to recreate in its more natural form. With a group of others, including school children and their families who helped to plant trees they worked over years to plant trees they would never see mature and establish a route for the fish thrive. Their goal was to try to heal a salmon stream by renewing the streams former self, before it was logged and redirected.
His wife comes from the Leopold family, a fact he repeats way too many times throughout the book, and so conservation is perhaps more a life goal than many other people. He is as a University professor specializing in the science and the natural world.
There are definitely some things to learn here but it pales in comparison with other books. Theirs was a worthy project, no doubt, but I closed the book thinking the overall theme was "bully for me we did good, now where's my parade?" I support land conservation more than most but this book could have used a little more time with the editor to make it beyond three stars.
April 3, 2018
In the end, I loved it. This is a book about how one family interacts with and protects habitat. An acreage on the Olympic Peninsula, which had been damaged through careless exploitation, is brought back to life. The author is a master at analogy, and often I stopped and reread passages several time to appreciate both the writing and wise message.
"Every generation has to find its own way of fighting our materialistic nature and reminding its children of the values that matter and endure. We are born to take, but we learn to give.
So we have work to do."
Freeman continues a legacy from his wife's father, Aldo Leopold, who wrote A Sand County Almanac. This side of the family he married into is mentioned often enough that it becomes annoying to some readers. One review complains that Freeman fails to provide a specific list of actions readers might choose, but this entire book is about the specific actions one family has chosen to make and the impact these choices have. There is a great deal of specific advice here, if the reader cares to notice. Tread lightly on the earth, avoid driving and consumerism, walk in wild places but avoid driving to them or paving them or using them up in the process. Support efforts to achieve balance between use and abuse.
At one point he describes cutting invasive blackberry vines and then painting the stubs with herbicide. It is really something of a wasted effort. The blackberries will reseed and the herbicide will poison other growth. Best to keep cutting and cutting until something desirable can take hold and do that work for you. Years ago, we had horsetails and buttercups coming up everywhere in our garden. We were told that the only way to get ride of them was to poison them, that pulling was pointless. But I pulled them anyway. Now that other plants are thriving, I still find skinny horsetails struggling up now and again. I pull them. I do not need to obliterate the species, and I doubt I could even if I tried. I support the plants I want in my garden, and I pull out the ones I do not.
Finally, Freeman is a biologist and his descriptions of biological systems are brilliant and clear to any reader. He is not a political scientist and should probably avoid making broad statements, as he is inclined to do in early chapters, that begin "never" or "always" because he is sometimes completely wrong, and sometimes even contradicts himself. I was also disappointed that he fails to mention The Silent Spring and "The Sixth Extinction and other powerful related studies and texts, particularly about women. The illustrations are charming, but not useful and sometimes not accurate. This is my part of the world he is writing about, where I was born and raised. And I have one last question: Where does he sleep when he travels across Puget Sound to his paradise on the peninsula?
"Every generation has to find its own way of fighting our materialistic nature and reminding its children of the values that matter and endure. We are born to take, but we learn to give.
So we have work to do."
Freeman continues a legacy from his wife's father, Aldo Leopold, who wrote A Sand County Almanac. This side of the family he married into is mentioned often enough that it becomes annoying to some readers. One review complains that Freeman fails to provide a specific list of actions readers might choose, but this entire book is about the specific actions one family has chosen to make and the impact these choices have. There is a great deal of specific advice here, if the reader cares to notice. Tread lightly on the earth, avoid driving and consumerism, walk in wild places but avoid driving to them or paving them or using them up in the process. Support efforts to achieve balance between use and abuse.
At one point he describes cutting invasive blackberry vines and then painting the stubs with herbicide. It is really something of a wasted effort. The blackberries will reseed and the herbicide will poison other growth. Best to keep cutting and cutting until something desirable can take hold and do that work for you. Years ago, we had horsetails and buttercups coming up everywhere in our garden. We were told that the only way to get ride of them was to poison them, that pulling was pointless. But I pulled them anyway. Now that other plants are thriving, I still find skinny horsetails struggling up now and again. I pull them. I do not need to obliterate the species, and I doubt I could even if I tried. I support the plants I want in my garden, and I pull out the ones I do not.
Finally, Freeman is a biologist and his descriptions of biological systems are brilliant and clear to any reader. He is not a political scientist and should probably avoid making broad statements, as he is inclined to do in early chapters, that begin "never" or "always" because he is sometimes completely wrong, and sometimes even contradicts himself. I was also disappointed that he fails to mention The Silent Spring and "The Sixth Extinction and other powerful related studies and texts, particularly about women. The illustrations are charming, but not useful and sometimes not accurate. This is my part of the world he is writing about, where I was born and raised. And I have one last question: Where does he sleep when he travels across Puget Sound to his paradise on the peninsula?
