cover image The Prairie Keepers: Secrets of the Grasslands

The Prairie Keepers: Secrets of the Grasslands

Marcy Houle. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, $20 (266pp) ISBN 978-0-201-60843-4

The Zumwalt prairie in northeastern Oregon is one of the last of our native grasslands. Surrounded by public lands, it covers nearly 200 square miles, most of it privately owned and managed by ranchers. Wildlife biologist Houle (Wings for My Flight), who spent a season in the Zumwalt studying hawks, writes an engaging personal story of her time there. Finding the densest concentration of hawks in the lower 48 states, she set out to discover why. This led to the study of the entire ecosystem, and she learned, to her surprise, that cattle played a vital part in the wildlife community--properly managed, livestock can enhance wildlife habitat. Houle came to the prairie with a bias toward public lands; she left convinced that it can be safe in private hands. (Apr.)