 | Fragile Giants: A Natural History of the Loess Hills Subjects: Natural history -- Iowa; Natural history -- Missouri; Natural history -- Nebraska; Ecology -- Iowa; Ecology -- Missouri; Ecology -- Nebraska; Just east of the Missouri River in Iowa and northeastern Missouri, an angular band of rugged, prairie-topped and woodland-cloaked hills spans the otherwise uneventful skyline. These are the Loess Hills, recognized throughout the United States for their distinctive natural features. With clarity and thoroughness, Fragile Giants gives us a complete natural history of this area, including three auto tours and a comprehensive listing of public-use areas and educational programs. Ecologist Cornelia Mutel has written or edited several books on Iowa's natural history, most recently The Emerald Horizon: The History of Nature in Iowa (Iowa, 2008), Iowa's first comprehensive environmental history, and A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008 (Iowa, 2010). Others include books leading to the rediscovery of western Iowa's Loess Hills, Fragile Giants: A Natural History of the Loess Hills, (Iowa, 1989) and explaining techniques for restoring Midwestern ecosystems, The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook for Prairies, Savannas, and Woodlands, 2nd edition (2005). Connie is historian and archivist for IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa College of Engineering. |
