At the Glacier’s Edge

A Natural History of Long Island from the Narrows to Montauk Point

By Betsy McCully

Rutgers University Press

Vast salt marshes, ancient grasslands, lush forests, pristine beaches and dunes, and copious inland waters, all surrounded by a teeming sea. These are probably not the first things you imagine when you think of Long Island, but just beyond its highways and housing developments lies a stunning landscape full of diverse plant and animal life.

Combining science writing, environmental history, and first-hand accounts from a longtime resident, At the Glacier’s Edge offers a unique narrative natural history of Long Island. Betsy McCully tells the story of how the island was formed at the end of the last ice age, how its habitats evolved, and how humans in the last few hundred years have radically altered and degraded its landscape. Yet as she personally recounts the habitat losses and species declines she has witnessed over the past few decades, she describes the vital efforts that environmental activists are making to restore and reclaim this land—from replanting salt marshes, to preserving remaining grasslands and forests, to cleaning up the waters. At the Glacier’s Edge provides an in-depth look at the flora, fauna and geology that make Long Island so special.

McCully repeatedly establishes a strong and evocative sense of place, transporting the reader around ‘Island’ space and time in a way that illuminates both dimensions. Her writing is naturally elegant and admirably sound. John R. Waldman, author of Heartbeats in the Muck: The History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor

McCully addresses the need for more treatments of the natural history of our coasts and does it in a comprehensive and engaging manner. In her well-written survey of frequent visits to locations all over the area, her treatment of glaciers and glaciation provides a perfect context, especially for Long Island, one of the most geologically dynamic locations in North America. I recommend this work with complete enthusiasm!'

Kenneth W. Able, author of Coastal Landscapes: South Jersey from the Air (Rutgers University Press)
Kenneth W. Able, author of Coastal Landscapes: South Jersey from the Air (Rutgers University Press)

BETSY MCCULLY lives on Long Island with her husband. A former assistant professor of English at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY, she cofounded the Kingsborough Eco-Festival and has frequently written and lectured about New York’s environmental history. Her previous book was City at the Water’s Edge: A Natural History of New York (Rutgers University Press, 2007).

Preface
1   Walking the Glacier’s Edge: Where the Past is Prologue
2   Shifting Sands and Walking Dunes: Our Living Shores
3   The Blue Surround: From the Shallows to the Deeps
4   Seas of Grass: Our Glorious Salt Marshes
5   Copious Waters and Multitudes of Fish
6   Grasslands at the Glacier’s Edge: Moors, Downs, and a Lost Prairie
7   Falling Trees: Our Diminishing Forests
Appendix: Common and Scientific Names of Species Mentioned
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

Preface ix
1 Walking the Glacier’s Edge: Where the Past Is Prologue 1
2 Shifting Sands and Walking Dunes: Our Living Shores 13
3 The Blue Surround: From the Shallows to the Deeps 38
4 Seas of Grass: Our Glorious Salt Marshes 68
5 Copious Waters and Multitudes of Fish 92
6 Grasslands at the Glacier’s Edge: Moors, Downs, and a Lost Prairie 117
7 Falling Trees: Our Diminishing Forests 139
Appendix: Common and Scientific Names of Species Mentioned 159
Acknowledgments 167
Notes 169
Index 201

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