Conservation of the environment Books

Book SynopsisTo Help or Not to Help?When faced with an injured bird or orphaned nestling, most people want to help but don’t know how – and also fear doing more harm than good. In fact, many wild birds that appear to be in trouble don’t need assistance at all. How do you know whether a bird needs help? How do you know what sort of help the bird needs? In Helping Orphaned or Injured Wild Birds, you’ll find all the information you need on when and how to assist all kinds of birds, from wrens to raptors. You’ll learn how to: · Identify whether a bird needs rescuing ·Help a baby bird that’s fallen from its nest ·Identify the age and species of an injured of orphaned bird ·Prepare emergency rations for a baby bird ·Administer basic bird first-aid ·Locate a professional wildlife rehabilitator

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Book SynopsisEarth Spirit Living is a revolutionary approach to lifestyle design and personal space. Author Ann Marie Holmes, an expert on earth energy systems, reveals that by picking up subtle cues from the natural world, we can create healthy, enjoyable, and sustainable living spaces. She shows how we can effectively incorporate principles of sacred geometry, human intuition, and the power of space, shape, and layout to become aware of -- and collaborate with -- the earth's energies. Perfect for homeowners, renters, business owners, professional designers, and builders, Earth Spirit Living illuminates the benefits of living in cooperation with our environment, including: * a more comfortable home * increased effectiveness in your work * healthier, calmer living conditions * enhanced work and personal relationships * improved prosperity * smoother construction or remodeling process Insightful illustrations, ceremonies, cures, attunements, and visualizations will help you hone your natural instincts and strengthen your connection to your physical space. With client stories and personal anecdotes, Holmes guides you on the journey toward a balanced life and living space that harnesses the energy and wisdom of nature.Trade Review"Earth Spirit Living highlights our living and creative relationship with the earth. We are part of a sacred circle of life -- by attuning to this loving intelligence we better our lives and the world." -- Dorothy Maclean, cofounder of the Findhorn Foundation and Community"Ann Marie's theories are innovative, refreshing, and all-embracing. She treats topics ordinarily neglected by others with great detail and explanation. An ancient proverb states, 'When one opens a book, one will reap in benefits.' I hope all who read this book will do so carefully and repeatedly so that they too may share the aura of higher wisdom." -- His Holiness Grandmaster, Professor Thomas Lin-Yun Rinpoche

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Book SynopsisThe southwestern deserts are home to hundreds of species specially-adapted to survive in this hot, dry environment. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species of mammals, birds, reptiles, trees, shrubs, wildflowers and cacti. Also includes a map featuring prominent nature sanctuaries. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use by visitors and residents alike. Made in the USA.www.waterfordpress.com

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Book SynopsisCounty Mayo, Ireland, is spectacularly beautiful. Dolphins, whales, and seals frolic in bays, rivers teem with salmon. Into this tranquil, unspoiled region, in early 2002, came Shell Oil, announcing plans to build a gas refinery. Shell promised wonderful things: new jobs, improved roads, money for schools. Church officials called this project a “godsend,” while honest, hard-working families, who had lived in Mayo for generations, certainly saw no harm in the project. But when the citizens of County Mayo realized what Shell actually intended to do, they rose up. Shamrocks & Oil Slicks tells the story of County Mayo—the fishermen, farmers, teachers, business people—who, motivated by love for their environment, their community, and their country, fought one of the planet’s most powerful destroyers to a standstill. To combat the pipelines that Shell planned to build dangerously close to their homes and the toxic chemicals Shell wanted to dump into their drinking water and their bay rich in sea life, the people launched a nonviolent resistance movement that was to last some fifteen years. Residents from all walks of life were beaten by police, threatened by mercenaries, sent to jail and prison. Abandoned by the state and their church, insulted and maligned by the media, they refused to give up fighting to save their environment and their heritage. This is a story of the courage inherent in everyday folk, told with sweeping and lyrical sincerity. It is one of many stories taking place now throughout the world, wherever people struggle to preserve what’s left of their natural world. More people are joining this resistance every day, inspired by uprisings like the one in County Mayo, Ireland.

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Book SynopsisProtecting special places in danger of being changed forever requires urgent action. It’s time for bold conservation strategies to boost land protection around the world. Bold conservation goals require strategic action. In Protecting the Places We Love: Conservation Strategies for Entrusted Lands and Parks, conservationist and geospatial designer Breece Robertson applies her conservation experience, real-world examples, and myriad resources to deliver a vision for success and clear guidance for conservation groups large and small to achieve their goals. The goals of these strategies are familiar: support species, habitats, and natural resources and healthy, livable communities that are climate resilient and socially cohesive, all without high costs. Robertson's tools, many of them free, feel quickly accessible, effective, and adaptable to a new or existing conservation strategy. Readers finish this book feeling confident about integrating existing practices with geospatial data and modern applications. With the smart analysis and targeted action explained in Protecting the Places We Love, readers will better identify places needing protection and better understand how to maximize partnerships, inspire, educate, and engage communities and donors, and produce better results. See the vision and learn to: create maps that tell compelling stories to stakeholders and the public analyze park system equity and access and show the economic benefits map, model, and analyze land characteristics to enhance biodiversity, connectivity, and climate resilience use maps and data to gain insights for fundraising, program initiatives, policy, advocacy, finances, and marketing. Protecting the Places We Love is perfect for citizens, and for conservation advocates and professionals at small to medium-sized land trusts, conservation organizations, and park agencies. Examples from land protection organizations all over the globe provide field-tested approaches to improve strategic effectiveness. Robertson provides a vision, strategies, and resources that can take your conservation efforts to the next level.Trade Review“Breece Robertson provides both seasoned professionals and engaged citizens an essential guide for using GIS data and mapping that illuminates technical concepts and their practical application to address our most pressing issues related to land, water, climate, and social equity.” --George W. McCarthy, President and CEO, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy -- George W. McCarthy * Lincoln Institute of Land Policy * “Time is short to protect the ‘last chance’ ecosystems and crucial landscapes that provide habitat, protection from weather events, and connection with nature. Breece Robertson powerfully demonstrates how geospatial tools can guide critical decisions in the most urgent phase of conservation the world has ever faced.” --Jennifer Morris, CEO of The Nature Conservancy -- Jennifer Morris * The Nature Conservancy *“Protecting the Places We Love provides a brilliant road map forward for anyone who is curious about a world where fresh air, majestic landscapes, and human connection can help solve our most intractable social challenges.” —Diane Regas, President and CEO of The Trust for Public Land -- Diane Regas * The Trust for Public Land *Table of ContentsForeword by Laura Dangermond Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 Maps: Turning Data into Conservation Stories Chapter 2 Enhancing Urban Park and Green Space Systems: Access, Equity, Biodiversity, and Connectivity Chapter 3 Climate Resilience, Green Infrastructure Parks, and Conservation Chapter 4 Conserving and Connecting Landscapes for People and Nature Chapter 5 Engaging Communities to Support Conservation and Parks Chapter 6 Building Strategy and Impact into Your Conservation and Park Plans Chapter 7 Evaluating and Tracking Conservation Impacts using Data, Science, and GIS Chapter 8 Online Data and Tools for Conservation and Parks Efforts Chapter 9 Using GIS to Power and Support Organizational Operations Chapter 10 The Road Ahead

