In Salt Marsh Slider, a teenage boy discovers what appears to be illegal dumping of toxic wastes in the marshes of the North Pass National Wildlife Refuge. When Helen Morgia, manager of the newly-established refuge learns of the problem, she recruits her friend, fellow wildlife biologist Bert Charles, to help solve the mystery. He first takes up the trail from his office in Washington, DC, eventually joining Helen in the field. Along the way they encounter a motley collection of characters who populate the remote Gulf Coast community. Among them are a corrupt congressman, a wife-beater, a jovial boat captain, and a man harboring a secret that rules his life. Never far from the action is the salt marsh slider, a rare turtle found only on the refuge.
Long accustomed to fighting political and regulatory battles to save wildlife, Bert and Helen together discover their flair for solving problems out in the real world, where wild creatures must compete with human wants and needs. 2008 Quality paperback, 247 pages $10.00 ISBN: 978-0-9764263-4-0 |