December 17, 2017
Saving Tarboo Creek: One Family’s Quest to Heal the Land begins when the Freemans bought eighteen acres along Tarboo Creek with the intention of restoring it so that it once again will be home to salmon and a diverse and healthy forest. This book is a combination of memoir and exploration of restoring the land. Scott Freeman is a biology lecturer at the University of Washington, so he brings a scientist’s mind to this endeavor and that sensibility fills the book with the spirit of inquiry that made is engaging from beginning to end.
With that kind of inquiry, the process of choosing which trees to plant is not just finding out what used to grow there and replicating the past. The climate is changing, so it is important to choose trees that can thrive now and in the coming warmer and drier climate of the future. The biologist’s mind notes the growth of the forest, the success or failure of some species and notices the unseen, things like the soil and the fungi and how they work to help feed the trees.
The book is illustrated by Freeman’s wife who is also the granddaughter of Aldo Leopold, the author of A Sand County Almanac whom many consider the father of wildlife ecology. He developed the concept of the land ethic. The Freemans try to live that life in an ethical relationship between people and the land. It’s a family tradition.
I confess, the reason I entered the drawing for this book, is that I thought it would be a great book for a friend of mine who volunteers to plant trees. I thought it would be okay, but I had no idea how much I would enjoy it myself. Freeman’s writing style is excellent. He explains the science with clarity and an ear for the beauty of language.
Freeman notes the challenges of the future, population growth, mass extinction, climate change, but without hyperbole and with recognition that we can change if we choose. He notes the hypocrisy of asking developing countries to do as we say, not as we did and suggests that we stop seeing our problems in such binary terms. That perhaps we can do well economically and conserve the environment.
This book is beautifully written and I recommend it enthusiastically.
Saving Tarboo Creek will be published on January 3rd. I received an advance reading copy from the publisher through a Shelf Awareness drawing.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
With that kind of inquiry, the process of choosing which trees to plant is not just finding out what used to grow there and replicating the past. The climate is changing, so it is important to choose trees that can thrive now and in the coming warmer and drier climate of the future. The biologist’s mind notes the growth of the forest, the success or failure of some species and notices the unseen, things like the soil and the fungi and how they work to help feed the trees.
The book is illustrated by Freeman’s wife who is also the granddaughter of Aldo Leopold, the author of A Sand County Almanac whom many consider the father of wildlife ecology. He developed the concept of the land ethic. The Freemans try to live that life in an ethical relationship between people and the land. It’s a family tradition.
I confess, the reason I entered the drawing for this book, is that I thought it would be a great book for a friend of mine who volunteers to plant trees. I thought it would be okay, but I had no idea how much I would enjoy it myself. Freeman’s writing style is excellent. He explains the science with clarity and an ear for the beauty of language.
Freeman notes the challenges of the future, population growth, mass extinction, climate change, but without hyperbole and with recognition that we can change if we choose. He notes the hypocrisy of asking developing countries to do as we say, not as we did and suggests that we stop seeing our problems in such binary terms. That perhaps we can do well economically and conserve the environment.
This book is beautifully written and I recommend it enthusiastically.
Saving Tarboo Creek will be published on January 3rd. I received an advance reading copy from the publisher through a Shelf Awareness drawing.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
January 10, 2019
I have been reading so many gloom and doom books about climate change lately that this was a nice, positive look at rebuilding our environment. The author's family purchased a tract along Tarboo Creek in Washington state in order to restructure the stream to its original path and encourage Salmon breeding once again. This is a slow book, and I found that I lost my concentration any time that I would try to speed through pages. There is a lot of information about nature, how humans over time have warped it to their own means, and how groups of dedicated naturalists are attempting to return it to normal. This is the perfect book to read while in nature and one that I will keep with me for a while. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2018
This book was packed with so much information. A good guide to nature as well as interesting look at how one family is bringing back a creek and the surrounding area. Conservation is a lesson we all need, a good example of how it can start with just one person and grow into more.
Tarboo Creek is a salmon run, that was used and abused by the logging industry and farms. It took a lot of effort and knowledge (some learned as they went) to bring it back. A work in progress for sure, and what sounds like a labor of love. Love for the land and each other.
*I received a copy from the publisher. All Thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tarboo Creek is a salmon run, that was used and abused by the logging industry and farms. It took a lot of effort and knowledge (some learned as they went) to bring it back. A work in progress for sure, and what sounds like a labor of love. Love for the land and each other.
*I received a copy from the publisher. All Thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 23, 2021
I enjoyed the book, but actually wanted more of the author’s personal story of restoring the creek. Other parts cover a lot of ground at a high level. In some parts, the author was - in my case - preaching the importance of land ethics and conservation to the already converted. So probably a great read for someone you hasn’t been introduced to these ideas yet.
January 22, 2018
A Love letter to wild spaces. Saving Tarboo Creek dives into the nitty-gritty realities of river restoration. Even if it is a book of calluses and hard work, it has the mind of a good ecologist and the heart of nature loving poet. The illustrations are also understated in a lovely way and do not detract from the book. A must-read for those who love Sand County Almanac and want to continue the Leopold Legacy.
February 1, 2018
4.5/5
My first read of the year and a marvelous one, Saving Tarboo Creek is the story of how the author's family went about healing an abused piece of land in the state of Washington. After purchasing the plot of land, Freeman, who has several science degrees and is an educator, went about determining what used to grow on the land, partly by viewing tree stumps where possible, what would be most likely to succeed at taking root in the current climate, and also finding some plants that would tolerate the expected changes in climate in the near future. He had someone recreate the right conditions for salmon to breed by digging and placing items strategically to make a balance of calm and rushing water, and started ordering plants and holding big planting sessions with the help of hundreds of volunteers, during planting season.
A wonderful mix of history, memoir, and nature, the author educates you on what's required to make land healthy, the history of the area in general (I learned, for example, that the term "skid row" came from the logging industry) and the specific plot of land, the conditions that are right for salmon and how creating a healthy stream for that particular fish also brought in a host of other wildlife, the historical background of salmon breeding and the many places they used to live and breed but lost habitat, the challenges to continuing healthy breeding seasons (not being able to stop tourists from fishing at the source of the creek), and the life span of a salmon. Obvioiusly, the salmon were pretty important but he also talked about his family's observation: how they would watch the fish and name them, check the plants and figure out what went wrong when they didn't take root, and how the Leopold family, into which he married, was connected with nature.
An excellent read, of particular interest to lovers of science and nature, but also an entertaining memoir, in general.
My first read of the year and a marvelous one, Saving Tarboo Creek is the story of how the author's family went about healing an abused piece of land in the state of Washington. After purchasing the plot of land, Freeman, who has several science degrees and is an educator, went about determining what used to grow on the land, partly by viewing tree stumps where possible, what would be most likely to succeed at taking root in the current climate, and also finding some plants that would tolerate the expected changes in climate in the near future. He had someone recreate the right conditions for salmon to breed by digging and placing items strategically to make a balance of calm and rushing water, and started ordering plants and holding big planting sessions with the help of hundreds of volunteers, during planting season.
A wonderful mix of history, memoir, and nature, the author educates you on what's required to make land healthy, the history of the area in general (I learned, for example, that the term "skid row" came from the logging industry) and the specific plot of land, the conditions that are right for salmon and how creating a healthy stream for that particular fish also brought in a host of other wildlife, the historical background of salmon breeding and the many places they used to live and breed but lost habitat, the challenges to continuing healthy breeding seasons (not being able to stop tourists from fishing at the source of the creek), and the life span of a salmon. Obvioiusly, the salmon were pretty important but he also talked about his family's observation: how they would watch the fish and name them, check the plants and figure out what went wrong when they didn't take root, and how the Leopold family, into which he married, was connected with nature.
An excellent read, of particular interest to lovers of science and nature, but also an entertaining memoir, in general.
December 19, 2017
The story of one family’s efforts to return their land to its natural state. It is a work in progress, an ongoing process, but very much worth the effort. They are already seeing positive results from all their hard work.
I learned a lot from reading this book authored by a biology professor from the University of Washington and charmingly illustrated by his wife. I read about ecosystem restoration, salmon, beavers and how to plant trees among other things. Alarmingly, I also read that the world is hurtling toward the sixth mass extinction event. The grandchildren of today may very well be the generation that will bear witness to it. The author lays out all the evidence in his clear, easy to understand manner. He says, “Every generation has to find its own way of fighting our materialistic nature and reminding its children of the values that matter and endure. We are born to take, but we learn to give. So we have work to do. “ This is a must read!
I learned a lot from reading this book authored by a biology professor from the University of Washington and charmingly illustrated by his wife. I read about ecosystem restoration, salmon, beavers and how to plant trees among other things. Alarmingly, I also read that the world is hurtling toward the sixth mass extinction event. The grandchildren of today may very well be the generation that will bear witness to it. The author lays out all the evidence in his clear, easy to understand manner. He says, “Every generation has to find its own way of fighting our materialistic nature and reminding its children of the values that matter and endure. We are born to take, but we learn to give. So we have work to do. “ This is a must read!
November 20, 2017
This book follows the trials and tribulations of the Freeman family as they set out to restore the damaged Tarboo Creek in Washington State. It took time, patience and dedication to find the balance needed to bring the creek back to point where it could support local wildlife, especially spawning salmon. Who knew the life of the salmon was so precarious? It seems a wonder to me that any have survived at all considering the changes that have occurred to our rivers and streams over the decades.
The best thing about this book was that it encouraged me to take a closer look at the environment around me, especially the local wildlife. Having access to a green belt development in my city means that I have seen beavers, heron, rabbits, snakes and squirrels that I might otherwise have missed. I probably did not appreciate this as much as I should have. And if there was one thing that I will take away from this book it's the idea that we should treat the land as we would treat each other. A simple but profound message.
I do wish this book had contained some maps of the area and maybe some photos of restoration activities which would have given me a more intimate connection to the story and the family as well. Nevertheless I found this an interesting and informative read.
Thanks to Timber Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com
The best thing about this book was that it encouraged me to take a closer look at the environment around me, especially the local wildlife. Having access to a green belt development in my city means that I have seen beavers, heron, rabbits, snakes and squirrels that I might otherwise have missed. I probably did not appreciate this as much as I should have. And if there was one thing that I will take away from this book it's the idea that we should treat the land as we would treat each other. A simple but profound message.
I do wish this book had contained some maps of the area and maybe some photos of restoration activities which would have given me a more intimate connection to the story and the family as well. Nevertheless I found this an interesting and informative read.
Thanks to Timber Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com
July 23, 2017
Tarboo Creek is not only an important story, but a positive readable romp through what it takes to restore land. The Freeman’s kept the story short enough for the attention span of most Americans with a soft message laced throughout. It should not be compared to Leopold’s classic, Sand County Almanac, simply because it is the granddaughter that co-wrote the book. The positives of the book are that it was entertaining, educational, and very approachable to all levels of readership. There is nothing new written here, but simply ideas that we should be reminded of ever so often.
November 4, 2017
A worthwhile book about an ecology project on a small piece of land in Washington state. This is a salmon breeding area so Freeman gives some background on what salmon need. The book covers the broader picture of how this small property fits into the wider ecology of the creek and the surrounding area and also why this small project matters in the world-wide ecological picture. One message here is: Do what you can, every little bit counts.
Free advance review copy from publisher.
Free advance review copy from publisher.
May 31, 2018
A nicely written little book about forest and stream restoration, the legacy of the Leopold family (as in Aldo Leopold, the great nature writer), and our relationship to nature. The ending is particularly moving.
June 6, 2021
3 stars. I got a little annoyed at just how often they mentioned references to Aldo Leopold. A lot of his science regarding certain environmental stuff seemed pretty common to me. But I enjoyed reading his reflections on spending time with nature and how each thing can be useful far more than the average human may recognize to a human. Learning about the different parts of Wisconsin and Washington’s ecosystems was also fascinating despite how much it jumped around.
“Friends and neighbors had advice: get rid of them. Almost universally we heard, “You don’t want beavers. They’re so destructive.” This advice didn’t sit well. First, there was something ironic about the emotional responses. Humans have dammed the Columbia and its tributaries more than sixty times, along with the Nile, the Yangtze, and the Colorado, to name a few. We have channeled the Mississippi and the Thames and destroyed most of the world’s prairies and old-growth forests. And we call beavers destructive? Second, neither of the removal options made sense. Urban friends advocated livetrapping the beavers and moving them to a new location. This is a popular thing to do with nuisance squirrels and raccoons in cities; it makes people feel humane. The problem is that dropping animals off in a new location is like knocking on the door of someone you’ve never met, introducing some strangers that you don’t want living in your own neighborhood, and telling the homeowner that the strangers are going to move in. The newcomers are not likely to be welcomed. The transplanters may feel humane and congratulate themselves, but the transplantees are likely to die slowly and painfully, of starvation or wounds from confrontations with the local residents. The other option, killing the beavers outright, is neither amoral nor unethical. We kill things all the time, from swatting mosquitoes to harvesting the plants and animals we eat every day. There are, however, two strong counterarguments to killing beavers. The first is a practical issue of time and energy. Trapping beavers puts you on a slippery slope, because the individuals you remove will be replaced by other beavers—usually sooner rather than later. Unless we intended to remove beavers from the entire watershed, we’d be committing ourselves to a lifetime of feuding. Second, and much more important, beavers can be critical to the success of a salmon stream restoration. They are what biologists call ecosystem engineers. The problem was that we needed to direct their energy—away from eating trees that also were critical to the success of the salmon stream restoration.
If your goal is to live with the land instead of just on it, you have to accept the organisms that live there more or less on their own terms. In our neighborhood, this might mean not digging a trout pond when river otters are common, or not mowing an acre of lawn and then complaining about molehills in it. It might even mean not moving to a rural area at all—but just visiting.”