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Book SynopsisGIS for Science, Volume 3: Maps for Saving the Planet, highlights real-world examples of scientists creating maps about saving life on Earth and preserving biodiversity. With Earth and the natural world at risk from various forces, geographic information system (GIS) mapping is essential for driving scientifically conscious decision-making about how to protect life on Earth. In volume 3 of GIS for Science, explore a collection of maps from scientists working to save the planet through documenting and protecting its biodiversity. In this volume, learn how GIS and data mapping are used in tandem with global satellite observation forestry marine policy artificial intelligence conservation biology, and environmental education to help preserve and chronicle life on Earth. This volume also spotlights important global action initiatives incorporating conservation, including Half-Earth, 30 x 30, AI for Earth, the Blue Nature Alliance, and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The stories presented in this third volume are ideal for the professional scientist and conservationist and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and the conservation of nature. The book’s contributors include scientists who are applying geographic data gathered from the full spectrum of remote sensing and on-site technologies. The maps and data are brought to life using ArcGIS® software and other spatial data science tools that support research, collaboration, spatial analysis, and science communication across many locations and within diverse communities. The stories shared in this book and its companion website present inspirational ideas so that GIS users and scientists can work toward preserving biodiversity and saving planet Earth before time runs out. Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION GIS for Science: A Framework and a Process Introduction by the Editors Foreword PART 1: How Earth Works Earth’s Coastlines Preventing Species Extinctions Mapping Half-Earth PART 2: How Earth Looks From Plots to Pixels Blueprint for a Better Future Conserving the Last Ocean Frontiers PART 3: How We Look at Earth AI for Geospatial Analysis Mapping Extreme Events from Space The Science of Ocean Acoustics PART 4: Training Future Generations of Scientists Spatial Thinking Effects on the Human Brain Fueling Curiosity to Foster a Healthy Planet Teaching Spatial Data Science and Deep Learning PART 5: Technology Showcase Drone Data Automation with Site Scan for ArcGIS Mapping Biodiversity Modeling Global Streamflow Climate Data for the GIS Community Visualizing Vessel Traffic Revealing Sunken Ships with GeoAI The Art of Frequency and Predominance Understanding the Patterns of COVID-19 Monitoring Global Snow Cover People for the People Analyzing Global Water Quality over Time Growing Degree Day Models Interactive Suitability Modeling Inside Submarine Volcanic Eruptions Spatiotemporal Machine Learning

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Book SynopsisThis updated guide provides the latest findings about the biology and ecology of the Gulf of Mexico. It reflects the effects of recent storms and hurricanes, and includes an expanded chapter on sea turtles. Hundreds of detailed drawings introduce you to more than 300 marine creatures commonly found along the beaches and bays of this area. Easy-to-read descriptions explain the taxonomic feeding, mating, and migratory habits of these coastal residents. In addition, this guide tells you about many offshore creatures, such as oysters, shrimp, and lobsters, and the numerous animals that inhabit the subsea oil platforms.

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Book SynopsisBend to Baja documents a surf-inspired road trip along the West Coast of North America. In February 2005, a group of world-renowned surfers left Ventura, California, for Bend, Oregon. From Oregon, the crew worked its way south to the tip of Baja, looking for waves and traveling in a pickup truck converted to run on alternative fuel sources: veggie oil and biodiesel. Jeff Johnson, along with Chris, Keith, and Dan Malloy, experienced a road trip centered on surfing, climbing, and camping. Along the way, they met an array of characters, found rich, road-weathered experiences, and endured setbacks, all against the backdrop of a captivating ocean. Bend to Baja chronicles their journey and a nontraditional lifestyle centered on the search for waves.

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Book Synopsis Life on Earth is increasingly at risk. What to do about rescuing our planet, and ourselves, is a growing concern for people of all ages and all walks of life. Mark C. Coleman's groundbreaking book, The Sustainability Generation: The Politics of Change & Why Personal Accountability is Essential NOW! takes a cold, hard look at the facts about where we stand and how to move forward. The Sustainability Generation is beyond simply another green book in that it focuses on the poisonous influence of our acquisitive culture and its root cause -entitlement. Our culture of entitlement encourages the belief that instant gratification is our right; this in turn erodes our sense of duty toward anything outside of these immediate desires. Our consumption habits are out of control and they are sabotaging our destiny. In response to this, Mr. Coleman argues that nurturing our sense of personal responsibility, and squashing our hunger for more stuff is the single most important step toward saving our world for future generations. The Baby Boomer generation is retiring and the so-called Generation Y will soon receive the largest transfer of wealth in history. It is vital to emphasize the need for replacing our entitlement culture with sustainable growth through redefining our core values. The Sustainability Generation provides a clear roadmap of how individuals can empower and enlighten themselves and their peers. A new Sustainability Generation that is committed to environmental and social change will offer the promise of the greatest legacy possible-a future!

