GRN STAFF SUMMER BOOK REVIEW:
PINHOOK: FINDING WHOLENESS IN A FRAGMENTED LAND BY JANISSE RAY

The third installment of the book review features a book by one of my favorite authors about the region and ecosystems from my childhood. It keeps with the Florida theme that Joe and Jeff began. This time however, we’re venturing beyond the Florida border to investigate the ecological similarity and connectedness between South Georgia and North Florida.

Hailing from Baxley, Georgia, Janisse Ray is an amazing author, dedicated environmental activist, and inspiring southern woman. In Pinhook, she takes us on a journey into a land she describes as “too deep for a human to wade in, too shallow for a boat to draw,” and “a place that holds the world together.” Located in North Florida, Pinhook Swamp connects Okenfenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Osceola National Forest.

The book wonderfully mixes ecology, history and culture into the exploration of the beautiful wilds of Florida. The reader journeys through the swamp fighting through smilax, green briar, blueberry, Virginia willow and passing by slash pines, pond pines, saw palmetto. In the drier areas encounters long leaf pine.

The reader gets to enjoy a taste of North Florida culture through Ray's conversations with locals hanging out at the Taylor Store. She also introduces the reader to people like Larry Harris, the biologist who first proposed the Pinhook Corridor and Larry Thompson who helped spur the formation of the POGO Coalition dedicated to protecting the Pinhook, Osceola, Greater Okefenokee (POGO) ecosystem.

Ray explains the threats that come from fragmenting ecosystems and helps the reader understand why wildlife corridors are essential. She explains that “for a corridor to be of utmost service, it should provide the accoutrements for a creature’s survival, not just conveyance. Corridors are not wild highways.” We cannot just set aside narrow passage ways for animals to move quickly across, but rather large swaths of land that can sustain populations as they journey across ecosystems.

What I love most about Pinhook, or perhaps the character of its author, is that it ends with a strong call to action. The final chapter “A Vision” calls for the protection of the remaining acres of Pinhook Swamp. Ray urges the reader to envision and work towards a world where Pinhook and all of our other wild lands are protected. The final pages of the book are resource pages containing the contact information for different environmental and conservation groups. A list of rare and imperiled species in the Okefenokee - Pinhook - Osceola Wildland Corridor.

I recommend Pinhook for people who want to learn more about our southern swamps and wetlands, the plants and animals that live in them, and the struggle to protect these unique and important ecosystems. I also highly recommend Janisse Ray’s first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood.

Stephanie Powell is the Outreach Associate for the GRN's Water Resources Program.