The Once and Future Great Lakes Country

John L. Riley is chief science advisor, Nature Conservancy of Canada. He has had careers as a botanist, geologist, ecologist, and conservation professional with the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Geological Survey, and Ontario Nature. He lives in Mono, Ontario.John L. Riley is chief science advisor, Nature Conservancy of Canada. He has had careers as a botanist, geologist, ecologist, and conservation professional with the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Geological Survey, and Ontario Nature. He lives in Mono, Ontario.

“This important book comes at a crucial time for our culture and beyond that, for our planet. The vivid story-telling paints a picture of our history and geography that is fresh and often surprising. This is a compelling and complex message of what we hav

"John Riley has written the book I once thought I might write ... His knowledge, practical experience, and determination make this a singular work that combines historical scholarship, scientific understanding, and subtle, low-key advocacy." Ramsay Cook,

"For many years I've known that John Riley is one of Canada's finest naturalists and a skilled and thoughtful writer. Now, after reading The Once and Future Great Lakes Country, I know that he is also an exceptional historian. As a long-time lover of the

“As both an ecological and human history, John Riley’s compelling book reveals far more about the Great Lakes Country and its peoples than readers will ever have imagined. His research and lifetime of conservation are manifest in the richness of historica

“In his ode to his beloved Great Lakes Country, John Riley employs a compelling combination of knowledge and passion, knitting together the region’s histories of human endeavour and ecological change. Riley’s comprehensive and hopeful narrative connects t

"John Riley has written the book I once thought I might write ... His knowledge, practical experience, and determination make this a singular work that combines historical scholarship, scientific understanding, and subtle, low-key advocacy." Ramsay Cook, from the Preface