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Book SynopsisTrue Tales of Encounters with Bears Bear Encounters is a collection of stories about the run-ins everyday people have with bears. From the one about the black bear at the cabin that was chased away by the fifteen-pound family dog, to the bear that harmlessly wandered through a Boy Scout camp, these brief and often funny encounters capture the true nature of bears. More than 90 stories have been collected from fans of the North American Bear Center. They include a variety of tales, from routine encounters in backyards, on porches and driveways to sometimes funny and challenging experiences. The stories are grouped into sections around common myths and include anecdotes about how bear encounters have changed people’s views for the better. Read these stories, and you’ll never see bears the same way again.Table of ContentsNot Exactly Vicious Pass the Plants Bear Behavior Not So Tough After All Mothers and Cubs

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Book SynopsisThe best way to instill a love of nature is to introduce it at an early age. Help your children discover the beautiful and fascinating birds of North America while learning the alphabet. C is for Cardinal, by award-winning nature photographer Stan Tekiela, uses pictures of birds, along with interesting facts, to teach the ABCs.

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Book SynopsisFirst edition (9781591932925) sold more than 50,000 copies Market: Addresses growing environmental concerns while providing readers with “How You Can Help” details Revised second edition with updated information about how the invasive species impact you, your environment, and the economy Packed with useful facts and statistics in a small, convenient, easy-to-use format Comprehensive: covers 44 aquatic invasive species, including the newest threats, from flying carp and lampreys to spiny water fleas Full-color photographs, need-to-know details, and portions of the guide devoted to AIS spread and impacts Quick Response (QR) code for every species, linking readers to more in-depth information online Great impulse buy—only $6.95!Table of ContentsDedication Acknowledgments About Wildlife Forever About the U.S. Forest Service Become an “Invader Crusader” Clean Drain Dry Initiative Aquatic Invasive Species: Threats to the Great Lakes Hitching a Ride: How They Got Here A Danger to Inland Waters Natural Treasures to Protect Economic Impact Recreational and Commercial Fishing on the Great Lakes Fishing on Inland Lakes, Regional Tourism, and Biodiversity Three Primary Aquatic Threats: Invertebrates, Plants and Fish Aquatic Invertebrates Aquatic and Terrestrial Plants Fish Education Is the Key The Public Needs to Be Aware Keep a Lookout How You Can Help Clean • Drain • Dry Know the Regulations Identifying Invasives Keep up to Date with QR (Quick Response) Codes Reporting … What Should You Do? How to Use This Guide Sample Pages Aquatic Invertebrates Aquatic and Terrestrial Plants Fish State/Federal Offices Template for Noting Sighting Details About the National Professional Anglers Association About the Great Lakes Fishery Commission About Sea Grant About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service About the State-Fish Art Program Clean Drain Dry Glossary Kids Love to Learn About Invasive Species! Nab the Aquatic Invader—Be a Sea Grant Super Sleuth The Great Lakes Invasion Kids, Be Part of the Search for Invasive Species EEK!—Alien Invaders Making Waves & State-Fish Art Contest Attack Packs Traveling Trunks Preschool through 12th Grade Invasive Species Education Aquatic Invasive Species: An Educator’s Information and Materials Guide National Invasive Species Information Center Photo Credits Rulers

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Book SynopsisTrue Tales of Encounters with Bears Bear Encounters is a collection of stories about the run-ins everyday people have with bears. From the one about the black bear at the cabin that was chased away by the fifteen-pound family dog, to the bear that harmlessly wandered through a Boy Scout camp, these brief and often funny encounters capture the true nature of bears. More than 90 stories have been collected from fans of the North American Bear Center. They include a variety of tales, from routine encounters in backyards, on porches and driveways to sometimes funny and challenging experiences. The stories are grouped into sections around common myths and include anecdotes about how bear encounters have changed people’s views for the better. Read these stories, and you’ll never see bears the same way again.

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Book SynopsisSeparate Fact from Fiction with This Fun, Fascinating GuideWe need bats to eat mosquitoes, pollinate plants, and more. Karen Krebbs has been studying the world’s only flying mammals for more than 35 years—and she’s sharing her expertise with you. Learn the bat basics, such as how they use echolocation, why they hibernate, and what they eat. Then use the field guide section to identify common and important species to know.Inside You’ll Find Bat myths debunked—they won’t really fly in your hair or try to bite Identification guide to 32 North American species Instructions on how to bat-proof a house and what to do if you find a bat indoors Projects, activities, and tips to help bats Get Bat Basics, and celebrate the amazing lives of bats!Table of ContentsIntroductionBat Evolution & Importance What Are Bats? Bat Fossils and Bat Evolution Bats Today Bat Basics Frequently Asked Questions Bat Myths, Debunked Species AccountsBat Projects & ActivitiesFind the Bats Near YouAsk a Bat ResearcherWebsitesReading ListIndexNotesAbout the Author

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive survey of the American lawn and how caring for it impacts people's livesTrade Review"[Robbins] offers a clever exploration of the political ecology and actor network theory, and a sharp insight into the cynicism of capitalism in the form of the chemical industry. That is a lot for a slim, nicely illustrated and well-written book to achieve, but it does it with style and intelligence... [T]he book is readable and wide-ranging in its arguments...its analysis is relevant wherever suburban values extend... This book should be widely read and discussed." -Environmental ConservationTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1 : Explaining Lawn People " A Profile of Lawn People " Interrogating Assumptions in Apolitical Economy " The Mutual Tyrannies of Urban Political Ecology Chapter 2 : Is the Lawn an Expression of American Culture? " The Manor House Tradition: Labor, Land and Grass " Ecological Imperialism and American Turf " The American Law Tradition " Democratic Landscape? The Spread of the Modern Lawn " Lawn Culture for Lawn Subjects Chapter 3 : Does the Lawn Necessarily Require Inputs? " What is Turfgrass and How Does it Grow? " Turfgrass Structure and Growth " Why Lawns Need So Much Care? " The Lawn's needs become those of the Turfgrass Subject Chapter 4 : Are Lawn Inputs a Hazzard? " The Dawn and Maturing of Lawn Chemistry " The Contemporary Chemical Suite " Lawn Risks Defy Regulation Chapter 5 : Does the Industry Meet or Produce Demand? " Demand or Supply? " The Lawn Commodity Chain " Producers: Searching for Buyers " Applicators: Tending the Weed Business Chapter 6 : Do Lawn People Choose Lawns? " Chemical Communities " The Lawns of Kingberry Court " Risk Citizens, Contradiction Reconcilers, Networked Actors Chapter 7 : Can Lawn People Choose Alternatives? " Landscape Alternatives " Elusiveness of Alternatives " Are Lawn Alternatives really Alternative? Chapter 8 : Becoming Turfgrass Subjects " Anxiety, Objects, Subjects and Political Economy " Epilogue: Rescuing the Environment from Determinism Appendix A: Suggestion and Sources for Lawn Alternatives " Some General Rules " Resources and Allies Appendix B: Data Development and Analysis " The National Homeowner Survey " The Applicator Survey " The Kingberry Court Interviews " The Land Cover Survey " Current Published Resources

