Whether profiling the chief of the last hunter-gatherers on the river, an early settler witnessing her first prairie fire and a modern wildlife biologist using fire to manage prairies, the manager of the Granger Farmer’s Co-op Creamery, or a landowner whose bottomlands are continually eaten away by floods, Faldet steadily develops the central idea that people are walking tributaries of the river basin in which they make their homes. Faldet moves through the history of life along the now-polluted Upper Iowa, always focusing on the ways people depend on the river, the environment, and the resources of the region. He blends contemporary conversations, readings from the historical record, environmental research, and personal experience to show us that the health of the river is best guaranteed by maintaining the biological communities that nurture it. In return, taking care of the Upper Iowa is the best way to take care of our future. “The great conservationist and Iowa native Aldo Leopold often reminded us that to live well in our land community we should strive to understand it. Oneota Flow is a treasure chest of such understanding. Every Home Place should have a David Faldet.”—Paul W. Johnson, former director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources “Faldet’s Oneota Flow gathers stories small and large—like river tributaries—to form a great, flowing whole, a deep, curving story of an entire watershed and those who have called it home. Tributaries and stories: Spring Creek, South Pine, Coldwater Cave, Canoe Creek, prairie fires, rural electrification, Ho-Chunk ways, PCBs, brook trout, and family tales all contribute to this rich narrative, so much like the Upper Iowa in full summer flow.”—Drake Hokanson, director, Center for Mississippi River Studies, Winona State University  “ Oneota Flow is a refreshingly candid view of an exceptional natural resource. Faldet’s ability to combine active storytelling with historical and scientific perspectives makes for enjoyable and informative reading. I would recommend this to residents of the Upper Iowa area and of Iowa and to anyone who wants a poetic account of one midwestern river that represents much of what has happened to these resources in our modern society.”—Richard Leopold, director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources David Faldet is Jones Professor of English at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Used Book in Good Condition