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This page-turner for nature lovers
will captivate readers who have harbored fantasies of moving
back to the land and who will appreciate its mingling of
environmental theory, policy prescription and vivid personal
anecdote. Inspired by Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac,
Apfelbaum, founder and
president of Applied Ecological Services, "dreamt of a home that
would allow me... to become deeply involved with the land, where
I could live simply." He founded Stone Prairie Farm in southern
Wisconsin on 80 acres, surrounded by cornfields, farm machinery
and grazing cattle. The book relates the 30-year adventure of
restoring the farm to prairie, following the author as he
befriends the neighbors and finds a mate. With her, he gathers
native seeds by bicycle, engages in controlled—and some
not-so-controlled—burning, negotiates with hunters and gardeners
as the land becomes a prime spot for deer and wild turkeys, and
inspires his local community, as well as the reader, to consider
a more ecologically friendly and spiritually satisfying
relationship with the land. (Feb.)
Publisher's weekly review of "Nature's Second Chance"
"Seeds planted by Aldo Leopold found
fertile soil in the mind of Steve Apfelbaun. He left the city
and bought a small abandoned farm in the country. While
restoring native communities of plants and animals on his land,
he developed a vision that eventually became a successful
business, Applied Ecological Services Inc., dedicated to
restoration of native communities. Like Leopold, Steve’s
absorbing and delightful story will undoubtedly inspire future
generations to heal the land."
Dr. George Archibald
Co-founder, International Crane Foundation.
Book Jacket Blurbs coming in for Natures Second Chance:
Steeped in the tradition of Leopolds land ethic, this volume
chronicles the maturation of a young environmental idealist into
successful ecological entrepreneur. While Leopold pleaded that
we disassociate economic gain from our valuation of natural
lands, this volume expands the land ethic to embrace the
economic drivers that, if properly harnessed, can help restore
our planet. This account of personal transformation confirms
that we, the greater restoration community, can and must engage
the greater economy while remaining true to our core ecological
values. This is the rebirth of nature for which the author
labors.
John A. Shuey, Director of Conservation Science, Indiana
Office of the Nature Conservancy
In his account, both personal and visionary, of the restoration
of his eighty-acre farm, Steven Apfelbaum makes a passionate
plea for the respect and conservation of our ecosystems. Listen
to him. In a time when twelve-thousand-year-old landscapes can
be bulldozed in a matter of hours, it is essential to take his
words to heart.
Jane Brox --author: Clearing Land: Legacies of the American
Farm
In A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold struggled to define a
‘land ethic.’ In Nature's Second Chance, Steven Apfelbaum
documents the struggle to put it into practice, and explores the
application and implications of becoming part of the land
community. Although the reader will see some parallels among the
plethora of ‘back to the land’ books, none come even close to
the insight provided in the pages of Nature's Second Chance.
With the keen eye of a naturalist and the pragmatic perspective
of a practitioner, Apfelbaum has picked up where Leopold left
off, and carries the reader to the next level of land ethics. "
Dr. Alan Haney, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point,
co-editor of Ecosystem Management
Living with the land, and not just simply on it, has never been
more imperative - and Steven Apfelbaum is the perfect guide to
that new symbiosis. Nature's Second Chance is part memoir, part
road map for a more sustainable future, drawn from Apfelbaum's
three decades of hard-won experience restoring the ecological
links on his Wisconsin farm.
Scott Weidensaul, author of Of a Feather and Return to Wild
America
What a magnificent honor to have met you both, before reading
this incredible story of you and the restoration of Stone
Prairie Farm. It recharges my soul and my heart, and reading any
piece of it gives me joy, tears and hope. Since the beginning,
one can grasp its enormous value to humanity. I can assure you
that Nature´s Second Chance will become one of the most
important pieces, like the Bible, the Coran and other books are
for the respective religions. In our case, for the sacred
challenge of restoring of our Mother Planet. Nature´s Second
Chance is invaluable and I wish someday it can be translated
into Spanish and other languages because of the inspiration and
motivation it brings to the reader´s soul and mind.
Alvaro Ugalde
Emeritis Director of Costa Rican National Park Service
Nectandra Institute
San Ramon, Costa Rica |
