One Time In Texas

There are many nature books. There are many, many more political ones. This book, a hybrid of nature and political history, presents the best of both. On the political side, it strikes a positive note, describing the substantial environmental accomplishments of Senator Ralph Yarborough of Texas which, if they are now largely forgotten, remain significant contributions to his state and his country. From the side of nature the author provides not only clear, vivid accounts of the five areas the Senator was able to save, but maps, photographs, and instructions on how to camp, hike, or canoe there. One thus has accurate pictures of places in the Lone Star State which are both interesting in themselves and available to all of us. Each has a story uniquely its own.

The author's descriptions of these areas are just detailed enough. Accounts are provided of the movements that lead to the designation of each natural area, but these are brief: only long enough to make the moral point that good things are created by people and movements. They do not simply happen. The rest consists of the nature depictions mentioned above. One will be pleased to learn where the largely vertical Guadalupe Mountains can be hiked without much climbing, how to access and use Padre Island National Seashore, and where to fish, hike, and camp in the Big Thicket National Preserve.