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Book SynopsisOur planet is in trouble, and it will take an amazingly large and powerful force to shift into a more sustainable way of living. Spiritual leader and environmental activist Andrea Cohen-Kiener tells us that people of faith have the numbers, the passion, and the mandate to do it-and that nothing else is strong enough to counterbalance "business as usual." In this urgent call to action, Cohen-Kiener gathers insights from ecology coalitions, emerging theologies, and spiritual and environmental activists to rally and inspire us to work across denominational lines in order to fulfill our sacred imperative to care for God's creation. Cohen-Kiener and contributors clearly outline the shared values of our faith traditions that drive our commitment to care for the earth. Acknowledging the challenges in working together to implement positive change, they present steps-both big and small, for individuals and groups-for reversing our direction from consumption to sustainability.Trade ReviewRabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener of West Hartford, CT is interviewed by Sister Rosemarie Greco, DW, Wisdom Correspondent for the Conference of Churches on WRCH radio, 100.5 FM. The program, "Rich Answers" is aired each Sunday from 5:30–6:30am. The Wisdom segment usually airs close to 6 am. The program has a listening audience of 60,000 people. Andrea's book, Claiming Earth as Common Ground, was discussed in this interview. Its focus is the ecological crisis through the lens of faith and it clearly outlines the shared values of our faith traditions that energize our commitments to care for the earth. The book is informative, inspirational and concludes with suggested action to be taken to support and improve the environment of the cosmos. Claiming Earth as Common Ground, ($16.99) is available through www.skylightpaths.com or programs@wisdomhouse.org. * At Wisdom's Table *Table of ContentsForeword by Rev. Sally Bingham Introduction 1• The Making of an Environmental Activist: Waking Up to the Problem The Terrible Contradiction Too Good to Be True! The Spiritual Challenge of a Mountain of Garbage Agents for Transformation The Ultimate Common Ground 2• The Makings of a Movement: The Interfaith Imperative and Its Obstacles The Mountain of God Obstacles on the Path God of the Pews or God of the Cosmos? Leaving Base Camp The One about the Rabbi and the Evangelical Getting above the Tree Line 3• The New Wealth: Spirit Matters What Is Enough? Old Models for New Wealth A Living Vision Tools We Bring to the Table Transforming Business as Usual Imagine the Alternatives 4• Working Beyond Class and Race:Yes, We Do Need to Do This Together We Need to Talk Getting Beyond "Over There" Finding Common Cause Working Together The Great Light bulb Swap of '06 by Rev. Woody Bartlett Getting to the Table 5• How Big Is Your God? Theology Meets Earth-Care Activism Digging Deeper The Big Context by Rev. Tom Carr 6• The New Eden: Reclaiming the Garden Seeds of Possibility Wheat Sheaves and Matza Tales by Elisheva Rogosa Communion Agriculture by Andrea Ferich 7• The New Sabbath: Less Is More Unnamed Hungers Green Sabbath by Rev. Donna Schaper, PhD Creating New Sabbath Rituals 8• Eco-Conversion: A New Paradigm for a New Earth Seeing with Green Eyes Conversion to Eco-Justice by Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, PhD The Power of Witnessing Going Forward Appendix I Many Small Steps Appendix II Creating a Sustainable Civilization: Joanna Macy’s Theoretical Foundations Appendix III Thoughts for Discussion and Action: Format for an Eight-week Study Session Appendix IV Interfaith Ecological Resources Acknowledgments About the Contributors

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Book SynopsisThis book blends personal observations on Yosemite with reflections on photography and aesthetics, tourism and public life, and the histories of environmental and social politics. Rebecca Solnit's linked essays are interwoven with stunning images old and new: the book combines classic pictures by Eadweard Muybridge, Ansel Adams, and Edward Weston with painstakingly re-photographed versions to show the startling changes wrought over time -- by nature and humankind. Yosemite in Time paints a multifaceted portrait of a natural treasure that reflects the most compelling issues of our time.

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Book SynopsisMoral Ground brings together the testimony of over 80 visionaries -- theologians and religious leaders, scientists, elected officials, business leaders, naturists, activists, and writers -- to present a diverse and compelling call to honor our individual and collective moral responsibilities to our planet. In the face of environmental degradation and global climate change, scientific knowledge alone does not tell us what we ought to do. The missing premise of the argument and much-needed centerpiece in the debate to date has been the need for ethical values, moral guidance, and principled reasons for doing the right thing for our planet, its animals, its plants, and its people. This book encourages a newly discovered, or rediscovered, commitment to consensus about our ethical obligation to the future and why it's wrong to wreck the world.Trade ReviewNamed a “Top 10 Environmental Read” by Huffington Post “Will light a righteous fire under those who are receptive to its message; the best we can do is hope that it spreads, and spreads, and spreads.” — Utne Moral Ground seeks to inspire action through a recognition of our species’ commitment to ethical behavior and a reminder that ideals such as love and justice must dictate all of our actions.” — Orion “Because the message needs to be heard now more than ever, as we are on the brink of continuing to thoughtlessly, recklessly, destroy ourselves and the Earth, the combination of philosophy and science is especially effective.” — Chicago Examiner “Taking ethical action to address global climate change worldwide is a bequest that will give life to people now and in the future.” — Eugene Register Guard “An ambitious project that aims to make a rock-solid moral case for environmental action.” — Grist “A call to cultivate and implement a sense of collective moral responsibility to the future of our planet.” — Isle Journal “Solving climate change issues will come only from our openness to listen to each other, learn from each other, and seek mutual understanding in good faith.” — Portland Tribune

