Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-275) and index.
Contents
Natural History of the Loess Hills -- Introduction -- Ancient Landscapes and Communities : Earliest Times: Laying down the Ancient Bedrock ; The Ice Age -- Humans Come to the Hills : Human Cultures of the Loess Hills ; Natural Changes in Holocene Native Communities, Climate, and Landforms ; Effects of Euro-American Settlement on the Natural Landscape -- Physical Characteristics of Today's Loess Hills : Characteristics of Loess ; Shapes of the Loess ; Hidden within the Loess ; Soils ; Climate -- Natural Communities of the Loess Hills Today : Prairies ; Woodlands ; Rare Species and Special Features -- The Loess Hills of the Future : Preservation of Natural Areas ; Management of Natural Features ; Research Efforts in the Hills ; Education and Interpretation -- Epilogue: Taking a Broader View -- Touring the Loess Hills -- Introduction -- Public Use Areas and Educational Resources : Iowa ; Missouri ; Nebraska -- Northern Tour: Sioux City Area and North into Plymouth County -- Central Tour: DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge to Loess Hills Wildlife Area -- Southern Tour: Southern Loess Hills in Iowa and Missouri and Southeastern Nebraska.