Natural History Books

Book SynopsisFrom best-selling cartoonist Adrian Raeside, a new collection of wildly funny animal-themed cartoons.Prepare to walk on the wild side with 340 full-color Raeside cartoons, now collected for the first time into a single volume. Here is a menagerie of garbage-rummaging bears, squabbling eagles, philosophizing wolves, pre-handbag alligators, artistic elephants, shedding mammoths and many more from the animal kingdom.

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Book SynopsisMake sure your K9 investigation work holds up in court. Based on Resi and Ruud s previous book, K9 Fraud, with updated content and a new chapter. Learn how to: Avoid the most common mistakes handlers make. Become a better trainer and handler with a scientific understanding of scent and tracking work. Train your dog for scent-identification lineups using the scientifically proven Dutch standard. Faulty K9 investigations often have serious consequences: the guilty might walk free, and the innocent might suffer. Internationally recognized dog handlers and trainers Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak use real-life case studies historical and recent to highlight K9 errors that can derail entire investigations. Each of these mistakes, such as influencing your dog s results or relying on contaminated scents, damages your reputation and the value of your work. But with the right knowledge and training protocols, you can minimize investigation errors. K9 errors have hampered investigations from th

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Book SynopsisImprove the performance of your K9 drug detection team with this practical guide by expert trainers Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak. Topics include selecting the right dog for drug detection work, training basics, K9 first aid, planning a search action, and identifying different categories of illegal drugs.

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Book SynopsisK9 Search and Rescue Troubleshooting provides solutions to the most common problems SAR dog handlers encounter when training their dogs. Susan Bulanda has helped handlers around the world improve the performance of their K9 SAR teams units, and in this book she shares practical tips and advice she's learned through decades of experience. With her background as an animal behaviour consultant, Susan examines the latest research about how dogs learn and shows you how to correct your dog’s behavior using positive training methods.

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Book SynopsisEverything you need to know about one of the world’s most versatile working dogs Anyone who owns or works with Labrador Retrievers knows they are a special breed. Originally bred as a hunting dog in the nineteenth century, the Labrador Retriever is renowned for its intelligence, gentle ways, and adaptability. The same traits that allow the Labrador Retriever to excel as a hunting dog make it a versatile working dog. Its friendly disposition makes it one of the most popular family pets as well. Expert trainers Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak take you on a deep dive into the origins and history of the breed before exploring the traits and characteristics that distinguish it. Then, they provide training basics for the Labrador Retriever to get you started, and they examine the wide range of service and detection tasks the dog is ideally suited for. If you work with a Labrador Retriever or want to start working with one, this book offers a valuable guide to the many possibilities this breed offers.

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Book SynopsisUnderstand, oversee, and develop a police-dog program that excels. Learn: • The five fundamental factors for running a successful unit, and why some K9 units fail • How to mitigate liability issues • How to select the right dogs and handlers • How to handle budgets and deal with police-dog vendors • Current training trends and how to develop a positive K9 unit culture K9 units are on the front line for every dangerous and in progress call, and it’s up to the unit manager to ensure officers have the best possible dogs, equipment, and training for them to do their job and help mitigate the related risk. Robert Eden, a retired 28-year police veteran with extensive experience as a K9 handler and trainer, provides police departments with a template for the successful development and supervision of police-service dog operations. It provides a wealth of information for supervisors who have limited or no experience with police dogs, as well as new ideas and expert recommendations for those with an extensive K9 backgroundTrade ReviewRobert dispels myths and lays down frank truths as he gives supervisors the tools to build cultures of excellence in their K9 organizations. - Sgt. Steve White, K9 Unit Supervisor, Seattle Police Department Robert has a step-by-step guide, in very simple terms, on how to establish and run an exceptionally efficient and effective K9 unit. It's a must read for everyone who works with K9s, and especially for K9 supervisors and administrators with little or no previous K9 experience. - Rick Ashabranner, President of the North American Police Work Dog Association, NPWDA Master Trainer, and retired LEO Robert Eden has written a must-read analysis containing all the components essential for an effective K9 supervisor. His detailed insight and understanding of today's issues are exceptional. - Don Slavik, Executive Director of the United States Police Canine Association

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Book SynopsisStarting with popular books from the late nineteenth century and moving ultimately to the electronic guides of the current day, Binocular Vision contextualizes bird watching field guides historically, culturally, and in terms of a wide range of important environmental issues.

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Book Synopsis"You know a book is good when you actually welcome one of those howling days of wind and sleet that makes going out next to impossible." —The New York Times In The Earth Moved, Amy Stewart takes us on a journey through the underground world and introduces us to one of its most amazing denizens. The earthworm may be small, spineless, and blind, but its impact on the ecosystem is profound. It ploughs the soil, fights plant diseases, cleans up pollution, and turns ordinary dirt into fertile land. Who knew? In her witty, offbeat style, Stewart shows that much depends on the actions of the lowly worm. Charles Darwin devoted his last years to the meticulous study of these creatures, praising their remarkable abilities. With the august scientist as her inspiration, Stewart investigates the worm's subterranean realm, talks to oligochaetologists—the unsung heroes of earthworm science—who have devoted their lives to unearthing the complex life beneath our feet, and observes the thousands of worms in her own garden. From the legendary giant Australian worm that stretches to ten feet in length to the modest nightcrawler that wormed its way into the heart of Darwin's last book to the energetic red wigglers in Stewart's compost bin, The Earth Moved gives worms their due and exposes their hidden and extraordinary universe. This book is for all of us who appreciate Mother Nature's creatures, no matter how humble.

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Book SynopsisLISTENING TO NATURE will help you experience more fully the serenity and mystery of the natural world.Joseph Cornell, author of the bestselling Sharing Nature with Children, offers a sensitive yet lively guidebook to a deeper awareness of nature. You will learn how to get the feel of nature through inspiring quotations from famous naturalists, stunning photography and Cornell''s ever-popular nature awareness activities-simple, enjoyable exercises that give you a direct, personal experience of the wonder and joy of nature.You do not have to be in the wilderness to do these activities. In fact, you can do many of them while driving or walking to work. As you use these activities, more and more, your receptivity will increase and you''ll begin to see beauty in the most common things. Use this book and its gentle encouragement for personal meditation or as an aid for teaching nature awareness to children and adults. Through this book you will learn to be still and silent, to absorb the wonder of your natural surroundings. You will feel and appreciate-and become one with-the great outdoors: its woodlands, mountains, streams and fields. Let this book transport your spirit to the heart of crystal clear springs and ancient forests-and to your own still centre, deep within.

