NOTE: This book has already sold out of the first printing. While we may have some in stock at tour partner stores, we aren't sure when we'll be able to get them again.Richard M. Donovan, Foreword by Andrew Sansom
If you met the author on the street, you wouldn’t expect him to be an ardent spokesman for keeping east Texas’ Neches River wild and free, nor would figure him for someone to take on a paddle of 325 miles in 27 days to further his cause. His passion to protect the Neches is so ingrained in him though, that you would soon find out that the Neches River is his life's blood. Reading this book will leave no doubt that the Neches is worth the effort to protect from dams and other “progress” that would change it forever.
The title underestimates the book though. Full of information on history, Indian wars, wildlife management, poaching, overhunting, the culture of the people (both heart warming and alarming), local gossip (“The bridge at this location was made of wood until just a few years ago. Somebody got mad at somebody else, soaked the wooden bridge in oil, and set it ablaze. This steel will not burn so readily”), it’s just as much about the early history of Texas as it is about canoeing and the natural experience. Although the recent establishment of the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge will help keep one portion of the river wild, it’s just a start. Paddling the Wild Neches should enlist more Neches River keepers.
From the publisher:
"From its origins on a sandy hillside in Van Zandt County, the Neches River flows through the heart of East Texas. In its watershed lies some of the wildest country in Texas, tucked amid the remains of one of the finest hardwood forests in the world. With the goal of keeping the Neches flowing free, East Texas native and riverman Richard M. Donovan takes readers canoeing down a two-hundred-mile stretch of the upper Neches. Through two national forests and mile after mile of remote river woodlands, he chronicles the river's natural and cultural history, describes its animal inhabitants, recounts stories of early settlers and East Texas hunting traditions, and calls attention to the recreational potential of the river for paddlers and others, whether residents or visitors.
Donovan also makes a case against damming the river. He convincingly promotes the idea of turning the Neches into a National Wild and Scenic River, preserving forever the river's natural flow and what remains of the verdant bottomlands of this historic watercourse.
Royalties earned from the sale of this book will be donated to the Conservation Fund for the purchase of Neches River bottomland.
RICHARD M. DONOVAN, a former employee of Temple-Inland, grew up hunting and fishing along the creeks and streams of the Neches River. He chairs the Forest Task Force of the Texas Committee on Natural Resources and lives in Lufkin.
What people are saying about this book:
"I found myself engrossed in this narrative."—Pete A. Y. Gunter
". . . one of those great treasures that delivers far more than it promises. Not only is it the personal story of one man's journey on a scenic river and a compelling case for that river's protection, but it is also a fascinating account of the history and people of East Texas and a fine collection of stories that bring those people to life."—Ken Kramer, Director, Lone Star Chapter, Sierra Club
". . . does for the Neches River and East Texas what John Graves's book Goodbye to a River did for the Brazos River and West Texas. . . . [Donovan puts] within the grasp of us all an appreciation for our state's connection with its rivers, both emotional and historic."—Larry McKinney, Senior Director of Aquatic Resources, Texas Parks and Wildlife."
Flexibound with flaps, 6x9 inches, 256 pp; 38 color, 36 b&w photos, 4 maps; Bib. Index; JUNE 2006
One left in stock!