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Book SynopsisA Rock between Two Rivers is the story of a man coming to terms with the environmental legacy of his family’s ranch in Dimmitt County, Texas, and reckoning with the birthright he’ll leave for the generations who follow. What began for Hugh Fitzsimons as a mission to expose local ecological hazards from hydraulic fracking has turned into a lifelong ache to understand the more complicated story of how his family changed the land inherited from his grandfather, and deeper still, how the land irrevocably changed the family.Water is the lens through which this fifth-generation rancher tells his story. While the discovery of oil in this part of Texas fueled the region's growth, water has the upper hand, determining where people live and how they make their living. Agriculture, ranching, drilling for oil, and now fracking all require water, with each pursuit requiring more and more but giving back less and less to the communities they’ve helped enrich. In A Rock between Two Rivers, Fitzsimons struggles with the inheritance he wants for his own children, one that considers the future consequences of our actions toward the land we are born to and owns the broader threats to our natural resources that loom in the near distance.Interweaving a family narrative of a life built on the U.S.-Mexico border and the history of European colonization with its brutal consequences on the land and indigenous peoples, Fitzsimons explores how our attitudes toward this precious resource have changed alongside our relationship to the places we call home.Trade Review"A sensitively written volume, part memoir, part essay, a reflection on history and life over the millennia on the thorny, impassable brush country of Shape Ranch, and on the equally archaic water management and right of capture laws still at play in Texas." — Rivard Report"A Rock Between Two Rivers is at once the story of Fitzsimons’ life on the ranch, where in boyhood he learned to hunt, fish, ride and love the land and the people who worked it; and a tale of the transformation of the land, and his family, by oil, money, water, drought and fracking. — Houston Chronicle“The story of a third-generation Texas family rancher who is in tune with the natural world. He raises serious questions about the depletion and degradation of deep underground water supplies. ”— Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior"You can grab a fistful of South Texas scree and hold it in the palm of your hand, but you’ll never really feel the weight of it until it’s gone, blown off by the wind. That’s the message at the heart of Hugh Fitzsimons's touching A Rock between Two Rivers. It’s more than a story about the dangers of fracking; it’s an elegy for a vanishing land peopled by unforgettable characters, told with poetry and grace by a writer who was formed by that land." — Seamus McGraw, author of A Thirsty Land: The Making of an American Water Crisis and The End of Country: Dispatches from the Frack Zone"A Rock between Two Rivers is an elegy and a love song from a rancher with one boot in the sacred and one in the profane—a must-read account of the toll taken on Texas land by the mad dash to drain the Eagle Ford Shale. Atop a plundered aquifer and broken land, Hugh Fitzsimons traces the fracturing of the human spirit and asks us that most vital question: Will we learn to say ‘enough’ before it is too late? This is fracking understood in its full dimensions—a soul-shattering experience.” — Adam Briggle, author of A Field Philosopher’s Guide to Fracking: How One Texas Town Stood Up to Oil and Gas“Dimmit County, Texas lives—Hugh Fitzsimons has found its pulse, stories the right color and depth to help him find truth in his ambivalence. Drawn into Hugh’s search, I have more proof of how we have changed the land but now must allow the land to change us.” — Brooke Williams, author of Open Midnight: Where Ancestors and Wilderness Meet“Anyone who knows Sunny Fitzsimons as the great rancher, water conservationist, historian and statesman he is should not be surprised that that he is also capable of telling a breathtaking story. But with a topic as important as what he has chosen for his first book on the past and future of the West, he joins the ranks of John Graves, Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, and Mary Karr as one of the Lone Fractured State’s greatest writers.” — Gary Paul Nabhan, author of Mesquite: An Arboreal Love Affair and Food from the Radical Center: Healing Our Lands and Communities“With A Rock between Two Rivers, Hugh Fitzsimons has joined the ranks of Bernard DeVoto, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, and Larry McMurtry, writers who have shaped and given us our vision of the American West. Fitzsimons has woven a saga of the hardscrabble South Texas rangeland where he grew up, a timeless tale of ancient aquifers, Neolithic rock art, bloody tides of migration and displacement, a family history that reads like Chekhov scrawled on rawhide, and childhood memories that make you laugh, cry, gasp, or phone the nearest Hollywood agent looking for a surefire screenplay idea. It’s a classic love story, of boundless passion for one’s birthplace. And, sadly but inevitably, a tragedy, as greedy oilmen ravage the landscape, fracking away its life-giving waters and moving on. The same kind of story could be written about the entire American West today, of course. I’ve never read anything quite like A Rock between Two Rivers, but then books destined to endure through time and become classics are like that.” — Rob Schultheis, author of Hunting Bin Laden and Waging Peace

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Book SynopsisComing of Age at the End of Nature explores a new kind of environmental writing. This powerful anthology gathers the passionate voices of young writers who have grown up in an environmentally damaged and compromised world. Each contributor has come of age since Bill McKibben foretold the doom of humanity's ancient relationship with a pristine earth in his prescient 1988 warning of climate change, The End of Nature. What happens to individuals and societies when their most fundamental cultural, historical, and ecological bonds weaken--or snap? In Coming of Age at the End of Nature, insightful millennials express their anger and love, dreams and fears, and sources of resilience for living and thriving on our shifting planet. Twenty-two essays explore wide-ranging themes that are paramount to young generations but that resonate with everyone, including redefining materialism and environmental justice, assessing the risk and promise of technology, and celebrating place anywhere from a wild Atlantic island to the Arizona desert, to Baltimore and Bangkok. The contributors speak with authority on problems facing us all, whether railing against the errors of past generations, reveling in their own adaptability, or insisting on a collective responsibility to do better.Trade ReviewFrom the foreword by Bill McKibben: "To say that this book is a particular delight for me would be an understatement. I wrote The End of Nature when I was twenty-seven, and when I go back to read it now some parts seem jejune. That's not true of the writing in Coming of Age at the End of Nature, which is mature, reflective, deep, and lovely. It makes me hopeful."

