Big Bluestem: A Journey into the Tallgrass [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Annick Smith (Author), Harvey Payne (Photographer), Carol Haralson (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

The Nature Conservancy has begun an ecological experiment on one of North America's last remaining expanses of grasslands. Beyond simply conserving the place, they are studying it and shaping it anew<-- >bringing back bison and seeding with fire to liberate the biodiversity of a land never broken by the plow. Writer Smith was employed to present what is known and being researched concerning the natural ecosystem of the Osage tallgrass prairie, as well as the historical human uses of the prairie that have shaped its attributes. Color photos by Harvey Payne, who grew up and lives in the area, reveal his intimate knowledge and reverence for the land and its flora and fauna. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A committed conservationist, Smith (Homestead) has written a graceful history?both natural and cultural?of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, a 37,500-acre refuge established by the Nature Conservancy in Oklahoma. When the possibility of a national prairie preserve in Oklahoma foundered on political shoals in 1987, the Nature Conservancy stepped in. The goals were to protect some of the native plants and animals of the only "substantial biome that had not been included in a system of national parks and preserves" and to allow the public to experience a taste of prairie lifestyle. "It is impossible to fully understand America without seeing the prairie," proclaimed Oklahoma Senator David Boren when bison were released onto the preserve in 1993. Smith does an admirable job of describing wildlife, nicely balancing the biological with the aesthetic. She excels in re-creating what has truly been lost?the people and cultures of the American prairie. She writes of the lives of Native Americans, ranchers, oil workers and townsfolk with sensitivity but without undue nostalgia. The almost 200 color photographs by Harvey Payne and the approximately 100 black-and-white archival pictures combine with Smith's text to make an attractive package.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Montana author Smith (Homestead, LJ 5/1/95) left her home in the high desert mountains to study the Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve project. Originally a working cattle ranch of over 37,000 acres in northern Oklahoma, the conservancy is attempting to use bison-grazing and selective burning to restore an extinct prairie ecosystem. In a profusely illustrated volume, Smith examines the natural history of the land as well as the impact humans have had on it. Perhaps most importantly, she describes what should be considered a model preservation/restoration project funded primarily by donations that uses cooperation instead of force or intimidation to win the support of local residents. Recommended for all regional, range-management, and natural history collections. [See also Richard Manning's Grassland, LJ 7/95, and Marcy Houle's The Prairie Keepers, LJ 4/1/95.?Ed.]?Tim J. Markus, Evergreen State Coll. Lib., Olympia, Wash.
-?Tim J. Markus, Evergreen State Coll. Lib., Olympia, Wash.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Council Oak Books; First Edition edition (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571780319
• ISBN-13: 978-1571780317
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love nature photography, OR Oklahoma...., July 20, 2000

By 

Cyndi L. Eaton (Shidler, OK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Bluestem: A Journey into the Tallgrass (Hardcover)

....this is a book you must own. Harvey Payne is one of the greatest outdoor photographers you will ever find. If you have lived in Oklahoma or are at all interested in this area or ecosystem, you will find this book fascinating. There is so much beauty in our state that is overlooked, and this book brings it to life, along with engaging stories of the people who tamed this rough wilderness. This is a book that makes me proud to be an Okie while looking at it. If you have ever been entranced by the stoic, proud majesty of the bison who once ruled the prairie, and are now relegated to wildlife preserves, buy this book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grass and Buffalo, March 13, 2001

By 

Paul Hartman (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Bluestem: A Journey into the Tallgrass (Hardcover)

I fully enjoyed this book. In her discussion of the prairie preserve, Annick Smith delved into cowboys, cattle drives, Indians, The Trail of Tears, Oklahoma land runs, buffalo, cattle, oil, the Civil War, controlled fire, prairie grasses, outlaws: all the makings of 10,000 Western movies. The book is beautiful: oversized and full of color photos. I especially enjoyed it since I was born in Oklahoma, still live here, and have spent some time on the prairie. But for anyone who likes Western history, prairie photography and preservation, this is a spiritual journey into a new home of grasses and buffalo in Oklahoma.