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Book SynopsisChristoph Hess, a Fédération Equestre International (FEI) “I” Judge in both dressage and eventing, is highly respected around the world as a teacher of riding and the development of the horse according to classical principles. Here he collects some of his very best riding and training tips along with well-honed insight related to the topics that he finds most often challenge equestrians and their equine partners. Ride Better with Christoph Hess provides thoughtful, easy-to-apply advice when dealing with issues with the gaits, in particular the walk and canter; high-headedness or the horse that is “too light” in the poll; inconsistency of performance; leaning on the bit; falling out; lack of straightness; and much more. In addition, Hess breaks out particular skills and movements that often need specialized attention when in the dressage or jumping ring, and when going cross-country. Throughout Hess emphasizes that a rider must always strive to improve, for the simple reason that you can always do better for your horse. While competitive and training goals do, of course, bring a certain satisfaction, it is having an equine partner who is contented in his work and happy in your company that rewards most. This lesson, and all Hess's tips and solutions, are invaluable to equestrians of every level - everyone can walk away from this book a better rider.Trade ReviewChristoph's book is delivered wholly around his classical development training principles. It's thoughtful, easy-to-apply advice and a collection of his best riding and training tips. The most common challenges for riders of all levels (that he has encountered) are also addressed — the regular, most frequent ones such as leaning on the bit, falling out, lack of straightness, as well as 'Top at home, flop at show' — a horsey 'problem' that crops up regularly at all levels and one of the reasons riders ask him for help. * Essex Rider *Ride Better with Christoph Hess, is a new book, out now, which is full of helpful tips and pieces of advice for riders and their horses whether they are interested in dressage, eventing or showjumping.Christoph (pictured top) is an FEI I judge in both dressage and eventing and is highly respected around the world as a trainer too, adhering to classical principles. Here he picks out problems and sticking points he finds most common when training horse and rider and shares his advice in a very easy-to-follow manner.No matter what level you are riding to, this book is a must-read. Throughout Hess emphasises that a rider must always strive to improve, for the simple reason that they can always do better for their horse.Deserves to be a bookshelf reference for every barn, regardless of discipline-after all, we all want to ride better.Aspirational in an inviting way, and Hess's advice is straightforward, easy to understand, and of course, classically correct.What I like about this book is it is a real problem-solver... a very good book for specific issues. Two thumbs up.Table of ContentsForeword by Uta GrafIntroduction 1. General Challenges in Dressage Work Walk - The Most Difficult Gait Losing our Rhythm in Seven-League Boots Enough Already with Short Strides The Wooden Canter Born to Stretch - Long and Low Young 'Pushy' and 'High-Headed' Light in the Poll - A Challenge Stretch, Then Stretch, Then Stretch Some More A Horse That Leans on the Bit Help - My Horse is a 'Wiggleworm'! The Infamous 'Sweet Side' Falling Out Over the Shoulder Straightness - A Challenge Unbalanced Canter to the Left Out of Control at Canter Flying Changes - A Challenge for Horse and Rider The Secret to a Good Half-Pass 2. Special Challenges in Dressage Work When the Mare Runs Away Rein Lame - A Rider Problem Grinding - A Long Term Issue The Move from Snaffle to Double Bridle Backward - Never with Pressure Determining the 'All-Rounder' Conditioning for the Dressage Horse Rehabilitating a Riding Horse Briefly and Quickly Trained Under Saddle The Unfocused Horse From Broodmare to Riding Horse From the Racetrack to the Dressage Arena From School Horse to Personal Horse From Riding Horse to Driving Horse Fearful, Arrogant, or Fresh? A Young Whippersnapper Lacks Respect My Horse Fidgets 3. Challenges in Show Jumping and Riding Cross-Country Training Over Single Fences More Courage on Course 'Top' at Home but a 'Flop' at Shows Hacking Out on a 'Loose Canon' When your Child wants to Event When Trust Fails Cross-Country 4. Select Challenges The Art of the Canter (Departure) Laziness in Horses Acknowledgements Photos & Illustrations Index

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Book SynopsisA rollicking comic treasury, starring the world's most famous cartoon horse. He has hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook and a surging presence on Instagram. Each day, he and his diverse group of friends share their mishaps, their successes, and their innermost thoughts with the world. He is seemingly ageless, looking even better now than when his ascent to fame began. Who is this intriguing Internet celebrity? Fergus the Horse (Equus hilarious), the creation of artist Jean Abernethy, has been entertaining audiences—young and old, in print and online—with his comedic adventures for the past 20 years. His rise to fame was documented in the epic equine comic collection The Essential Fergus the Horse, and now, Abernethy celebrates his age—and the wisdom that should come with it—with an all-new selection of horsey humor, including many cartoons fans have never seen before, created exclusively for this book. With a genuine appeal that crosses boundaries of breed, discipline, and geographic location, Fergus unites anyone with an eye for a horse and a need for a laugh. Readers of all ages—from 5 to 95—will be delighted by his wit, honesty, and profoundly funny observations on horses, humans, and the life they strive to live together.

