Second Edition of Laguna Madre Book Released by TAMU Press
A revised and updated second edition of The Laguna Madre of Texas and Tamaulipas by Kim Withers, Ph.D., the late Brian R. Chapman, Ph.D., the late Frank W. Judd, Ph.D., and late Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) Endowed Chair for Biodiversity and Conservation, John Wes Tunnell Jr., Ph.D., is now available from Texas A&M University (TAMU) Press. The new edition features additional research and information contributed by HRI Chairs Jennifer Pollack, Ph.D. and Michael Wetz, Ph.D., HRI Project Manager, Natasha Breaux, and former Baffin Bay volunteers Scott Murray and Jim Atkins., Ph.D.
The Laguna Madre is one of only five hypersaline coastal lagoons in the world. Known for its seagrass meadows, diverse waterbird populations, and fishing grounds, it is the only lagoon of its kind on the North American continent. The first edition of the book was published in 2001 following the recognized need for a compilation of all known information about the Laguna Madre and science-based ways the lagoon can be conserved.
“The Laguna Madre is a special place,” said Kim Withers, Ph.D., one of the book’s original authors and Associate Professor in the College of Science at TAMU-CC. “When I first started working in the Laguna Madre around 40 years ago, it was a true wilderness and you fell in love with it. It’s a popular place now and that feeling of being alone is harder to find but it’s still there if you look for it.”
This updated second edition of The Laguna Madre of Texas and Tamaulipas encompasses two decades of additional research and continued conservation efforts in the region and contains nearly 100 years of literature on the lagoon and surrounding environments.
Withers added that the book isn’t meant to be a scientific treatise but instead features science and the Laguna Madre as a character of sorts, noting that the book is written in a way so that a wider audience can enjoy it, from natural resource managers to the public.
“People need to understand the Laguna Madre and they need to help conserve it,” Withers says. “Part of the way people conserve it is by experiencing it and hopefully the book will help.”
HRI has been proud to partner with the TAMU Press on two book series covering a range of topics throughout Texas and the Gulf coast which can be ordered online as well: