Olympic National Park: A Natural History, Revised Edition

by Tim McNulty

In this thoroughly revised edition, Tim McNulty returns his gaze to the Olympic National Park : 1,400 square miles of rugged mountains and wilderness in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula. By examining the effects of global warming and its rapid changes throughout the region alongside current archaeological discoveries that shed new light on the early people of the peninsula, McNulty brings together our past and future.

McNulty also tells the stories of the Olympic National Park 's animal populations. From marmots and black bears to the prospect of reintroducing wolves, he then looks at the resurgence of bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and the burgeoning sea otter populations rejuvenating the coastal ecosystems. Finally, the restoration of the Elwha River, the removal of salmon-blocking dams, and salmon recovery efforts across the peninsula are bringing wildlife back to the wilderness.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Natural History, History

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Tim McNulty is a poet, essayist and nature writer. He lives with his family in the foothills of Washington's Olympic Mountains.

Reviews

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the reviews saying this book was too sciencey and not touristy enough, I knew this was the book I was looking for.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I know a lot more about the park after reading this book, but was often frustrated that it seemed to be written for people who were already familiar with wildlife. I would have appreciated more descriptive pictures showing the specific features he was talking about in the landscape and wildlife.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a travel book for your first visit to the park. That is the mistake that I made. I felt constantly frustrated with this book while reading it during my trip to the park. There are very few pictures and I was constantly confused as to what he was talking about. There is also an extensive geologic and botanical vocabulary necessary to even understand a lot of it. Being in the park, I had no service and couldn't google for further explanation. I also found the layout of the book frustrating in how the chapters were divided. I would have preferred a chapter about an area and then learned about the animal and plant life, and human history for each part of the park. These were all broad separate chapters. The language was also superfluous in its descriptions, and I was not surprised to read that the author is a poet. I still learned about the park, the book is quite thorough in that aspect.

[Megan Regel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. I moved to Washington from the Midwest in 2011 for grad school, and the first chance I got, I escaped to the Olympic Peninsula for an adventure. Since then, the Peninsula has remained one of my absolute favorite places in the world- and I've traveled all over the country and world!

Some of the prose is a bit sickly sweet, but my love of the Peninsula inspires me to think that way too, so not only is it forgiven, but I encourage you to think of your own sickly sweet prose when you visit Olympic National Park.

Now that it's 2016, the Elwha Dam has been removed for a few years and other archaeological studies have likely been completed, I'd like to read another revision soon incorporating any new developments!

[Fernleaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and comprehensive look at the natural history of the area encompassed by the Olympic National Park, Olympic National Forest and adjoining native lands. Beginning with overall geology of the region and the curious nature of the rocks within the park the narrative soon expands to the alpine glaciers and how the region was shaped by ice. Discussion of biotic communities begins with the alpine and sub-alpine zones branching down into montane and then lowland forests, from there you venture to the rivers and lakes and finally to the rich coastal ecosystems. Each ecotone is generally granted a brief overview combining prose and biological highlights, followed by one or more subsections spotlighting particularly emblematic members of that ecosystem. The final chapter of the book explores human impacts on the area, exploring early archaeological finds, use patterns by various peninsular tribes, and finally the long battle to protect park lands from resource-extraction.

It is a very readable volume, straying only occasionally into the realm of scientific jargon, although if you bore easily I might recommend skipping the section on geology. There is a center section of color photographs, but the bulk of the text is largely just that, sprinkled with occasional black and white photos for flavor. The beautiful language certainly made me wish I lived closer and could see more of the park in all it's glorious seasons.

[Rebecca Stromquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want travel tips, this is not the book. This book is a very detailed description of the natural history of the park, starting when the Earth was new. I am not a geologist, so I believe a lot of technical jargon went over my head. The book describes many places, animals and plants, and I wish there were more pictures and diagrams to help me envision the beauty of the park. That being said, I really enjoyed all the information and it got me very excited for my trip there this summer. Plus, the author is also a poet and turns a beautiful phrase!

[Jaime]

This is a pretty incredible ecological book. It is as dense as a textbook in many spots. I'm very happy that I read it before going to Olympic; although I can't claim to have retained more than 10 percent of it, it added to my enjoyment of the park. However -- the last chapter, on what we (spec, white industrialized people) have wrought is...reading it is similar to being punched in the gut, several times.

[Wendy Feltham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second reading of this book, and the first time reading the 2009 edition. What an incredible resource for those of us who are lucky to live near the Olympic National Park. It's a comprehensive survey of research about the geology, biology, and cultural history of the park. Tim McNulty is a poet, and his language and observations of nature make this book special. Special also are the photos, the updates about each of several mammals in the park-- marmots, otters, fishers-- the information about the Native Americans who have lived here for thousands of years, and the politics around the park boundaries. I never knew the Olympic National Park was a UNESCO treasure! I know I'll consult this book many times in the years ahead when planning hikes and trips to various parts of this gorgeous park. (It's strange to be writing this today, 10-1-13, having a hike cancelled for tomorrow because the government shut down its national parks, including the Olympic National Park, because the planners of the hike were concerned we wouldn't have weather information we needed or emergency response if we got stuck. I hope the Olympic National Park survives this bizarre turn of events.)

[Ed Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have copies from two publishers

[Cheryl Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the back trail on how God crated and man choose to set aside this land.

[Taylor Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous overview of the natural history for the Olympics.