Word: hayfield
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...house building, like love and war, exerts a powerful attraction. Jonathan and Judith Souweine (pronounced Suh-wayne) succumbed three years ago. They bought part of an old hayfield on the outskirts of Amherst, Mass. "Look north and you see a hillside orchard topped with two giant maples locally known as Castor and Pollux," writes Tracy Kidder. "Look a little east and your view extends out over a broad valley, all the way to the Pelham Hills." The Souweines fit the profile of young New England professionals. He is a lawyer; she has a doctorate in education. Both have liberal opinions...
...better preserved than drained and built on. They absorb floodwaters and provide food for millions of minnows and shrimp, which in turn feed larger creatures. An acre of salt marsh in Georgia produces ten tons of dry organic matter every year, vs. just four tons for the most fertile hayfield. Nonetheless, 40% of the nation's wetlands have been destroyed by public and private development. Yet this attrition is slowing: as the natural benefits of wetlands become better understood, laws are being passed to protect them. Even the dam-building Corps of Engineers, which environmentalists blame for much reckless...