“Friends and neighbors had advice: get rid of them. Almost universally we heard, “You don’t want beavers. They’re so destructive.” This advice didn’t sit well. First, there was something ironic about the emotional responses. Humans have dammed the Columbia and its tributaries more than sixty times, along with the Nile, the Yangtze, and the Colorado, to name a few. We have channeled the Mississippi and the Thames and destroyed most of the world’s prairies and old-growth forests. And we call beavers destructive? Second, neither of the removal options made sense. Urban friends advocated livetrapping the beavers and moving them to a new location. This is a popular thing to do with nuisance squirrels and raccoons in cities; it makes people feel humane. The problem is that dropping animals off in a new location is like knocking on the door of someone you’ve never met, introducing some strangers that you don’t want living in your own neighborhood, and telling the homeowner that the strangers are going to move in. The newcomers are not likely to be welcomed. The transplanters may feel humane and congratulate themselves, but the transplantees are likely to die slowly and painfully, of starvation or wounds from confrontations with the local residents. The other option, killing the beavers outright, is neither amoral nor unethical. We kill things all the time, from swatting mosquitoes to harvesting the plants and animals we eat every day. There are, however, two strong counterarguments to killing beavers. The first is a practical issue of time and energy. Trapping beavers puts you on a slippery slope, because the individuals you remove will be replaced by other beavers—usually sooner rather than later. Unless we intended to remove beavers from the entire watershed, we’d be committing ourselves to a lifetime of feuding. Second, and much more important, beavers can be critical to the success of a salmon stream restoration. They are what biologists call ecosystem engineers. The problem was that we needed to direct their energy—away from eating trees that also were critical to the success of the salmon stream restoration.
If your goal is to live with the land instead of just on it, you have to accept the organisms that live there more or less on their own terms. In our neighborhood, this might mean not digging a trout pond when river otters are common, or not mowing an acre of lawn and then complaining about molehills in it. It might even mean not moving to a rural area at all—but just visiting.”
December 10, 2018
Tarboo Creek has a rich history when it comes to salmon spawning. Located in the western segment of Puget Sound, its waters were once boisterous with spawning salmon. By the time Scott Freeman and his wife, Susan Leopold, both multi-generational preservationists, purchased a tract of land surrounding it, it had long since been channelized into a drainage ditch with a series of culverts that blocked salmon activity mid-stream. They joined with the Northwest Watershed Institute to revive the waters of Tarboo Creek to once again provide a home and nesting ground for salmon. Part science project and part ecological narrative, Saving Tarboo Creek: One Family’s Quest to Heal the Land tells their story and vies for humankind’s ethical responsibility to nature. Though dotted with endearing hand-drawn nature sketches, this is more than a feel-good environmental story. It’s clear that Freeman has done his homework as he name drops from the vast community of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula; Lichens, Caddis Fly, Bushtits, Bracket Fungi, Sitka Spruce and of course, the Coho salmon to which the book and Freeman’s efforts are dedicated. Perhaps these species are mentioned not to show Freeman’s extensive knowledge, but because they are constantly mingling; living with and around and off of each other. They affect one another, rely on one another and as Freeman points out, none is more reliant or holds more power to affect, whether positively or negatively, this environment than we humans.
For the layperson, it can be difficult at times to navigate the hydrocarbons, photo synthesizers and carotenoids of his world. More than once I was reintroduced to words I hadn’t seen since a college ecology course, but it’s worth the effort; there is much to be learned here. However, if you are expecting a start to finish description of the stream restoration project, look elsewhere. Freeman’s story is a non-linear one and oftentimes, not even his own. He jumps from the life and times of his father-in-law (himself a preservationist), to the endangered mammals of 19th century American Northwest and back to the contemporary tropics of Borneo without batting an eye. The book is more informative than it is narrative and can be likened to reading the transcription of a Ted Talk. With the wrong expectations, it can seem roundabout and even as if Freeman is airing old grievances as he diverges from the salmon and their surroundings and begins to target an array of growing issues. In the end, Saving Tarboo Creek is a call to stewardship and every page is employed to ring that bell. It isn’t about one salmon creek or one family’s efforts. It’s a call to the collective. It’s about all of nature and all of humankind and the domestically violent relationship we have fostered for too long. It’s about change, and if you ask me —it’s about time.
For the layperson, it can be difficult at times to navigate the hydrocarbons, photo synthesizers and carotenoids of his world. More than once I was reintroduced to words I hadn’t seen since a college ecology course, but it’s worth the effort; there is much to be learned here. However, if you are expecting a start to finish description of the stream restoration project, look elsewhere. Freeman’s story is a non-linear one and oftentimes, not even his own. He jumps from the life and times of his father-in-law (himself a preservationist), to the endangered mammals of 19th century American Northwest and back to the contemporary tropics of Borneo without batting an eye. The book is more informative than it is narrative and can be likened to reading the transcription of a Ted Talk. With the wrong expectations, it can seem roundabout and even as if Freeman is airing old grievances as he diverges from the salmon and their surroundings and begins to target an array of growing issues. In the end, Saving Tarboo Creek is a call to stewardship and every page is employed to ring that bell. It isn’t about one salmon creek or one family’s efforts. It’s a call to the collective. It’s about all of nature and all of humankind and the domestically violent relationship we have fostered for too long. It’s about change, and if you ask me —it’s about time.
