Inherit the Atchafalaya by Greg Guirard

by Greg Guirard

Co-sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Inherit the Atchafalaya includes a 40-page introduction to the culture, history, and folklife of the Atchafalaya by noted cultural anthropologist C. Ray Brassieur, comprehensive maps of the Atchafalaya Basin, a historical timeline of Basin development, several profiles of south Louisiana boat styles and boat builders, a comprehensive list of suggested readings about the Atchafalaya Basin, a historical photo gallery of south Louisiana logging, interviews with fishermen from the Atchafalaya Basin area, and nearly 150 images by renowned photographer Greg Guirard, most of which have never before appeared in print. This is the first published collection of full-color photographs by Greg Guirard in over twelve years.

Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Born in 1937, Greg Guirard moved, with his extended family, to the western edge of the Atchafalaya Basin in St. Martin Parish. Greg was two years old at this time, and while he moved to other places (Belize, Costa Rica, North Carolina, Virginia), and traveled extensively within the US, he always came back home.

Greg was the father of four grown children, and for 13 years he made his living teaching English in colleges and high schools. Eventually, he found his passion was for the wilderness he called home, and the people who made their living there.

He spent most of his time crawfishing, salvaging ancient cypress logs from the swamp, fighting to save and restore the environment with Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, and writing and publishing books about the people, scenery and wildlife in and around the Atchafalaya Basin. He recorded the land, its wildlife, and its people in beautiful photographs and writings, publishing seven books, four of which are still available.