The Winemaker's Marsh: Four Seasons in a Restored Wetland (Sierra Club Books Publication) - Tapa dura

Describes how California winemaker Sam Sebastiani restored a field on his property to its natural condition, a freshwater marsh, with the help of Ducks Unlimited, creating a ninety-acre preserve that is home to 156 species of birds and other wildlife.

One winter day in 1988, as he surveyed his newly purchased land in California's wine country, Sam Sebastiani made a bold decision: he would plant vines on his hillside but he would restore the hayfield below it to its natural condition - a freshwater marsh. The road to realising this vision was mined with difficulties but Sebastiani persevered and with the help of Ducks unlimited, he succeeded in creating a 90 acre preserve that is now home to 156 bird species and a host of other wildlife. In THE WINEMAKER'S MARSH, award-winning author Kenneth Brauer chronicles a year in the life of the restored wetland. He draws parallels between the seasonal transformations of the marsh and the shifting fortunes of Sebastiani himself, sketching a sensitive portrait of the environment and the man. As a perfect complement to the text, Michael Sewell's stunning photographs reveal a landscape of subtle splendour and surprising diversity.