March 8, 2019
In 2004 Scott Freeman and his wife Susan (granddaughter of conservationist Aldo Leopold) bought 17 acres on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Their land straddles Tarboo Creek, a 7.5 mile stream that had been degraded from channeling and clearcutting, but used to be a salmon run. They decide to restore their section of Tarboo Creek to its former salmon run glory. The book is half about their work restoring their portion of Tarboo Creek and half about conservation in general and why it's important work for everyone. It was a little more academic than I was expecting, but the parts about how they restored the creek and the land around it was really interesting. Freeman gives a few tips in the last chapter about how to live a more natural life - be engaged, be simple, be real, and be present. Advice that everyone could use in today's fast-paced, automated world. A quick read about an important topic.
Some quotes I liked:
"We find it repugnant when people exploit or abuse others for personal gain - we call them cheats, tyrants, scoundrels, or villains; we describe them as despicable, evil, vile, wicked or manipulative. Leopold said we should feel the same way about people who exploit or abuse land. If someone we meet is broken or damaged, we reach out to help them. If land is broken or damaged, we reach out to help it - by planting trees and native wildflowers." (p. 35)
"Based on more than a hundred years of data like these, the claim that hatcheries can make up for habitat loss is false. Knowing what we know now, hearing someone advocate for hatcheries is like listening to a doctor advise a patient that it's okay to eat junk food, abuse alcohol, sit all day, and chain smoke because we have state-of-the-art emergency rooms and ICUs that can solve any health problems that might result. But the jobs and sport fisheries supported by hatcheries have created a vested interest group that fights any attempt to close them...David Montgomery recognized the root of the problem: the success of hatcheries has always been measured in numbers of fry released, not the health of the populations they are supposed to be supplementing...If the money spent on hatcheries over the past 130 years had been spent on habitat protection and restoration instead, the situation would be far different today." (p. 80-1)
Some quotes I liked:
"We find it repugnant when people exploit or abuse others for personal gain - we call them cheats, tyrants, scoundrels, or villains; we describe them as despicable, evil, vile, wicked or manipulative. Leopold said we should feel the same way about people who exploit or abuse land. If someone we meet is broken or damaged, we reach out to help them. If land is broken or damaged, we reach out to help it - by planting trees and native wildflowers." (p. 35)
"Based on more than a hundred years of data like these, the claim that hatcheries can make up for habitat loss is false. Knowing what we know now, hearing someone advocate for hatcheries is like listening to a doctor advise a patient that it's okay to eat junk food, abuse alcohol, sit all day, and chain smoke because we have state-of-the-art emergency rooms and ICUs that can solve any health problems that might result. But the jobs and sport fisheries supported by hatcheries have created a vested interest group that fights any attempt to close them...David Montgomery recognized the root of the problem: the success of hatcheries has always been measured in numbers of fry released, not the health of the populations they are supposed to be supplementing...If the money spent on hatcheries over the past 130 years had been spent on habitat protection and restoration instead, the situation would be far different today." (p. 80-1)
January 13, 2019
Scott Freeman's Saving Tarboo Creek is an excellent account of ecological restoration on a small, or family-plot type scale. His writing is authentic, and his tales of wilderness in the Pacific Northwest and parallels to that of the Leopold family's in Wisconsin depict a perfect "then and now" of conservation in America.
In many ways, Saving Tarboo Creek can serve as a stronger learning tool than any textbook for conservation biology. While textbooks serve as a quality reference, they offer no staying power, no prose, and their lessons are limited. Saving Tarboo Creek, however, serves a stronger purpose, detailing the stressors on our wild lands that have led to such widespread destruction of our planet. With plentiful examples from the field, notably Washington's Tarboo Creek and the Leopold estate in Wisconsin, Freeman ties everything together with references to Leopold's "The Land Ethic" and experiences raising a family while conserving a small piece of land at the same time.
I enjoyed the meat of this book, but it was far from perfect. I struggled through the introduction and conclusion, both of which came off preachy and self-serving. This was quickly erased with the quality content that served as the bulk of the book, but it was a poor way to bookend a quality work. There are also avoidable tangents - such as a long stray into human biology and evolution in a chapter mostly about beavers and their role in restoration.
If you're a student of conservation biology or a lover of wilderness and turning back the clock on mankind's destruction, Saving Tarboo Creek is an incredible resource. It will serve as a greater text in restoration ecology than any textbook ever will, but at times the language is forceful and hubristic.
In many ways, Saving Tarboo Creek can serve as a stronger learning tool than any textbook for conservation biology. While textbooks serve as a quality reference, they offer no staying power, no prose, and their lessons are limited. Saving Tarboo Creek, however, serves a stronger purpose, detailing the stressors on our wild lands that have led to such widespread destruction of our planet. With plentiful examples from the field, notably Washington's Tarboo Creek and the Leopold estate in Wisconsin, Freeman ties everything together with references to Leopold's "The Land Ethic" and experiences raising a family while conserving a small piece of land at the same time.
I enjoyed the meat of this book, but it was far from perfect. I struggled through the introduction and conclusion, both of which came off preachy and self-serving. This was quickly erased with the quality content that served as the bulk of the book, but it was a poor way to bookend a quality work. There are also avoidable tangents - such as a long stray into human biology and evolution in a chapter mostly about beavers and their role in restoration.
