At the Glacier's Edge by Betsy McCully (Hardcover)

"Beyond its highways and housing developments lies the natural world of Long Island, New York, a place of extensive salt marshes, pristine beaches and dunes, ancient grasslands, diverse forests, copious inland waters and a teeming sea. At the Glacier's Edge reveals this natural world in all its beauty and diversity. It tells the story of how the island was formed at the end of the last ice age, how its habitats evolved, and how humans in the last few hundred years have radically altered and degraded its landscape. Efforts to preserve and restore its ancient habitats are fully recounted, from replanting salt marshes, to preserving remaining grasslands and forests, to cleaning up the waters. The story is told through the eyes of a longtime resident who has explored the island's natural places from end to end. She brings a long perspective to the story, having witnessed the changes in the land wrought by the human hand"--