A Reverence for Rivers
Kurt D. Fausch
Illustrations by Nora Sherwood
In A Reverence for Rivers, Kurt Fausch draws on his experience as a stream ecologist, his interest in Indigenous cultures, and a thoughtful consideration of environmental ethics to explore human values surrounding freshwater ecosystems. Focusing on seven rivers across the globe—from the Salmon River in Oregon to the Sarufutsu River in Japan—he examines the growing ethical dilemmas threatening our rivers, including increasing demands for water, habitat fragmentation, overfishing, and deepening climate change.
How do we decide which rivers deserve legal protection? What is our right to water as humans? And how do we foster resilient rivers? Through a combination of scientific expertise and thoughtful observations of the natural world, Fausch translates the science of rivers into accessible language for readers and begins to address these questions. He weaves deep Indigenous histories throughout the book and includes personal visits to tribal lands to explore the traditional values held by several Indigenous groups. Fausch reminds us that our connection to rivers is personal and grounded in specific places, flowing from the stories we carry about our relationships with and responsibilities to these rivers.
In a final essay Fausch ponders Aldo Leopold’s statement that “nothing so important as an ethic is ever written,” but instead evolves in the minds of a thinking community. A Reverence for Rivers speaks to both the mind and the heart, offering perspectives so that we might begin to imagine and create an ethic for living with and caring for the running waters on which we rely for so much.
About the author
Kurt Fausch is a professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University, where he has taught for 33 years. His collaborative research has taken him throughout Colorado, the West, and worldwide, including to Hokkaido in northern Japan. His experiences in Japan were chronicled in the PBS documentary film “RiverWebs.” He has received numerous awards from the American Fisheries Society and the World Council of Fisheries Societies, and served as the acting Director of the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at CSU.
Read more about this author
“Written in the tradition of Aldo Leopold, A Reverence for Rivers makes a case for ethical river conservation in plain language. Fausch shares stories—from a lifetime studying rivers—that extend beyond the science to include the cultural perspectives of Indigenous people and show the urgent importance of rivers for sustaining a livable planet for all of us.” —Peter B. Moyle, coauthor of Protecting Life on Earth: An Introduction to the Science of Conservation
“In A Reverence for Rivers, Fausch translates his own river passion into prose that is insightful, educational, inspirational, and thought-provoking. He speaks from a deep well of scientific knowledge about rivers and extends that knowledge to probe philosophical questions that set the foundation for a new river ethic.” —Brian Richter, author of Chasing Water: A Guide for Moving from Scarcity to Sustainability
“A Reverence for Rivers is an eloquent contribution to developing an ethics of river conservation. Fausch’s writing is lyrical, and the lessons are profound. Readers cannot help but become more receptive to the beauty and complexity of rivers, and to the astounding vitality of riverine life. To read this book is to become a more committed member of, and advocate for, the community of all beings within and beyond rivers.” —Sandra Lubarsky, coauthor of On Beauty: Douglas R. Tompkins—Aesthetics and Activism