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Book SynopsisIn Not So Golden State, leading environmental historian Char Miller looks below the surface of California's ecological history to expose some of its less glittering conundrums. In this necessary book, he asks the tough questions as we stand on the edge of a human-induced natural disaster in the region and beyond. He details policy steps and missteps in public land management, examines the impact of recreation on national forests, parks, and refuges, and assesses efforts to restore wild land habitat, riparian ecosystems, and endangered species. Why, during a devastating five-year drought, Miller asks, is the Central Valley's agribusiness still irrigating its fields as if it's business as usual? Why are northern counties rich in groundwater selling it off to make millions while draining their aquifers toward eventual mud? Why, when contemporary debate over oil and gas drilling questions reasonable practices, are extractive industries targeting Chaco Canyon National Historic Park and its ancient sites, which are of inestimable value to Native Americans? How do we begin to understand "local," a concept of hope for modern environmentalism? To inhabit a place requires placed-based analyses, whatever the geographic scope--examinations that are rooted in a precise, physical reality. To make a conscientious life in a suburb, floodplain, fire zone, or coastline requires a heightened awareness of these landscapes' past so we can develop an intensified responsibility for their present condition and future prospects. Miller explores these issues and more in Not So Golden State, and understanding them will be critical in our creation of more resilient, habitable, and equitable communities for California's future.Trade Review"Miller tells stories to remind us that we inhabit a particular geography, and to inspire collective action... his essays blend historical record with personal narrative... makes personal the region's environmental past." -- Los Angeles Review of Books

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Book SynopsisDuring the 1980s and 90s, the Resource Institute, headed by Jonathan White, held a series of "floating seminars" aboard a sixty-five-foot schooner featuring leading thinkers and writers from an array of disciplines. Over ten years, White conducted interviews, gathered in this collection, with the writers, scientists, and environmentalists who gathered on board to explore our relationship to the wild. White describes the conversations as the roots of an integrated community: "While at first these roots may not appear to be linked, a closer look reveals that they are sustained in common ground." Beloved fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin discusses the nature of language, microbiologist Lynn Margulis contemplates Darwin's career and the many meanings of evolution, and anthropologist Richard Nelson sifts through the spiritual life of Alaska's native people. Rounding out the group are writers Gretel Ehrlich, Paul Shepard, and Peter Matthiessen, conservationists Roger Payne and David Brower, theologian Matthew Fox, activist Janet McCloud, Jungian analyst James Hillman, poet Gary Snyder, and ecologist Dolores LaChapelle. By identifying the common link between these conversations, Talking on the Water takes us on a journey in search of a deeper understanding of ourselves and the environment.

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Book SynopsisOpen Midnight weaves two parallel stories about the great wilderness--Brooke Williams's year alone with his dog ground truthing wilderness maps of southern Utah, and that of his great-great-great-grandfather, who in 1863 made his way with a group of Mormons from England across the wilderness almost to Utah, dying a week short. The book is also about two levels of history--personal, as represented by William Williams, and collective, as represented by Charles Darwin, who lived in Shrewsbury, England, at about the same time as Williams. As Brooke Williams begins researching the story of his oldest known ancestor, he realizes that he has few facts. He wonders if a handful of dates can tell the story of a life, writing, "If those points were stars in the sky, we would connect them to make a constellation, which is what I've made with his life by creating the parts missing from his story." Thus William Williams becomes a kind of spiritual guide, a shamanlike consciousness that accompanies the author on his wilderness and life journeys, and that appears at pivotal points when the author is required to choose a certain course. The mysterious presence of his ancestor inspires the author to create imagined scenes in which Williams meets Darwin in Shrewsbury, sowing something central in the DNA that eventually passes to Brooke Williams, whose life has been devoted to nature and wilderness. Brooke Williams's inventive and vivid prose pushes boundaries and investigates new ways toward knowledge and experience, inviting readers to think unconventionally about how we experience reality, spirituality, and the wild. The author draws on Jungian psychology to relate how our consciousness of the wild is culturally embedded in our psyche, and how a deep connection to the wild can promote emotional and psychological well-being. Williams's narrative goes beyond a call for conservation, but in the vein of writers like Joanna Macy, Bill Plotkin, David Abram, the author argues passionately for the importance of wildness is to the human soul. Reading Williams's inspired prose provides a measure of hope for protecting the beautiful places that we all need to thrive. Open Midnight is grounded in the present by Williams's descriptions of the Utah lands he explores. He beautifully evokes the feeling of being solitary in the wild, at home in the deepest sense, in the presence of the sublime. In doing so, he conveys what Gary Snyder calls "a practice of the wild" more completely than any other work. Williams also relates an insider's view of negotiations about wilderness protection. As an advocate working for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, he represents a minority in meetings designed to open wilderness lands to roads and hunting. He portrays the mindset of the majority of Utah's citizens, who argue passionately for their rights to use their lands however they wish. The phrase "open midnight," as Williams sees it, evokes the time between dusk and dawn, between where we've been and where we're going, and the unconscious where all possibilities are hidden.Trade Review“Brooke Williams weaves together personal and collective history to show how the outer, physical wilderness grants access to one’s own inner wilderness.” — Moab Times-Independent“... a complex book.... In a partly imagined biography reconstructed from the few details of William Williams' life that still survive, Williams follows his ancestor's journey from Shrewsbury, Darwin's hometown, to death on the wagon crossing of Wyoming.” — Moab Sun News“Brooke Williams' prose is magnificent — lyrical, evocative and encompassing. Readers will see clearly the wild beauty of southern Utah and be reminded of the spiritual nourishment that only comes through nature. 'Open Midnight' is an expanding experience, one that will change forever how readers see life, death and those who have gone before us.” — Deseret News“What history books don't record about his ancestor, Brooke Williams beautifully and thoughtfully invents.” — Salt Lake Tribune“Open Midnight is a kind of prayer — for peace, for connection between land and people, and for the future of the species.” — Santa Fe New Mexican

