{"product_id":"the-great-marsh-an-intimate-journey-into-a-chesapeake-wetland","title":"The Great Marsh: An Intimate Journey into a Chesapeake Wetland","description":"Is it still possible to make a voyage of discovery here in Maryland  the nations fifth most densely settled state? In The Great Marsh: An Intimate Journey into a Chesapeake Wetland  David W. Harps vivid photography and Tom Hortons eloquent prose produce a compelling portrait of one such journey in an intriguing and endangered habitat. Into this remarkable territorywhose shrinking dimensions frighten every naturalist and ecologistHarp and Horton embarked on a canoe trip  exploring  documenting  and photographing the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County. This volume  at its core  is the story of a single crossing of the Blackwaters length  east to west  while the accompanying essays discuss how the marsh functions as a refuge for migrating butterflies  the wetlands sustain a lonely trapper  and the bogs yield archeological treasuresremnants of American Indian hunting forays and colonial boat building. The edges of the Chesapeake Bay offer Americans some of their loveliest (and most sensitive) wetlands. The fertile waters and soggy vegetation provide a home to ducks  geese  eagles  and dozens of other species of birds; muskrats  squirrels  and foxes; and of course insect varieties almost too numerous to count. The environmental importance of the marshes lies in their capacity to filter pollutants  retard erosion  and help maintain a natural balance among the critters.","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44848666738741,"sku":"ByrdShop_0801867770","price":67.84,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/ByrdShop_0801867770.jpg?v=1765623970","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-great-marsh-an-intimate-journey-into-a-chesapeake-wetland","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}