Bayou-Diversity 2: Nature and People in the Louisiana Bayou Country

by Kelby Ouchley

In this sequel to his previous exploration of Louisiana’s bayou country, conservationist Kelby Ouchley continues his journey through the vast ecosystems of the state with a fresh array of historical and cultural narratives, personal anecdotes, and reflections. Informative and entertaining, Bayou-Diversity 2 revisits familiar flora and fauna like endangered black bears, infamous feral hogs, and the ghostly bald cypress forest and also explores a new selection of plants and animals, including orchids, eels, bullbats, and cottonmouth snakes.

Ouchley’s thought-provoking discussion considers the long-term human impact on Louisiana plants and wildlife and encourages proactive conservation of Louisiana’s invaluable natural resources. Through education on conservation ethics, altered landscapes, and climate change, he asserts that we can and must improve our environment. “We are inextricably connected to the natural world,” Ouchley writes, and “our mutual well-being is inseparably linked.”

With page-turning narration, Bayou-Diversity 2 provides a comprehensive look at this awe-inspiring ecosystem and encourages generations of readers to take on the responsibility of environmental stewardship.

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2018

About the author

Kelby Ouchley is a naturalist and managed National Wildlife Refuges for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 30 years. His first book, "Flora and Fauna of the Civil War: An Environmental Reference Guide," was published by LSU Press in 2010. A collection of his essays, "Bayou-Diversity: Nature and People in the Louisiana Bayou Country," will be released by LSU Press in October 2011. His first novel, "Iron Branch: A Civil War Tale of a Woman In-Between," is availalbe for Kindle and other e-readers. Since 1995, Kelby has written and narrated a weekly conservation-related program for KEDM 90.3 FM, the public radio station that serves the Ark-La-Miss area. He has been awarded the Louisiana Governor's Conservationist of the Year Award. Kelby and his wife, Amy, live in the woods in Rocky Branch, Louisiana, in a cypress house surrounded by white oaks and black hickories.

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again I learned so much about the natural area I live in from Kelby Ouchley’s essays. They are full of interesting information about the diversity and history of the natural world around us. And I’m glad to see that he has the same low opinion of pine plantations and new neighborhood developments as I do. ;-)

[Joshua Soileau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Ouchley offers fantastic imagery of Louisiana's natural history in his latest work. He also delves deep into environment issues, offering personal experiences and testimonies that are rare in the literature today.