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Book SynopsisHow does the human mind transform space into place, or land into landscape? For more than three decades, William L. Fox has looked at empty landscapes and the role of the arts to investigate the way humans make sense of space. In Terra Antarctica, Fox continues this line of inquiry as he travels to the Antarctic, the “largest and most extreme desert on earth.” This contemporary travel narrative interweaves artistic, cartographic, and scientific images with anecdotes from the author's three-month journey in the Antarctic to create an absorbing and readable narrative of the remote continent. Through its images, history, and firsthand experiences—snowmobile trips through whiteouts and his icy solo hikes past the edge of the mapped world—Fox brings to life a place that few have seen and offers us a look into both the nature of landscape and ourselves.Trade Review“The environment of Antarctica, ‘the largest and most extreme desert on Earth,” is so foreign to our visual expectations that we are almost unable to perceive it. For Fox, who studies the ways in which humans respond to such vast, empty spaces, it’s the ideal location for examining the connection between cognition and extreme landscapes.”— Publisher’s Weekly “Thoughtful and enjoyable on many fronts, Fox’s uniquely fashioned chronicle of Antarctica brings into sharper focus the crucial symbiosis between art and science.” — Donna Seaman, Booklist“Through his own experiences on the world’s most extreme continent, as well as through historical, cartographic, scientific, and artistic inquiry, Fox explores how we define Antarctica and in turn learn something about ourselves.”— Orion “For once the adspeak cliché is appropriate: if you read only one book about Antarctica, you won’t go wrong choosing this one.” — Books in Heat “Exploring Antarctica--an otherworldly experience--is like exploring another planet. Fox captures this essence in his writing.” — Jerald Winakur, San Antonio Express-News

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Book SynopsisThese lovely note cards beautifully reproduce the amazing woodcut prints of the California landscape that Tom Killion created over the past four decades. Each box contains twelve blank cards printed on fine white stock and twelve white envelopes.The High Sierra Note Card Box contains three each of four designs: Matterhorn Peak from Spiller Canyon Evolution Valley from McClures Meadow Unicorn Peak, Yosemite Big Arroyo, Foxtail Pines Other Note Card Sets in this Series: California's Wild Coast Muir Woods and Mt. Tam Northern California Coast Trees of California San Francisco Bay Sierra Winter

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Book Synopsis#1 San Francisco Chronicle Best SellerWinner, 2018 California Book Award Gold Medal (Notable Contribution to Publishing)Winner, 2018 NCIBA Book of the Year Award (Regional Interest)Finalist, 2018 Northern California Book Awards"A gorgeously illustrated compendium."—SunsetThis lavishly illustrated atlas takes readers off the beaten path and outside normal conceptions of California, revealing its myriad ecologies, topographies, and histories in exquisite maps and trail paintings. Based on decades of exploring the backcountry of the Golden State, artist-adventurer Obi Kaufmann blends science and art to illuminate the multifaceted array of living, connected systems like no book has done before. Kaufmann depicts layer after layer of the natural world, delighting in the grand scale and details alike. The effect is staggeringly beautiful: presented alongside California divvied into its fifty-eight counties, for example, we consider California made up of dancing tectonic plates, of watersheds, of wildflower gardens. Maps are enhanced by spirited illustrations of wildlife, keys that explain natural phenomena, and a clear-sighted but reverential text. Full of character and color, a bit larger than life, The California Field Atlas is the ultimate road trip companion and love letter to a place.Trade Review#1 San Francisco Chronicle Best SellerWinner, 2018 California Book Award Gold Medal (Notable Contribution to Publishing)Winner, 2018 NCIBA Book of the Year Award (Regional Interest)Finalist, 2018 Northern California Book Awards"Every California household should have a copy of the 608-page atlas. … Start with Kaufmann’s introduction, because it encapsulates the author’s relationship with the landscape he so dearly loves. From there, read it frontward, backward or according to whatever topic piques an interest." —San Jose Mercury News"A gorgeously illustrated compendium." —Sunset"If you're looking for freeways or pathways, expressways or BART lines, this book can't help you. If, on the other hand, you're looking to get lost in the flora, fauna, and natural habitats that exist across California beyond the I-5, this is a wonderful little guide." —AFAR"A modern-day masterpiece." —Santa Barbara Independent"Transcend[s] the genre of nature writing." —Monterey County Weekly"A revelation. Kaufmann educates and delights the reader simultaneously." —Mike Sonksen, Entropy

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Book SynopsisObi Kaufmann, author of the best-selling California Field Atlas, turns his artful yet analytical attention to the Golden State's single most complex and controversial resource: water.In this book, Kaufmann's signature full-color maps unravel the braided knot of California's water infrastructure and ecosystems, exposing a history of unlimited growth in spite of finite natural resources—a history that has led to its current precarious circumstances. Yet this built world depends upon the biosphere, and in The State of Water Kaufmann argues that environmental conservation and restoration efforts are necessary not only for ethical reasons but also as a matter of human survival. Offering nine perspectives to illustrate the most pressing challenges facing California's water infrastructure, from dams to species revitalization, Kaufmann reveals pragmatic yet inspiring solutions to how water in the West can continue to support agriculture, municipalities, and the environment. Interspersed throughout with trail paintings of animals that might yet survive under a caring and careful water ethic, Kaufmann shows how California can usher in a new era of responsible water conservation, and—perhaps most importantly—how we may do so together.Trade Review“Invites paddling around until you discover something fascinating, which you do, often. And of course, there are the illustrations. Kaufmann’s watercolors shimmer with delicacy and drama.”—Peter Fish, San Francisco Chronicle“Obi Kaufmann dives fearlessly and joyfully into the maelstrom that is The State of Water in California. Luscious illustrations reveal that joy, accompanied by text that faces historic challenges and a troubled future head on. This is not a book with a political agenda, other than 'to point out our agreements over our differences,' yet Kaufmann's concern for moral integrity points toward better ways we might compete for out limited water resource. With words and images the book affirms that 'water is life.' Let's lift a glass of the precious stuff to the hope that every Californian will read The State of Water.”—David Carle, author of Introduction to Water in California and Water and the California Dream“Equal parts pragmatism and whimsy, this exploration of water in California by the artist-naturalist Obi Kaufman is a delight from start to finish. A kind of scientific wonder cabinet, this splendidly illustrated reference manual has something for anyone interested in water in the Golden State. From sturgeon and river otters to vernal pools and diversion dams, The State of Water offers fresh new ways of thinking about California's waterscape that replenish and revitalize the groundwater of our aquatic imagination.”—Michael Kowalewski, Lloyd McBride Professor of English & Environmental Studies, Carleton College