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Bluestem, February 15, 2007

By 

Barney Considine (Missoula, Montana USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Bluestem: A Journey into the Tallgrass (Hardcover)

This book is exceptional in so many ways. The writing is good, the photographs outstanding. Good research and intellectual honesty makes it a good source for history, ecology, and natural studies.

The approach to creating the book worked extraordinarily well but at its inception must have seemed very chancy. The author chosen to write this account of the Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve was unfamiliar with the Preserve and its surrounding area in Oklahoma. The advantage was objectivity but there are lots of hazards in such a choice. Annick Smith is from Montana's Rocky Mountains, separate from the Oklahoma grasslands in many ways. Her recognized writing skills, coupled with drawing on three years of research, getting a first-hand feel of the Preserve, and interviewing a broad cross-section of local people produced this fine addition to any library.

At first glance, the beauty and physical appearance tempts a person to call this a "coffee-table book." However, this is a book with depth. Although easy to read, it takes far longer to read than a person expects at first glance. There are several photos and illustrations per page. Harvey Payne, director of the Preserve, took the majority of current photos over the Preserve's relatively short existence. His skill with a camera is extraordinary and complements Smith's writing well. The photos are mostly well captioned, although the people responsible for writing the captions and laying out the format made a few errors - one of only two negative comments that you will find in this review.

Smith chose to organize her chapters by major subject and then present them in rough chronological order. It was the correct choice to provide smooth flow, and she avoided the trap of duplicating information from chapter to chapter.

After several tries at preserving something of the vanished tall grass prairies that covered much of the central United States, the dedication of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve was in 1993. Mostly local issues kept it from being federally administered and The Nature Conservancy stepped in to keep the drive for protection from failing. The Preserve includes over 30,000 acres carved from one of the big Oklahoma cattle ranches. To think of the Preserve as being the same as the original tall grass prairies, is incorrect. It will never be. For one thing, we don't even know for sure what that was; what plants were there, how it changed in response to climate and chance events over centuries. This bit of Oklahoma is an infinitesimal part of the original and each acre of the original differed. Obviously, the historic prairie was unmanaged except for minor burning and other efforts by the Indian tribes. The Preserve is highly managed, albeit with a goal of creating something close to the original. The administration sets fires to represent the random burning which natural forces might have caused. Cattle are gradually being replaced with buffalo to recreate historic grazing patterns as much as possible. However, tourism is a significant source of gaining funds and public support. Oil drilling and pumping continues through agreements between the Preserve and the oil companies. Fencing is required not only at the perimeter, but also in the interior.

Annick Smith first gives the history of the Preserve, and then circles back to that at the end of the book. She begins with the character, plants and animals of the Preserve. At that point, she steps back and covers the Native American history of the area, including the dismal record of broken agreements and various Indian relocations. The Osage are the predominant Native Americans in the area today. Smith's narrative then goes through a progression of white incursions of buffalo hunters, settlers, cattle ranchers, and finally oil exploration. It is necessarily a summary history but still provides a lot of detail. There is a generous amount about people in this book; those who created the Preserve and run it, the past and present inhabitants of the area.

At this point, I must interject my second negative comment. In portraying the community surrounding the Preserve, Smith adequately covers the people of lower income, as well as the large cattlemen and oilmen. Although mentioning some of the people in the middle, she goes too quickly past those who operate businesses in the towns that support the preserve. There isn't any mention of mini-ranchers running a few head of stock while holding other jobs to make ends meet. The people who attend PTA meetings, lead 4-H clubs, and cooperate in soil conservation districts are part of the core element in such a community.

Now back to the positive. The final chapter is "The Politics of Preservation," and the book ends with a delightful Epilogue, a great resource list for further reading, and a helpful index.

Thanks to those who brought the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve into being, and I wish them the best of luck. Thanks to Annick Smith and Harvey Payne for a great book.