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Book Synopsis"In me, there is the red of miry clay, the brown of spring floods, the gold of ripening tobacco. All of these hues are me; I am, in the deepest sense, colored.” From these fertile soils of love, land, identity, family, and race emerges The Home Place, a big-hearted, unforgettable memoir by ornithologist and professor of ecology J. Drew Lanham.Dating back to slavery, Edgefield County, South Carolina—a place "easy to pass by on the way somewhere else"—has been home to generations of Lanhams. In The Home Place, readers meet these extraordinary people, including Drew himself, who over the course of the 1970s falls in love with the natural world around him. As his passion takes flight, however, he begins to ask what it means to be "the rare bird, the oddity.”By turns angry, funny, elegiac, and heartbreaking, The Home Place is a remarkable meditation on nature and belonging, at once a deeply moving memoir and riveting exploration of the contradictions of black identity in the rural South—and in America today.Trade ReviewForeword Reviews Best Book of 2016 and Nautilus Silver Award Winner Praise for The Home Place “A groundbreaking work about race and the American landscape, and a deep meditation on nature, selfhood, and the nature of home. It is thoughtful, sincere, wise, and beautiful. I want everyone to read it.”—Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk “Consider The Home Place required reading—it’s a thoughtful and relevant-as-ever look at race and identity in the great outdoors.”—Outside “A lyrical story about the power of the wild, The Home Place synthesizes J. Drew Lanham’s own family history, geography, nature, and race into a compelling argument for conservation and resilience.”—National Geographic "By surrendering the world to imperial and industrial standards, we chop away at the very surroundings that allow us to live. Yet the dominant common sense asks us to divide our loyalties: Either we support racial justice or we support the environment. There can be no more important task in the world today than to upend this rotten dichotomy, to heal the manufactured rift between environmentalism and the fight for social justice. Lanham's memoir—'a colored man's love affair with nature'—offers us one way to begin." —Chronicle of Higher Education, "Best Scholarly Books of the Decade" “When you’re done with The Home Place, it won’t be done with you. Its wonders will linger like everything luminous. You might find yourself hoping for a world where every family has a J. Drew Lanham in it.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “A beautifully rendered and deeply personal story of the complex geographies of home, and displacement . . . The Home Place is a deft examination of how we come to define ourselves in a world that, in turn, is relentlessly trying to define who we are—and how we can take those definitions over and make our own.”—Sierra “There are no fireworks here—simply the musings of an African-American naturalist who, throughout his lifetime, has trained himself to marvel at the minor. Trust me, that is enough. . . . Of the many powerful lessons J. Drew Lanham bestows upon readers, perhaps this last one is his best: proof that human nature, like Mother nature herself, can still surprise us with its grace.”—Los Angeles Review of Books "J. Drew Lanham's The Home Place is a stunning read, a masterpiece, a soft rebellion that touches the deepest of our instincts." —Marine Ornithology “An extraordinary and trailblazing perspective on nature and race, told by a southern black man who became a natural scientist and a bird watcher. J. Drew Lanham’s colorful and long-awaited memoir deeply enriches our understanding of American culture and the environmental movement, rising as it does from the silence of an entire people. This is a captivating and crucial biology and a volume that I'll proudly add to my bookshelf.”—Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood “Wisdom and generosity fill the pages of The Home Place. This memoir and story of a familial ecosystem is anchored firmly in the Piedmont clay of South Carolina that J. Drew Lanham's enslaved ancestors worked and would later come to own—and love. A man ‘born of forests and fields,’ Lanham thinks deeply about the land writ large and our connections to it as well as to each other. His honest and insistent words encourage us to cultivate a broader, deeper perspective that recognizes ties between race and environment in deliberate ways.”—Lauret Savoy, author of Trace “The Home Place teems with life—notably the author’s own remarkable one. This wise and deeply felt memoir of a black naturalist’s improbable journey travels the hallways of academia, the fields and forests of ornithological study, and the dusty clay roads of the rural south where it all began with grace, humility, and an abiding appreciation for this exquisite world.”—William Souder, author of Under a Wild Sky “Your world will change while reading this beautiful, deep, and generous book. A book by a scientist that goes far beyond science, a book by a black man that looks issues of race in the eye but then transcends them, a book by a loving son who, in the end, finds a new identity, The Home Place is really about what it means to be human, and in particular what it means to be human in relationship to the land. It is a love song to family, soil, trees, birds, and wildness itself. Read it and be enlarged.”—David Gessner, author of All the Wild That Remains “Rapturous and illuminating . . . A shrewd meditation on home, family, nature, and the author’s native South.”—Kirkus “Insightful . . . Encouraging readers to pay closer attention to nature, J. Drew Lanham gathers the disparate elements that have shaped him into a nostalgic and fervent examination of home, family, nature, and community.”—Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisFINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE IN GENERAL NONFICTIONWINNER OF THE NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARDA CHICAGO TRIBUNE TOP TEN BOOK OF 2018A GUARDIAN, NPR’s SCIENCE FRIDAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, AND LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2018Hailed as “deeply felt” (New York Times), “a revelation” (Pacific Standard), and “the book on climate change and sea levels that was missing” (Chicago Tribune), Rising is both a highly original work of lyric reportage and a haunting meditation on how to let go of the places we love.With every passing day, and every record-breaking hurricane, it grows clearer that climate change is neither imagined nor distant—and that rising seas are transforming the coastline of the United States in irrevocable ways. In Rising, Elizabeth Rush guides readers through some of the places where this change has been most dramatic, from the Gulf Coast to Miami, and from New York City to the Bay Area. For many of the plants, animals, and humans in these places, the options are stark: retreat or perish in place.Weaving firsthand testimonials from those facing this choice—a Staten Islander who lost her father during Sandy, the remaining holdouts of a Native American community on a drowning Isle de Jean Charles, a neighborhood in Pensacola settled by escaped slaves hundreds of years ago—with profiles of wildlife biologists, activists, and other members of these vulnerable communities, Rising privileges the voices of those too often kept at the margins.In a new afterword for the paperback edition, Rush highlights questions of storytelling, adaptability, and how to powerfully shift conversation around ongoing climate change—including the storms of 2017 and 2018: Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, Florence, and Michael.Trade ReviewPraise for Elizabeth Rush’s Rising “A rigorously reported story about American vulnerability to rising seas, particularly disenfranchised people with limited access to the tools of rebuilding.”―Jury Citation, Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction “Deeply felt . . . Rush captures nature with precise words that almost amount to poetry; the book is further enriched with illuminating detail from the lives of those people inhabiting today’s coasts. . . . Elegies like this one will play an important role as people continue to confront a transformed, perhaps unnatural world.”―New York Times “The book on climate change and sea levels that was missing. Rush travels from vanishing shorelines in New England to hurting fishing communities to retracting islands and, with empathy and elegance, conveys what it means to lose a world in slow motion. Picture the working-class empathy of Studs Terkel paired with the heartbreak of a poet.”—Chicago Tribune (Best Ten Books of 2018) “Sea level rise is not some distant problem in a distant place. As Rush shows, it’s affecting real people right now. Rising is a compelling piece of reporting, by turns bleak and beautiful.”—Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction “A smart, lyrical testament to change and uncertainty. Rush listens to both the vulnerability and resiliency of communities facing the shifting shorelines of extreme weather. These are the stories we need to hear in order to survive and live more consciously with a sharp-edged determination to face our future with empathy and resolve. Rising illustrates how climate change is a relentless truth and real people in real places know it by name, storm by flood by fire.”—Terry Tempest Williams, author of The Hour of Land “Lovely and thoughtful . . . Reading [Rush's] book is like learning ecology at the feet of a poet.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “With tasteful and dynamic didactic language, [Rush] informs the layperson about the imminent threat of climate change while grounding the massive scope of the problem on heartfelt human and interspecies connection.”—Los Angeles Review of Books “Moving and urgent . . . Rush’s Rising is a revelation. . . . The project of Rising, like the project of Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, is to draw attention to ongoing material crisis through the stories of the people who are surviving within it. Rising is a clarion call. The idea isn’t merely that climate change is here and scary. There’s a more important message: There are people out here who need help.”—Pacific Standard “Timely and urgent, this report on how climate change is affecting American shorelines provides critical evidence of the devastating changes already faced by some coastal dwellers. Rush masterfully presents firsthand accounts of these changes, acknowledging her own privileged position in comparison to most of her interviewees and the heavy responsibility involved in relaying their experiences to an audience. . . . In the midst of a highly politicized debate on climate change and how to deal with its far-reaching effects, this book deserves to be read by all.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Rush traffics only sparingly in doomsday statistics. For Rush, the devastating impact of rising sea levels, especially on vulnerable communities, is more compellingly found in the details. From Louisiana to Staten Island to the Bay Area, Rush’s lyrical, deeply reported essays challenge us to accept the uncertainty of our present climate and to consider more just ways of dealing with the immense challenges ahead.”—The Nation “A strange new kind of travel guide, Rising is a journey through the turbulent forefront of climate change—the coastal communities, rich and poor, human and nonhuman, that are already feeling the first effects of our rising seas. Rush sets out to put a face on a subject that is all too often depicted in abstract graphs and statistics, and gives us a group portrait of the men and women who are fighting, fleeing, and adapting to the terrible disappearance of the land they live on.”—Charles C. Mann, author of 1491 “In this moving and memorable book, the voice of the author mingles with the voices of people in coastal communities all over the country—Maine, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Florida, New York, California—to offer testimony: The water is rising. Some have already lost their homes; some will lose them soon; others are studying or watching or grieving. Though they haven’t met each other, their commonality forms a circle into which we are inexorably pulled by Rush’s powerful words.”—Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down “A poetic meditation on the nature of change, on how people can make peace with a changing world and our agency in it . . . Rising [offers] pulsing, gleaming prose and a stubborn search for, if not hope, then peace in the face of disaster.”—Shelf Awareness “Rush rises. She brings stories out of the woodwork, revealing the true effect of sea level rise on the land, on the sea, and on people. She writes from a generation not asking if climate change is true or not, but how to live in the face of it, how we adapt, lose, or gain. Logging the finest, most intuitive details, Rush holds her subjects in tight focus, each coastline conveyed down to its grains of sand and inflections in the tides. Her writing is present among relocations and dying swamps, conveying the intricate nature of sea level rise. How do levees work? What does saltwater do to a freshwater aquifer? What voices are coming out of the wrack line, and what does it sound like as a coast is rewritten? Rush makes real a monolithic subject often too large to digest. You can taste the coming salt.”—Craig Childs, author of The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild “Rising is not just a book about rising sea levels and the lost habitats and homes—it’s also a moving rumination on the rise of women as investigative reporters, the rise of tangible solutions, the rise of human endeavor and flexibility. It is also a rising of unheard voices; one of the eloquent beauties of this book is the inclusion of various stories, Studs Terkel-style, of those affected most by our changing shoreline. A beautiful and tender account of what’s happening—and what’s in store.”—Laura Pritchett, author of Stars Go Blue “From the edges of our continent, where sea level rise is already well underway, Rush lays bare the often hidden effects of climate change—lost homes, lost habitats, broken family ties, chronic fear and worry—and shows us how those effects ripple toward us all. With elegance, intelligence, and guts, she guides us through one of the most frightening and complex issues of our time.”—Michelle NijhuisTable of ContentsCONTENTS The Password Jacob’s Point, Rhode Island RAMPIKES Persimmons Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana On Gratitude Laura Sewall: Small Point, Maine The Marsh at the End of the World Phippsburg, Maine Pulse South Florida On Reckoning Dan Kipnis: Miami Beach, Florida RHIZOMES On Storms Nicole Montalto: Oakwood Beach, Staten Island Divining Rod Oakwood Beach, Staten Island On Vulnerability Marilynn Wiggins: Pensacola, Florida Risk Pensacola, Florida On Opportunity Chris Brunet: Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana Goodbye Cloud Reflections in the Bay Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana RISING Connecting the Dots H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon On Restoration Richard Santos: Alviso, California Looking Backward and Forward in Time San Francisco Bay, California Afterword: Listening at the Water’s Edge Acknowledgments Notes