If you're a student of conservation biology or a lover of wilderness and turning back the clock on mankind's destruction, Saving Tarboo Creek is an incredible resource. It will serve as a greater text in restoration ecology than any textbook ever will, but at times the language is forceful and hubristic.
February 1, 2018
Saving Tarboo Creek is a treasure to read and re-read. The book is beautifully designed, articulate, thoughtful, and engaging. I was pulled in from the very beginning. Scott Freeman’s writing, paired with Susan Leopold Freeman’s exquisite illustrations, is an artful blend of memory, personal experiences, scientific facts, and practical knowledge (like how to live with beavers instead of against beavers!). The book is a story of Aldo Leopold’s land ethic in action, here and now—about what can happen when we take a chance on what seems impossible and then do the hard work to make it reality.
As Freeman says in the introduction: “This book is about small things, like watching birds brighten a February afternoon or hearing a tree frog on a cold, moonless night; about planting a tree or hoeing beans. But it’s also about a big thing: what life will be like in 2100, when the human population passes 11 billion and almost half of the species alive today are extinct; when every organism left on the planet will be trying to cope with what may turn out to be the most rapid period of climate change in Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history.”
Susan Freeman’s illustrations of trees, leaves, seeds, plants, tools and domestic life, and her hand drawn map, are beautiful features of the book. They blend with the text to express love of the land in the particular. There is a resilient delicacy and quiet tenderness about them that moved me and freshened my heart and spirit.
As Freeman says in the introduction: “This book is about small things, like watching birds brighten a February afternoon or hearing a tree frog on a cold, moonless night; about planting a tree or hoeing beans. But it’s also about a big thing: what life will be like in 2100, when the human population passes 11 billion and almost half of the species alive today are extinct; when every organism left on the planet will be trying to cope with what may turn out to be the most rapid period of climate change in Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history.”
Susan Freeman’s illustrations of trees, leaves, seeds, plants, tools and domestic life, and her hand drawn map, are beautiful features of the book. They blend with the text to express love of the land in the particular. There is a resilient delicacy and quiet tenderness about them that moved me and freshened my heart and spirit.
February 8, 2018
I won Saving Tarboo Creek: One Family's Quest to Heal the Land by Scott Freeman from Goodreads.
Saving Tarboo Creek: One Family's Quest to Heal the Land by Scott Freeman is at once local and global. This easy to read tale of one family's efforts to save one piece of land, to restore one small stretch of stream and, in turn, the salmon that use it for breeding, is also an educational essay on nature in general. How does one know which trees and shrubs to plant with a changing climate? Can all creatures be accommodated, or will some need to be excluded?
Freeman offers both family history and world history as references as he explains concepts of ecology, ecosystems, biology, reforestation, and climate change. Saving Tarboo Creek is not only a story about one family planting trees and caring about wild salmon, it is also a book about how each of us can contribute to our natural world.
My favorite line in the book: "An ecosystem is a tapestry; climate change pulls at the threads.". Scott Freeman's book, Saving Tarboo Creek, educates readers on how ecosystems work, and inspires readers to follow their own thread in order to help heal one.
Saving Tarboo Creek: One Family's Quest to Heal the Land by Scott Freeman is at once local and global. This easy to read tale of one family's efforts to save one piece of land, to restore one small stretch of stream and, in turn, the salmon that use it for breeding, is also an educational essay on nature in general. How does one know which trees and shrubs to plant with a changing climate? Can all creatures be accommodated, or will some need to be excluded?
Freeman offers both family history and world history as references as he explains concepts of ecology, ecosystems, biology, reforestation, and climate change. Saving Tarboo Creek is not only a story about one family planting trees and caring about wild salmon, it is also a book about how each of us can contribute to our natural world.
My favorite line in the book: "An ecosystem is a tapestry; climate change pulls at the threads.". Scott Freeman's book, Saving Tarboo Creek, educates readers on how ecosystems work, and inspires readers to follow their own thread in order to help heal one.
March 14, 2018
“Planting a tree is a way to apply hope. In restoration is the preservation of the world.”
“An ecosystem is a tapestry; climate change pulls at the threads.”
“In just the past thousand years, our increased population and ability to alter habitats around the globe has hit the earth like an asteroid.”
Tarboo Creek, in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, was once a thriving salmon run but over time, due to erosion, development and neglect, it became a damaged trickle. The Freeman family, authors of this book, decided to purchase a large plot of land that the Tarboo traversed and then to restore this creek to it's former glory, making it habitable for the spawning salmon. It was a huge under-taking but one filled with many rewards, for all involved.
The author packs a lot into these 200 pages and your level of interest in nature, biology and ecology, will determine what you will take out of this. It gets very detailed, (my eyes came close to glossing over a time or two) but I learned a whole lot about trees and tree restoration, the hardy lives of salmon and the impact of deforestation and climate change on our planet. I feel it is a timely and important read.