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Book SynopsisA new edition of Muir’s writings that places his environmentalist ideals alongside his damaging prejudices Essayist. Preservationist. Mountain man. Inventor. John Muir may be California’s best-known icon. A literary naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club and Yosemite National Park, Muir left his legacy on the landscape and on paper. But the celebrity of John Muir does not tell the whole story. In Essential Muir, for the first time, Muir's selected writings include those that show his ecological vision without ignoring his racism, providing a more complete portrait of the man. Taking the best of John Muir’s writings on nature and placing them alongside his musings on religion, society, and his fellow humans, Essential Muir asks the reader to consider how these connect, and what that means for Muir’s legacy in environmentalism today. Fred D. White’s selections from Muir’s writings, and his illuminating commentary in his revised introduction, reveal the complex man and writer behind the iconic name. In the new foreword, Jolie Varela (Tule River Yokut and Paiute) of Indigenous Women Hike speaks back to Muir, addressing the impact of his words and actions on California Indians. This collection, which highlights John Muir’s charms and confronts his flaws, is vital for understanding the history of environmental thought.Table of ContentsContents Foreword Introduction Part One: The Visionary Inventor “Knowledge and Inventions,” from The Story of My Boyhood and Youth “The World and the University,” from The Story of My Boyhood and Youth Part Two: The Wandering Minstrel “Kentucky Forests and Caves and Through the Cumberland Mountains” from A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf “The River Country of Georgia, Through Florida's Swamps and Forests, and across Florida to Cedar Keys,” from A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf Part Three: The Nature Scribe and Rhapsode “In Camp on the North Fork of the Merced” from My First Summer in the Sierra “The Mono Indians of Bloody Canon” from My First Summer in the Sierra “A Near View of the High Sierra,” from The Mountains of California “A Windstorm in the Forest,” from The Mountains of California “A Yosemite Earthquake” from The Yosemite “Yosemite Falls at Midnight,” from The Life and Letters of John Muir “Nut Time in Squirrelville,” from The Life and Letters of John Muir “Yosemite Glaciers,” New York Tribune, Dec. 5, 1871 “Indian Tribes in the Yosemite Valley” from The Yosemite Part Four: The Global Adventurer “Eskimos and Walrus,” from The Cruise of the Corwin “Stickeen vs. the Glacier,” from Stickeen “Voyage to East Africa,” from John Muir’s Last Journey Part Five: The Planet Steward “God’s First Temples: How Shall We Preserve Our Forests?” Sacramento Daily Union, Feb. 5, 1876 “The Wild Parks and Forest Reservations of the West,” Atlantic Monthly, Aug. 1897 “Thoughts upon National Parks” (ca. 1895), from John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir Sources Major Works of John Muir About the Editor

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Book SynopsisTake a road trip through deep time and California history, with a friendly expert geologist at the wheel.From its epic earthquakes to its famed epithet "the Golden State," California as we know it would not exist without geology. Gary L. Prost, an expert geologist born and raised in California, embarked on a quest to better understand the state''s rocky history. His road trips have culminated in Rocks and Riches, an accessible and entertaining look at the land that has shaped the lives of all Californians. With humor and abiding curiosity, Prost examines the workings of deep time, the fascinating and troubled legacies of the Gold Rush, and the ways geology continues to influence life in California today. Visiting 55 stops of geologic interest, he traverses the Marin and Sonoma coasts, the Central Valley, the Sierra Foothills, Yosemite, and the Basin and Range country, ending with an extended journey through Death Valley to meditate on the awe-inspiring intensity of California''s deserts. Including dozens of illustrations and road maps, as well as guidance for fellow travelers, Rocks and Riches is both a practical handbook and an invitation to see California''s landscapes with wonder.

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Book SynopsisIn the absence of innovation in the field of conservation finance, a daunting funding gap faces conservationists aiming to protect America's system of landscapes that provide sustainable resources, water, wildlife habitat, and recreational amenities. Experts estimate that the average annual funding gap will be between $1.9 billion and $7.7 billion over the next forty years. Can the conservation community come up with new methods for financing that will fill this enormous gap? Which human and financial resources will allow us to fund critical land conservation needs? "From Walden to Wall Street" brings together the experience of more than a dozen pioneering conservation finance practitioners to address these crucial issues. Contributors present groundbreaking ideas such as government ballot measures for land conservation, convertible tax-exempt financing, and private equity markets. The creativity and insight of "From Walden to Wall Street" offers considerable hope that, even in this era of widespread financial constraints, the American conservation community's financial resources may potentially grow dramatically in both quantity and quality in the decades to come.

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Book Synopsis"The Historical Ecology Handbook" makes essential connections between past and future ecosystems, bringing together leading experts to offer a much-needed introduction to the field of historical ecology and its practical application by on-the-ground restorationists. Chapters present individual techniques focusing on both culturally derived evidence and biological records, with each chapter offering essential background, tools, and resources needed for using the technique in a restoration effort. The book ends with four in-depth case studies that demonstrate how various combinations of techniques have been used in restoration projects. "The Historical Ecology Handbook" is a unique and groundbreaking guide to determining historic reference conditions of a landscape. It offers an invaluable compendium of tools and techniques, and will be essential reading for anyone working in the field of ecological restoration.

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