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Book SynopsisA Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2023A Library Journal Recommended Read for 2023A Ms. Magazine Most Anticipated Book of 2023A vibrant collection of personal and lyric essays in conversation with archival objects of Black history and memory.What are the politics of nature? Who owns it, where is it, what role does it play in our lives? Does it need to be tamed? Are we ourselves natural? In A Darker Wilderness, a constellation of luminary writers reflect on the significance of nature in their lived experience and on the role of nature in the lives of Black folks in the United States. Each of these essays engages with a single archival object, whether directly or obliquely, exploring stories spanning hundreds of years and thousands of miles, traveling from roots to space and finding rich Blackness everywhere.Erin Sharkey considers Benjamin Banneker’s 1795 almanac, as she follows the passing of seasons in an urban garden in Buffalo. Naima Penniman reflects on a statue of Haitian revolutionary François Makandal, within her own pursuit of environmental justice. Ama Codjoe meditates on rain, hair, protest, and freedom via a photo of a young woman during a civil rights demonstration in Alabama. And so on—with wide-ranging contributions from Carolyn Finney, Ronald Greer II, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Sean Hill, Michael Kleber-Diggs, Glynn Pogue, Katie Robinson, and Lauret Savoy—unearthing evidence of the ways Black people’s relationship to the natural world has persevered through colonialism, slavery, state-sponsored violence, and structurally racist policies like Jim Crow and redlining.A scrapbook, a family chest, a quilt—and an astounding work of historical engagement and literary accomplishment—A Darker Wilderness is a collection brimming with abundance and insight.Trade Review“In tales of the American wilderness, Black people have typically existed on the margins . . . This volume helps fill those gaps.”—Rosalind Bentley, Minneapolis Star Tribune"A response to the absence of Black literature about attachment to the American landscape, [A Darker Wilderness is] a multigenerational dwelling place that is both internal and external. An abundance of relevant themes emerge: home as refuge, seeking freedom amid social oppression, gardens as healers, and the complex history of Black landownership . . . A well-curated assemblage of Black voices that draws profound connections among family, nature, aspiration, and loss."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review“A Darker Wilderness is a remarkable collection of essays regarding generational experiences of the natural world….Some essays are tender and quiet; others are forceful calls to action; still others uncover natural magic in unsuspecting places. Each is creative and revelatory.”—Foreword Reviews, starred review“Imaginative, vexing, joyful, and heartbreaking reflections about the explorations of Black Americans in nature.”—Orion“The essays found within the pages are as Black and boundless as the night sky. They traverse oceans, roads, mountains, stretches of forested and farmed land, alleys, and even break through prison walls. On these pages, the anthology’s writers invite readers to accompany them on journeys in the past, present, future, and beyond.”—Shea Wesley Martin, Autostraddle“In A Darker Wilderness, Erin Sharkey has created and assembled the most important anthology of this decade. Here, we sit and sift through the unexpected explorations of Black folk and the wonders of our experiences with woods. This book feels like a beautifully layered black forest that must be experienced.”—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy“This beautiful collection of essays offers thoroughgoing contemplations of the vexing, heartbreaking, miraculous, and wonderful questions of Black people and the land, Black people and the earth, which, as far as I’m concerned, are among the most important questions there are. I’m so glad, so grateful, to have A Darker Wilderness as guide and friend; I’m so glad we get to ask those questions together.”—Ross Gay, author of The Book of Delights“Reading A Darker Wilderness feels like walking down a dim urban street that turns out to have always been a sacred wood full of magic. The poets and creative nonfiction writers gathered here offer imaginative, ranging, and incisor-sharp reflections on Black experience in and with the natural world. Their words are incandescent and irreverent, alarming and lovely, poignant and honest. Their call to remember the land, name it, share it, and tend it, will ring out long after the last page has been turned.”—Tiya Miles, author of All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake“What does it feel like to be left out? Black folk know. Largely absent from the narrative of what nature means to the environmental movement, the story of America’s nature-noticing legacy is incomplete without our voices. From 1619 on, ghosting Blackness from the book of wild has been systemic. Herein, Black writers converge to tell the stories of wildness bent through Black prisms. Essential reading, no matter your color.”—J. Drew Lanham, author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with NatureTable of ContentsForewordMemory DivineCarolyn Finney IntroductionErin Sharkey An Aspect of FreedomAma Codjoe A Family VacationGlynn Pogue This Land Is My LandSean Hill Confronting the Names on This LandLauret Savoy An Urban Farmer’s AlmanacA Twenty-First-Century Reflection on Benjamin Banneker’s Almanacs and Other Astronomical PhenomenaErin Sharkey Magic AlleyRonald L. Greer II Concentric Memory: Re-membering Our Way into the FutureNaima Penniman There Was a Tremendous SoftnessMichael Kleber-Diggs Water and StoneA Ceremony for Audre Lorde in Three PartsAlexis Pauline Gumbs Here’s How I Let Them Come Closekatie robinson About the Contributors XX

