The essays in this book combine the authors' personal experiences walking through the landscape and among the plants of Western New York with both hard-to-find historical writings and contemporary studies. Together they bring that environment to life. While on one level, this work can be a guide book for anyone exploring the region, more importantly it can help us understand how forces, some ancient and some contemporary, influence our lives. Through this understanding, we gain a deeper sense of place. And, as the author and conservationist Paul Gruchow observed, "with out a sense of place ... we will never be truly human."