Summary Of Overstory By Robert Heilman

In the late 1800s, the South Umpqua River has been viewed as a potential money saver because of delivery prices. Since then, humans have changed its natural course. These actions, in turn, have caused the land to become much more productive for farmers and other residents, but a lot less productive to nature. Robert Heilman writes the story, “Who Owns the River?” in his book, Overstory: Zero with the intention to inform readers about the not- so natural causes of smaller wildlife population and climate changes. Heilman does an excellent job of using metaphors, personal experience, and scientific facts to show readers that he has done proper research. Robert Heilman’s story was written with the proper usage of scientific information, creativeness,

“It is easier now to forget just how important the river is to our lives because it is always there, present in just about everything we do.” He goes on to explain that the people of the Umpqua tend to forget just how much they rely on its resources. Whether they use it for farm irrigation, fishing, or swimming, almost every person who lives in the land of the Umpqua has some sort of use for the river. It is hard for residents to appreciate the river to the full extent because it is always present and readily available for use at all times. He compares the local river to what used to be the Los Angeles River, but is now nothing but a concrete drain. Heilman’s fear is that the South Umpqua River will become just as underappreciated as the Los Angeles River is today. Heilman uses the perfect comparison between these two places. He explains, using a unique analogy, that if the people of the Umpqua continue to ignore the greatness of the South Umpqua River, it will eventually be nothing but a concrete drain, just as the river in Los

Statistics and mathematical equations make stories, articles, and other forms of literature hard to translate for people who are not used to listening to scientists. Heilman is different because he writes with a natural flow that can be understood by all kinds of audiences. The primary audience is, in all likelihood, from the Douglas County area and can relate to his experiences or memories with the South Umpqua River. This makes it a lot easier for the audience to grasp his concepts because their residency gives them a visual aid. Chances are, a lot of the people who are reading the story have learned the same things about the area’s history as the author has. “I recalled passages from settlers’ diaries which mentioned the huge flocks of waterfowl, so thick that to hunt them they simply startled the birds into flight and fired randomly into the air, bringing down ducks and geese with every shotgun blast. Where had these uncountable thousands of birds lived and why weren’t they around anymore?” There are a lot of hunters in the Umpqua area, specifically waterfowl huntsman. If they are familiar at all with the history of waterfowl population, they have most likely known about the overpopulation that existed many years ago. Heilman uses a smooth, informative tone to teach readers about the wildlife populations and