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Book SynopsisBOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER • LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER • BOSTON.COM BOOKCLUB SELECTION A celebration and meditation on the season for drinking hot chocolate, spotting a wreath on a neighbor’s door, experiencing the change in light of shorter days. All aspects of Winter, from the meteorological to the mythological, are captured in this masterful essay, told in wise and luminous prose that pushes back the dark. Winter begins with the shortest day of the year before nightfall. As in her companion volume, Summer Solstice, the author meditates on both the dark and the light and what this season means in our lives.“Winter tells us,” Nina MacLaughlin says, “more than petaled spring, or hot-grassed summer, or fall with its yellow leaves, that we are mortal. In the frankness of its cold, in the mystery of its deep-blue dark, the place in us that knows of death is tickled, focused, stoked. The angels sing on the doorknobs and others sing from the abyss. The sun has been in retreat since June, and the heat inside glows brighter in proportion to its absence. We make up for the lost light in the spark that burns inside us.” If Winter is a time you love for its memories and traditions, if you love writing that takes your breath away with lyrical leaps across time and space, Winter Solstice is an unforgettable book you’ll cherish.Trade ReviewPraise for Winter Solstice “Arresting . . . MacLaughlin reminds us of our capacity for wonder, heightened in this season of quiet.” —Los Angeles Review of Books “Drawing on myths, memories, meteorology, and more, it makes a perfect companion for a frosty New England night.” —Boston Art Review, a “Holiday Gift Guide” pick “The narrative achieves a deeply cohesive, riveting quality, that at times directly engages the reader in collaboration and intrigue.” —The Brooklyn Rail “This book is beautiful, it’s a book that begs to be read aloud. The language is just gorgeous. There are pieces of it that I’ve returned to over and over again.” —Josh Christie, Maine Public Radio “Nina MacLaughlin returns to celebrate the winter solstice, and delivers a most sensual hymn and harbor for the human ability to feel our way through the darkness towards wise, unexpected connections. This ethereal collection offers us a candle at night—it’s an astonishing gift.” —Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments “Nina MacLaughlin stands shoulder to shoulder with such writers as José Emilio Pacheco and Fleur Jaeggy. In Winter Solstice we are invited into the impending dark, guided through our own, and in the end given just enough light to survive. MacLaughlin’s meditation is both universal and uncommonly distinct. An immense joy to read, Winter Solstice is not so much an essay as it is a vision.” —Matthew Dickman, author of Husbandry “Smart and lyrical—this book makes you feel alive.” —Nicholson Baker, author of The Anthologist

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Book SynopsisAlthough spare, sweeping landscapes may appear “empty,” plains and prairies afford a rich, unique aesthetic experience—one of quiet sunrises and dramatic storms, hidden treasures and abundant wildlife, infinite horizons and omnipresent wind, all worthy of contemplation and celebration.In this series of narratives, photographs, and hand-drawn maps, Tyra Olstad blends scholarly research with first-hand observation to explore topics such as wildness and wilderness, travel and tourism, preservation and conservation, expectations and acceptance, and even dreams and reality in the context of parks, prairies, and wild, open places. In so doing, she invites readers to reconsider the meaning of “emptiness” and ask larger, deeper questions such as: how do people experience the world? How do we shape places and how do places shape us? Above all, what does it mean to experience that exhilarating effect known as Zen of the plains?

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Book SynopsisPets may not have words, but they do communicate. Paying attention to an animal's cues -a joyful bark, a scary growl, a swishing tail - can help a child understand what the animal is "saying" and what an appropriate response might be. That's part of what this book is about. But mostly it's about showing children how to love pets gently - because pets are for loving, after all. Kids learn that teasing isn't nice, that they can choose to be kind to animals, and that if you want to touch someone else's pet, there's one important rule you should know: Ask the owner first! A special section for adults includes ideas for teaching kindness to animals, activities, and discussion starters.

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Book SynopsisYour horses deserve a comfortable and well-kept stable. In this easy-to-use guide, Cherry Hill shows you how to design and maintain an efficient and safe stable environment. With clear instructions and more than 250 photographs, Hill provides in-depth advice on every aspect of stable management, including stalls, tack rooms, work and storage areas, sanitation, safety considerations, and more. Good stablekeeping is an essential element of every successfully equine operation; it ensures a pleasant workplace and creates a healthy and happy environment for your horses.

