The book’s first section profiles geology, landforms, and the region’s woodlands and grasslands. The second explores the rich biological diversity associated with the land and its inhabitants’ remarkable adaptations to the environment and each other. The final section is a collection of stories of human interaction with the landscape, how nature has shaped culture and culture nature. Locklear finds “astonishments” at every turn.
In the Country of the Kaw is also a call to seek the flourishing of the natural and human communities of the region. Locklear describes staggering, human-wrought environmental degradations, but also finds great hope in the resilience of Nature and the inspiring work of conservation, preservation, restoration, and renewal being accomplished by individuals and organizations throughout the region. Locklear’s relationship with the country of the Kaw stretches from his childhood in Kansas City in the 1960s to his current professional life as a botanist working in the Great Plains. A half century of rambling and rooting around in this region has given him a deep awe and affection for its uniqueness and goodness, which he conveys to the reader on every page.
University Press of Kansas: May 6, 2024 • Hardback: 328 pages
About the Author
James H. Locklear is director of conservation at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, NE.
Editorial Reviews
“In the Country of the Kaw is a singular and significant addition to the literature of the Great Plains. Thoughtfully written, it captures the essence of the entire Kaw River basin, from the High Plains of eastern Colorado to the forested hills of northeastern Kansas. In the Country of the Kaw will help you understand this part of our natural world and live there more fully.” —Rex C. Buchanan, editor of Kansas Geology and coauthor of Roadside Kansas
“James Locklear writes about the land with the easy grace of someone describing an old friend. Indeed, Locklear’s ambition with In the Country of the Kaw is to convey the personality of the plains along the Kansas River through a series of sketches of the plants, animals, fossils, towns, and people to be found in the 173 water miles from Junction City to the confluence with the Missouri. It is an eclectic and sometimes quirky journey, but always expertly informed, as Locklear describes his avian dreams of swirling kettles of Swainson’s hawks to his waking sorrow at the historic slaughter of wolves and bison. This is a book to delight and instruct and to reassure that you aren’t the only one thinking and caring deeply about the natural world.” —Max McCoy, author of Elevations: A Personal Exploration of the Arkansas River
