Product Description

Most Kentuckians and visitors to the state are unaware of the Commonwealth’s unique biological heritage—much less that much of it is in danger of disappearing forever.

With over 100 glorious full-color photographs and insightful text, Kentucky’s Last Great Places highlights the incredible natural beauty found in the Commonwealth’s old-growth forests, prairies, wetlands, and other distinctive biological habitats. More than 3,000 vascular plants, 230 fish, 105 amphibians and reptiles, 350 birds, 75 mammals, and 12,000 insects call Kentucky home. Many of these species and their habitats are considered rare, threatened or endangered. Overall, less than one percent of Kentucky is classified ecologically as being in a “pre-European” condition that deserves significant protection.

Award-winning photographer and author Thomas G. Barnes combines his strikingly beautiful photographs with essays describing the splendor found in more than forty of Kentucky’s diverse natural preserves or ecological areas, including the old-growth Blanton Forest near Pine Mountain in Harlan County, Axe Lake Swamp in Ballard County near the Mississippi River, Red River Gorge, the Kentucky River Palisades, Mammoth Cave, and many others.

This spectacular oversized book provides an awareness of the biodiversity of Kentucky, what challenges there are to protecting its biological heritage, and how organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, the National Park Service, and others have protected and are continuing to protect the state’s unique biological legacy.

Kentucky’s Last Great Places is both a stunning collection of nature photographs and a means for increasing our understanding of the fragile beauty of Kentucky.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #426454 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 216 pages

Review

""One cannot leaf through the pages of this book without feeling a strong urge to see these wild places."" -- Indiana Magazine of History

""With over 100 glorious full-color photographs and insightful text, Kentucky's Last Great Places highlights the incredible natural beauty found in the Commonwealth's old-growth forests, prairies, wetlands, and other distinctive biological habitats. Kentucky's Last Great Places is both a stunning collection of nature photographs and a means for increasing our understanding of the fragile beauty of Kentucky."" -- Kentucky Books Blogspot

""Does substantial justice to the beauty and biodiversity of our commonwealth."" -- David Hawpe, Louisville Courier Journal

""This isn't a memorial to lost places; it's a call to action, a reminder to readers of what exactly there is to lose if economic development continues to take precedence over the environment in both social and political arenas."" -- Back Home in Kentucky

""Whether [Barnes is] describing a hike with his young son, or his delight in spotting an unexpected cluster of wildflowers, his joy in Kentucky's natural beauty is contagious."" -- Madelynn Coldiron, Kentucky Monthly

""The beauty of this book is not only chronicling the rich history but also providing an outstanding photo essay of Kentucky's fauna and flora."" -- Jeff Hohman, Kentucky Living

""Thomas Barnes' love of this land shines clearly through his lens and pen."" -- Virginia Quarterly Review

About the Author
Thomas G. Barnes, an associate extension professor of forestry at the University of Kentucky, is the author of Gardening for the Birds.

Customer Reviews

Lovely book
This author's photographic work is gorgeous but this is not only a "picture book". It is a book of nature, ecology and environment and is worth exploring. I love Kentucky and grieve for the assaults and damages it has suffered for so long. It is my hope that if Kentuckians can see their home state as this book shows it, they will be more protective of it. Greed and exploitation have harmed Kentucky as have poverty and ignorance. The state and the nation need to protect Kentucky's natural environment. One complaint about the book: it needs a state map showing the regions the author writes about! There was no way to refer to the regions because there was no map of that sort. (There was a very limited map but not cross-referenced to the regions covered in the book.) This was an annoying omission from the book, but the book still merits high ratings for its beauty and information.

A Coffee table book: you won't need the caffeine!
This is a book any biologist will not be able to put down. The author has a way with words that make you feel like you are sitting around a round table talking with him personally. The book makes you want to hop up and travel all over Kentucky looking at these neat natural places. Too bad, Tennessee does not have a similar volume of natural history. This guy is on a roll with wild places. Catch him if you can!

Great Pictures and a great read!
This book was my treat for myself when I moved away from Kentucky to go to grad school in the Washington area. The photography is spectacular and shows many areas most Kentuckians had no idea existed. There's more there than Mammoth Cave and the Red River Gorge!

Along with photography of animals and plants goes the story of the people who have tried to preserve some areas for generations to come. The book begins with the numbers how much habitat and ecosystems in the state has been lost, but continues with the story of how much richness remains. I really enjoyed it.