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Book SynopsisDesigned to help instructors create a safe and productive riding environment, this guide provides expert tips on constructing lesson plans, effectively communicating with students, and weeding out dangerous animals. Offering advice on how to minimize accidents and the best way to handle them when they do happen, Jan Dawson also includes suggestions on protective release forms and insurance considerations. Whether your student is learning how to sit in the saddle for the first time or trying to master jumping routines, safe riding is correct riding.

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Book SynopsisWhatever your primary equestrian discipline, dressage is an ideal way for you to increase your riding awareness and enhance your relationship with your horse. Providing an overview of basic techniques and a series of helpful training exercises, Jennifer O. Bryant stresses the tenets of harmonious communication between horse and rider as she guides you through the graceful movements of dressage. With suggestions on how to find qualified instructors and information on necessary equipment, this comprehensive guide will inspire you to explore this exciting and rewarding world.

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Book SynopsisHorses with good conformation move fluidly, experience less wear and tear on joints, and are more apt to stay fit. Explaining how conformation relates to structure and function, Heather Smith Thomas shows you how to identify a horse’s desirable attributes and potential faults. You’ll learn to train your eye to see past an animal’s physical beauty and recognize proper balance, leg angles, and height as you confidently select horses that have superior durability, trainability, and athletic potential.

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Book SynopsisIn this fascinating best seller, Cherry Hill explores the way horses think and how it affects their behavior. Explaining why certain smells and sounds appeal to your horse’s sensibility and what sets off his sudden movements, Hill stresses how recognizing the thought processes behind your horse’s actions can help you communicate effectively and develop a trusting relationship based on mutual respect.

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Book SynopsisWilderness First Aid covers simple techniques to treat common injuries and sickness in a wilderness situation. This waterproof, folding guide includes great tips and techniques to help you be more comfortable while awaiting rescue or keep you mobile enough to effect self-rescue if required. Be smart, be safe, be skilled. Developed by noted survival expert and master woodsman Dave Canterbury, this is one of a 10-part series on survival skills. Made in the USA.

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Book SynopsisPlanet earth as we know it is changing rapidly as a consequence of the excessive use of fossil fuels, deforestation and industrial processes. Our natural environment is deteriorating at pace and today people are struggling to find mechanisms to cope in the face of these changes. This vital book offers positive, practical techniques to give readers the tools needed to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Readers will find guidance and comfort in the innovative forms of meditations, exercises and rituals, accompanied by the author's intuitive line drawings.This is a hugely important spiritual guide which offers practical techniques to help readers meet the challenges of modern life.

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Book SynopsisYour Guide to Watching Clouds and Understanding the Weather From the soothing sound of rain to the shrill whistle of a blizzard, from the house-shaking rumble of thunder to the violent fury of a hurricane, weather is a fascinating part of our lives. We watch it. We listen to it. We feel it. We try to predict it. But how well do we truly understand it? Professional meteorologist Ryan Henning presents Field Guide to the Weather, a handy reference to meteorology and to the types of weather phenomena that one might encounter at home or in nature. It includes a simple introduction to the basics of meteorology—explaining the aspects of the atmosphere that dictate how weather works. From there, the field guide looks at a variety of individual weather topics: cloud formation (and cloud-type identification), various forms of precipitation, and much more. The author goes on to discuss government-issued watches and warnings, and weather safety. Plus, readers are sure to appreciate the book’s helpful guide to interpreting weather forecasts and available model information when planning an afternoon picnic or next week’s vacation. Field Guide to the Weather is a perfect introduction to the science of weather. The information is captivating for kids and adults alike. The simple explanations are useful in easing the mind of a frightened child, and the in-depth details help adults learn to understand and prepare for the weather ahead.Table of ContentsIntroduction Meteorology and the Building Blocks of Weather What Is Meteorology? Pressure, Temperature, Humidity, Density The Bigger Picture North American Weather Systems of Note How to Read a Weather Map Weather Phenomena You Can See Clouds Thunderstorm Clouds Precipitation Freezing Rain, Sleet, and Graupel Dew and Frost Fog Severe Weather Phenomena Clear-Sky Phenomena Find Your Weather, Weather Safety, and More Weather Conversations United States Weather Records Recommended Reading Glossary About the Author

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Book SynopsisGet this tabbed booklet to garden insects and bugs, and learn how to identify and attract (or repel!) them. Brightly colored flowers, rich soil, and delicious nectar, the garden landscape is a bug’s paradise. It attracts the ones we want to see—like bees, butterflies, and lady beetles—but also the ones we don’t, such as grasshoppers, spider mites, and snails. Keep this convenient guide to garden bugs and insects close at hand. Designed for ease of use, the tabbed booklet is organized by group for quick identification. Narrow your choices by group, and view just a few creepy crawlies at a time. The professional photographs showcase more than 100 species. Written by acclaimed author and expert entomologist Jaret C. Daniels, Garden Bugs & Insects of the South & Southeast features only species found in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, east Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, east Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Book Features Pocket-sized format—easier than laminated foldouts Professional photos showing key markings Easy-to-use information for even casual observers Tips to attract beneficial bugs and to repel damaging ones Learn to keep your garden happy and healthy with this lightweight quick guide. Improve your identification skills and find out what to do about the bugs you see.

