A compelling story of place Steward s Fork explores northwest California s magnificent Klamath Mountains a region that boasts a remarkable biodiversity a terrain so rugged that significant landscape features are still being discovered there and a wealth of natural resources that have been used and more recently abused by humans for millennia James K Agee a forest ecologist with more than fifty years experience in the Klamaths provides a multidimensional perspective on this region and asks how can we most effectively steward this spectacular landscape toward a sustainable future In an engaging narrative laced with personal anecdotes he introduces the dynamics of the Klamath s ecosystems including its geology and diverse flora and fauna and then discusses its native cultures and more recent inhabitants laying out the effects of industries such as logging mining water development and fishing Assuming that people will continue to have a close tie to the Klamaths Agee introduces the principles of restoration ecology to offer a vision of how we can responsibly meet the needs of both people and natural organisms including plants fish and wildlife This debate over the future of the Klamath s rich landscape widens into a provocative meditation on nature culture and our relationship with the earth itself