March 11, 2020
As a native Washingtonian, I too have woodsy acreage that I have cared for 30 years. The author's sage advice to watch the seasons unfold, the animal, amphibian & bird life, the movements of the sun and micro climates & regeneration over time are something we practice here. He includes practical details of soils, watercourses, the frogs, soils, water courses and types of trees that thrive here in the NW as well as his native Wisconsin and a piece of property his family has there as well. He cautions about unintended consequences of changing the natural habitat without first considering historic lessons of the area. He delves into a bit of history about the Olympic Penninsula where Tarboo Creek is, and in passing along the life lessons of nature to the next generation. His four "be-attitudes" are good too: Be Natural, Be Simple, Be Real, Be Present all have truth to them. I could have done without the Christian biblical quotations that popped up within segments, but that is who he is.
December 12, 2022
"Saving Tarboo Creek" begins as a multigenerational tale of one family's commitment to a life of respect for wildlife, habitat and the environment in general, focusing on the current generation's efforts to rehabilitate a section of creek used by spawning salmon. Really fascinating and well written. From points within this story, sections of concise, educational biology and science take off. Mostly this is given in an easy, brief but very factual and well thought out style. Scott Freeman does a great job here. At the end it gets a little heavy handed with some telling of what we readers can and should do, That ending left me feeling a bit like I was baited by the title of one family's quest and then given more science than I expected and a bit of a manifesto, but thinking it out I enjoyed so many bits of this; matching parts and science to my own experiences, and how much I followed up here and there looking up related information. All in all a very likeable book.
October 8, 2019
While reading this book, I kept nodding and thinking, "yes exactly!" Freeman captures the satisfaction and groundedness that I've experienced in my own restoration work. He articulates an ethical approach to relationality that arises from his biology expertise. And the joyfulness with which he describes fungi and soils and stream geomorphology and salmon identifies him as a fellow nature nerd.
The one big conversation I noticed was missing was on the politics of stream restoration. Having spent a little too much (or perhaps to little) considering questions of stream design, historical baselines, and neoliberal knowledge politics, I was eager to hear where Freeman stands. But perhaps that is out of place in a book that aims to inspire young folks like myself to live a "natural life". A commendable goal that I'm wholly on board with.
The one big conversation I noticed was missing was on the politics of stream restoration. Having spent a little too much (or perhaps to little) considering questions of stream design, historical baselines, and neoliberal knowledge politics, I was eager to hear where Freeman stands. But perhaps that is out of place in a book that aims to inspire young folks like myself to live a "natural life". A commendable goal that I'm wholly on board with.
January 22, 2020
I almost stopped reading at the introduction:
"No human culture has ever limited its use of resources voluntarily. Throughout history, people have used forests, wildlife, water, and soil until they were used up." WHAT?
What about the indigenous people who lived in the Pacific Northwest for 8000+ years and managed the forests and ecosystems in healthy and sustainable ways? Mr. Freeman offers no land acknowledgement of the people who cared for Taboo Creek for millennial and were driven out by people who look like him. The culture of using "forests, wildlife, water, and soil until they are used up" arrived relatively recently with the European immigrant/invader.
This author needed someone to challenge his white Eurocentric views before this was published.
I persevered and found some sections of interest and respect his efforts to repair and protect the land.
"No human culture has ever limited its use of resources voluntarily. Throughout history, people have used forests, wildlife, water, and soil until they were used up." WHAT?
What about the indigenous people who lived in the Pacific Northwest for 8000+ years and managed the forests and ecosystems in healthy and sustainable ways? Mr. Freeman offers no land acknowledgement of the people who cared for Taboo Creek for millennial and were driven out by people who look like him. The culture of using "forests, wildlife, water, and soil until they are used up" arrived relatively recently with the European immigrant/invader.
This author needed someone to challenge his white Eurocentric views before this was published.
I persevered and found some sections of interest and respect his efforts to repair and protect the land.
November 14, 2018
I grew up playing in the valley and hills around Tarboo Creek, our drinking water was from a tiny tributary of the creek, we waded across the seasonal floods to catch the school bus - so I wanted to love this book. The portions that describe the restoration of the stream and the land are fascinating and could have been twice as long. I would have loved to read more about the progression from year to year.
The rest unfortunately reminded me far too much of Henry David Thoreau. I respect those who spend their time and energy and money on environmental causes, whether as their full time life or a weekend hobby. That respect slips away when I see them judge others who don’t have time, energy or money to spend. Like Thoreau, this author fails to recognize his own privilege.
The rest unfortunately reminded me far too much of Henry David Thoreau. I respect those who spend their time and energy and money on environmental causes, whether as their full time life or a weekend hobby. That respect slips away when I see them judge others who don’t have time, energy or money to spend. Like Thoreau, this author fails to recognize his own privilege.
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