The Walker’s Companion: A Nature Company Guide

EXCERPT: Walking in Human Habitats

People can survive in many habitats, but over the past 400 years, we have vastly altered the North American environment to suit our requirements, creating artificial habitats that range from cultivated land to urban and suburban sprawl. When European settlers first arrived in North America, forests covered much of the land and bison roamed the prairie grasslands. Immigrant farmers converted millions of acres of forest to farmland; timber was felled in enormous quantities for buildings, railroads, and fuel; the prairies were ploughed up; and many natural habitats were destroyed.