The St. Croix River, the free-flowing boundary between Wisconsin and Minnesota, is a federally protected National Scenic Riverway. The area’s first recorded human inhabitants were the Dakota Indians, whose lands were transformed by fur trade empires and the loggers who called it the “river of pine.” A patchwork of farms, cultivated by immigrants from many countries, followed the cutover forests. Today, the St. Croix River Valley is a tourist haven in the land of sky-blue waters and a peaceful escape for residents of the bustling Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan region. North Woods River is a thoughtful biography of the river over the course of more than three hundred years. Eileen McMahon and Theodore Karamanski track the river’s social and environmental transformation as newcomers changed the river basin and, in turn, were changed by it. The history of the St. Croix revealed here offers larger lessons about the future management of beautiful and fragile wild waters.

Someone once asked me how much I charge to guide people into the woods. “That’s free,” I explained. “Anyone can get themselves into the woods. You pay me to get you out.” Can anyone really know the northern forest? It is something you feel more in your heart than in your head. You may be able to locate your place on a map, but can you pinpoint the places the forest has hold of your soul? For more than forty years, Maine Guide Earl Brechlin has sought the answers. Through this series of interconnected essays, Brechlin recounts the annual canoe trips to the North Maine Woods he has made with a small group of friends, closing with the death of his twin brother and the group’s last trip to spread his brother’s ashes in the place he loved best. Often humorous and thrilling at once, the heartfelt narrative is peppered with tidbits of history, woods lore, and sage advice from a seasoned outdoorsman. What shines through is the author’s profound love of the natural world and his place in it.

Whether hearing wood frogs peep, choosing the finest skipping stone, observing squirrels gathering nuts, or inhaling crisp, cold air, a hike through Grandma's woods engages all the senses.

"[T]his book is the bible for those of us hoping to experience the best whitewater in the Northwoods. It features technical yet spirited descriptions of every significant run in the area, plus colorful tales of the author's journeys. A detailed rating system assists kayakers and canoers in choosing the best river for their level of experience, while accurate maps and a user-friendly layout lead paddlers straight to their chosen whitewater rivers and creeks"--Page 4 of cover.

This is your guide to the Northwoodsí seasonal changes. It is organized in chapters that cover every two weeks, from fall through winter. Gain insight into the natural world in sequence. Learn about dragonflies, hummingbirds, wood frogs and more.

Walt Pitowski is a driven man living alone in a small northern Michigan town and obsessing over the many perceived injustices of his life. Walt's one glimmer of hope derives from his desire to compete in and finish the Grand Limoneaux Canoe Marathon, a grueling, sixteen hour test of paddling strength. When, during the course of his daily routine, Walt discovers partial human remains floating in the freezing waters of the Sparrow River, things get crazy. The local sheriff's department is stumped. The state police make no progress in solving what appears to be a ten-year-old mystery. And Walt, a right-fighting vigilante with a perpetual chip on his shoulder, takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of it all. A tale of death, intrigue, and redemption, Sparrow River takes you on a journey through the stark isolation of the northern wilderness with a host of colorful characters you won't soon forget.

On June 14, 2016, for the first time in two centuries, an Atlantic salmon swam through the town of Howland, Maine bound for spawning grounds that had been inaccessible for generations. Along the riverbank, hundreds of people cheered as they helped celebrate the event marking the culmination of a remarkable seventeen-year effort by an unlikely and diverse alliance of people and organizations. From Mountains to the Sea tells the inside story of the Penobscot River Restoration Project drawing on interviews with more than fifty participants who helped navigate local politics and federal budgets and examines the challenges, compromises, and key turning points in the project to ultimately balance social and economy values and serve as a global model for large-scale ecosystem restoration.