Recommended reading on nature-related topics from librarians at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library.

Autumn of the Black Snake
By: William Hogeland 

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Autumn of the Black Snake tells the overlooked story of how Washington achieved his aim. In evocative and absorbing prose, William Hogeland conjures up the woodland battles and the hardball politics that formed the Legion of the United States, our first true standing army. His memorable portraits of leaders on both sides-from the daring war chiefs Blue Jacket and Little Turtle to the doomed commander Richard Butler and a steely, even ruthless Washington-drive a tale of horrific violence, brilliant strategizing, stupendous blunders, and valorous deeds. This sweeping account, at once exciting and dark, builds to a crescendo as Washington and Alexander Hamilton, at enormous risk, outmaneuver Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other skeptics of standing armies-and Washington appoints the seemingly disreputable Anthony Wayne, known as Mad Anthony, to lead the legion. Wayne marches into the forests of the Old Northwest, where the very Indians he is charged with defeating will bestow on him, with grudging admiration, a new name: the Black Snake. -- from Amazon. 

Fallen Timbers 1794: The US Army’s First Victory
By: John F. Winkler  

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After the formidable Ohio Indians destroyed the US Army at Wabash in 1791, the Washington administration created a new US Army to defeat them.  The famous Revolutionary War commander Major-General “Mad” Anthony Wayne organized and trained the new army, and then led it into the Ohio wilderness in 1794.  To defeat the Indians, he had to overcome not just the logistical and intelligence problems that had doomed his predecessor's 1791 campaign, but also a conspiracy of officers and contractors led by his principal subordinate, and threatened opposition by British and Spanish forces.  On August 20, 1794, Wayne defeated the Indians at Fallen Timbers.  His decisive victory led to the 1795 Treaty of Greeneville, which ended 20 years of conflict between the Americans and the Ohio Indians, and opened to American settlement the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. -- from Amazon.

Great Black Swamp Woods & Wanders
By: Jim Mollenkopf  

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Parks, wildlife refuges, and nature preserves - local, state, and federal - were saved by people of vision over the years and there are many places in northwest Ohio where nature and its beauty can be found, where the rustle of insect wings and the arguments of the frogs can still be heard, places where even a majestic bald eagle can be seen on wing. 
 
This book presents a selection of these places - places that are open to everyone. 
 
- Jim Mollenkopf, Excerpt from Forward 

Metroparks of the Toledo Area

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A history of the Metroparks found in and around Toledo. A 2003 Toledo Story, this video touches on each park at that time. 

Miami and Erie Canal
By: Bill Oeters 

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In the 1800s, the United States was a nation obsessed with finding a form of transportation that was the fastest, cheapest, and most reliable; at the time, canals were the answer. Canals broke through vast, open countryside, forested woodlands, and rolling hills to expose the heart of the nation to development. They took passengers and goods off of dusty or muddy roads and delivered them to their destinations faster and cheaper than by any other means. From Toledo to Cincinnati, the Miami and Erie Canal provided western Ohio with that sorely needed waterway and became part of the 1,000 miles of Ohio canals contributing to the national network of canals. Today, with the help of government, corporations, and citizens, many parts of the Ohio canal system have been preserved or restored and can be visited and experienced. Watered sections of canal quietly reflect a bygone era and lead an explorer down the towpaths of history. 

Richness and Rarity: The Natural History of Lucas County
By: Elliot Tramer 

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Lavishly illustrated with more than 125 photos by Art Weber, this 8x10 hard cover book also features contributed essays and photos by other local experts including meteorologist Ross Ellet, geologists Mark Camp and Tim Fisher, aquatic biologist Tom Bridgeman, herpetologist Kent Bekker, OSU Extension Agent Amy Stone, TNA members Eric Durbin, Jan Dixon and Rick Nirschl, and many others.