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Book SynopsisLooking for adventure and continuing a process of self-discovery, Janisse Ray has repeatedly set out to immerse herself in wildness, to be wild, and to learn what wildness can teach us. From overwintering with monarch butterflies in Mexico to counting birds in Belize, the stories in Wild Spectacle capture her luckiest moments—ones of heart-pounding amazement, discovery of romance, and moving toward living more wisely. In Ray’s worst moments she crosses boundaries to encounter danger and embrace sadness.Anchored firmly in two places Ray has called home—Montana and southern Georgia—the sixteen essays here span a landscape from Alaska to Central America, connecting common elements in the ecosystems of people and place. One of her abiding griefs is that she has missed the sights of explorers like Bartram, Sacagawea, and Carver: flocks of passenger pigeons, routes of wolves, herds of bison. She craves a wilder world and documents encounters that are rare in a time of disappearing habitat, declining biodiversity, and a world too slowly coming to terms with climate change. In an age of increasingly virtual, urban life, Ray embraces the intentionality of trying to be a better person balanced with seeking out natural spectacle, abundance, and less trammeled environments. She questions what it means to travel into the wild as a woman, speculates on the impacts of ecotourism and travel in general, questions assumptions about eating from the land, and appeals to future generations to make substantive change.Wild Spectacle explores our first home, the wild earth, and invites us to question its known and unknown beauties and curiosities.Trade ReviewPraise for Wild SpectacleGeorgia Center for the Book “Books All Georgians Should Read” for 2022Atlanta Journal Constitution Top 10 Southern Books of 2021Gun & Garden’s Favorite Books of 2021 “A lover takes nothing for granted. A lover explores, wanders, takes delight in nuance. Says, viva la difference. A lover listens, savors, is patient. Janisse Ray is a writer in love with place and places.” — Orion “With its combination of lyrical sentences, heartfelt truths, and profound observations, this book is a gem and a worthy sequel to Cracker Childhood.” — Southern Literary Review “Ray is more than a knowledgeable observer. Her relationship with the natural world is passionate and spiritual.” — Alabama Public Radio “The essays in Wild Spectacle span 20 years…they show that no matter where or when we are, there’s wonders to bear witness to.” — Savannah Morning News “Just a small town girl traveling the whole world, Janisse Ray’s new collection Wild Spectacle showcases her choice to take on heart-pounding adventure while discovering herself and nature.” — Connect Savannah“Naturalist Janisse Ray’s clear, nimble, sensitive writing about wildness and self-discovery is so arresting that it has informed my own writing.” — Latria Graham, Garden & Gun “Wild Spectacle is prayer to Mother Earth, and like prayers Ray both exalts and grieves Her. This book will surely mark your soul.” — Dawn Major"An enthralling immersion into the splendor of our natural world told in language that is equal parts rapturous and down to earth." — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"An enchanting essay collection about the wonders and lessons that nature provides." — Foreword Reviews“Wild Spectacle is prayer to Mother Earth, and like prayers Ray both exalts and grieves Her. This book will surely mark your soul.” — Dawn Major“Think about epiphany. Think about change. Think about the moments that make your face burn, your fingers tingle. Wild Spectacle is about those shocks, encounters that shift the way we see the world and ourselves in it. Ray is the vortex around which everything spins.” — Joni Tevis, author of The World Is on Fire: Scrap, Treasure, and Songs of Apocalypse“Wonderful. Janisse Ray has a heart the size of a manatee and the tenacity (and laugh) of a pileated woodpecker. She is incapable of not loving this world and all that is in it. If you don’t yet know her work, today is your lucky day.” — Rick Bass, author of For a Little While: New and Selected Stories”Curious, humble, bright, and compelling. Whenever I read Janisse Ray, I come away feeling both moved and fortunate. She is one of America’s best chroniclers of spiritual and physical wilderness. Her prose is as gorgeous as her mind is wise, and lands a necessary punch: how should a human enter a wild place?” — Megan Mayhew Bergman, author of Almost Famous Women“These seductive and diverse essays evoke wildness themselves, weaving narratives of community, love, and heroism. Ray writes with the heart of a poet and warrior, casting a spell that leaves us wanting to love and protect all that is wild. She urges us to remember what beauty there is in the world, and how much that world needs us.” — Sheryl St. Germain, author of Fifty Miles“Ray’s richness of observation, clarity of expression, and moral purpose are in such balance that this book hums like a gyroscope in your hands. Read and reread it again to savor the scenes and sentences.” — Melissa Fay Greene, author of No Biking in the House without a Helmet: 9 Kids, 3 Continents, 2 Parents, 1 Family“An urgent love letter to our wild places. Part poet, naturalist, and tour guide, Ray is a gifted observer. We finish this remarkable book brimming with gratitude and alive to the wild spectacles around us.” — Beth Ann Fennelly, author of Heating and Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs“Here is Janisse Ray at her best—fully immersed in wilderness, immersed in friendship, immersed in parenthood. She engages with the world in a way that few can manage in this screened-off age. If there’s a more open, honest, and appealing writer today, I’ve not met her.” — Bill McKibben, author Wandering Home: A Long Walk across America’s Most Hopeful Landscape“Wild Spectacle is a stirring book. To experience the truth of Thoreau’s claim that wildness preserves the world, take these journeys with Janisse Ray. She is an exhilarating observer who explores untamed places where that shaping, animating energy is on vivid display.” — Scott Russell Sanders, author of The Way of Imagination“Janisse Ray’s sense of wonder in the presence of the natural world permeates this collection of essays on how to love the Earth and measure the value of a life surrounded by the mother we all share. These essays help us measure the value of life.” — Pam Houston, author of Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country"Seriously great. In its brilliantly detailed celebrations of geography, Janisse Ray's writing suggests Walt Whitman. Hers is a literary ambition that makes no pretenses to modesty." — Franklin Burroughs, author of Billy Watson’s Croker Sack"Janisse Ray doesn’t explore nature so much as remind us of what we have forgotten... She is our Rachel Carson and our Walt Whitman, both fierce prophet and loving courage teacher." — Mark Powell, author LionessPraise for Ecology of a Cracker Childhood"Painfully and powerfully told.... Ray's passion for preserving and restoring this unsung landscape is heartfelt and refreshing." — Tony Horowitz, New York Times"The forests of the southeast find their Rachel Carson . . . . In Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, part memoir, part clarion call to save the longleaf pine, she casts a loving but unflinching eye on growing up poor and fundamentalist in southeast Georgia.” — Anne Raver, New York Times"A gutsy, wholly original memoir of ragged grace and raw beauty...Ray’s redemptive story of an impoverished childhood brings to mind the novels of Dorothy Allison and the nature writing of Amy Blackmarr, but the stunning voice and vision are hers alone." — Kirkus Reviews (STARRED)"Ray's writing is at its best when she recalls her most harrowing memories, such as when her father gave her and her two brothers a whipping after they stood by and watched a friend kill a turtle. These scenes resonate during the interpolated naturalist chapters, which evoke the calm of the landscape and give readers a respite from the anger and pain that drive much of the family narrative. In a final chapter (in which she includes appendixes on the specific endangered species of the South), Ray laments the 'daily erosion of unique folkways as our native ecosystems and all their inhabitants disappear.' What remains most memorable are the sections where Ray describes, and attempts to prevent, her own disconnection from the Georgia landscape." — Publishers Weekly"Ray’s paean to the filth, rot, shit, and rust of her childhood on a Georgia junkyard. Half memoir, half polemic, Cracker Childhood is both a recollection of how Ray came to understand the natural world’s value and beauty, and an impassioned explanation of why the longleaf pine ecosystems of southeast Georgia, Alabama, and Florida must be defended against any further assault by humanity." — GristPraise for Wild Card Quilt"Ray celebrates the richness of the natural world and the comforts of family. — Publishers WeeklyPraise for Pinhook"Her moving book is a tribute to a small but crucial wild place and a call for readers to help preserve it and others like it." — Publishers WeeklyPraise for The Seed Underground"An enchanting narrative...Even couch potatoes will be enthralled by Ray’s intimate, poetically conversational stories of her encounters with the 'lovely, whimsical, and soulful things [that] happen in a garden, leaving a gardener giddy.'"— Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisBraiding together illustration, observation, and reportage, artist and naturalist Robin Lee Carlson offers a watershed work that will forever change how we live with wildfire in the West.When the nature reserve at Cold Canyon went up in flames—a casualty of California’s raging fire seasons—Robin Lee Carlson embarked on a five-year journey to learn the legacy of the burn. Spurred by scientific curiosity, Carlson’s deep digs into the natural history of this fire-swept ecosystem unearth mind-bending revelations about nature’s wild wisdom. Her transformative story of fire as a force for renewal underscores what scientists are urgently working to understand: that in California’s wildfire ecologies, fire functions as an elemental power that does not destroy the diverse habitats of California, but regenerates them. Richly illustrated in pen, ink, and watercolor, this snapshot of Cold Canyon’s wildlife emerging from the ashes introduces the reader to the wonder of ecological kinship and its cycles in our wild lands. Carlson’s artistic and scientific journey ultimately leads her (and us) to a new understanding of how we must live in relationship to fire and to the land. With fire suppression and climate change undermining the essential regenerative work of fire in our ecosystem, Carlson’s story is an urgent one—one that shows us how cultivating intimacy with our natural world teaches us what we need to do to sustain it.Trade Review"The Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes is a captivating and matchless invitation to see inside Carlson’s intimate engagement, through her incisive writing and charming artistry, with a landscape recovering from fire. The relationship and lessons Carlson derives intertwine with her knowledge of global climate crisis and fire cycles—we are all better for being invited into this journey of recovery and reformation."—Dr. Beronda L. Montgomery, author of Lessons from Plants"Through exquisite detail rendered in prose and illustration, The Cold Canyon Fire Journals deliver the reader to a beloved canyon through fire and regrowth. Trained as a biologist, Robin Lee Carlson offers a reminder that life—especially, crucially, non-human life—continues amid and after destruction. The Cold Canyon Fire Journals is a celebration of a beauty that is larger than our comprehension. So many moments in this book linger in my imagination: the dust on a newt’s back after a long, dry journey; the shadow of a water strider in the creek. Such a beautiful world has burned and will burn again, Carlson tells us. But these pages offer a new way to relate to fire, kindling a respect for the natural world on its own terms. This is a book to cherish, to share, and to hold close when the skies once again darken with smoke."—Kendra Atleework, author of Miracle Country: A Memoir of a Family and a Landscape, winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award"That place can be a relationship is well understood; that fire is, less so. Robin Lee Carlson puts Cold Canyon, a place she knows intimately, together with fire, an oft-vexing visitor, and the result is a delightfully illustrated reimagining of the fire-catalyzed changes sweeping over us."—Dr. Stephen Pyne, author of Fire: A Brief History and The Pyrocene"Through her fascinating stories and colorful illustrations, Robin beautifully and intimately chronicles a natural community’s journey, from devastation to its spellbinding rebirth."—Rob Badger and Nita Winter, conservation photographers and authors of Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change"In a time when those who love the living world must hold together joy and pain, beauty and loss, Robin Lee Carlson allows fire to become a teacher that opens both the physical landscape and her 'imaginative sympathy. Cold Canyon offers an amazing handbook for place-based immersion, and a model of careful attention to the vibrancy of the everyday. Carlson’s field notes and expressive illustrations deepen her 'visceral discoveries,' inviting readers to learn alongside her and create their own artistic inquiries. As a contemplation on ecological change, Cold Canyon reveals how a landscape forged in fire, over time and with loving attention, can deeply alter and revivify our perceptions."—Gavin Van Horn, author of The Way of Coyote and co-editor with Robin Wall Kimmerer of Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations"I love how Robin Lee Carlson's narrative weaves art and ecology into a very distinctive, comfortable flow. It connects the dots between all of life’s harsh beauties and wonders in an honest and positive light."—Paul Havemann, Reserve Manager, Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve"Nature journaler and illustrator Robin Lee Carlson spent years field-sketching wildfire impacts, and in The Cold Canyon Fire Journals, she shows us that fire is not inherently bad but a process of change and renewal. Her detailed observations are important, and we can all learn from them as we seek to learn to live with fire in California."—Laura Cunningham, author of A State of Change: Forgotten Landscapes of California"The Cold Canyon Fire Journals is a fresh, intimate, and rich exploration of the impact of fire in natural systems. As we follow Robin Carlson's adventures and exploration in a post-fire landscape, we are given the raw footage from her nature journals and the deeper insights they inspire. Robin shares case studies and reveals the survival strategies from many California species. We see the landscape through her eyes, tuned with the curiosity and insight of a scientist and the aesthetics and delight of an artist. In addition to giving us greater understanding of how species recover from fire, this book reveals how we might learn to look closely enough to read the stories that nature tells. Robin’s nature journal pages are an inspiration to every aspiring student of nature. This book is an authentic love song to the wonder, resilience and beauty of nature and the power of observation and inquiry."—John Muir Laws, author of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling"Robin was one of the first on the scene after the wildfire at Stebbins Cold Canyon. Her documentary of the recovery is the most engaging there is. Robin has an artist’s aesthetic, a scientist’s care for detail, and a documentarian’s ability to tell the story of a landscape and a fire.The striking illustrations and thoughtful observation of Robin’s book walk us through the transformation and rebirth of a landscape."—Jeffrey Clary, Associate Director, UC Davis Natural Reserve System"After a seemingly unending series of catastrophic fire seasons, Californians can’t be blamed for being pessimistic about the future of their state and its globally treasured landscapes. In The Cold Canyon Fire Journals, Robin Carlson traces – in reverential prose and delightful illustration – the multiple rebirths of a cherished Coast Range watershed after the passage of wildfires in 2015 and 2020. Carlson invites the reader on her own journey of discovery and wonder, and finds 'beauty in things that seem broken.' For Californians the future brings both fear and hope. Carlson weaves both into her story of the big lessons a small place can teach us about where our world is going, and what we can do about it."—Hugh Safford Chief scientist, Vibrant Planet; Research ecologist, University of California-Davis; US Forest Service, retiredTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter One Fire in the Canyon: The Wragg Fire and What Came NextChapter Two First Responders: Life Comes Rushing to the FlamesChapter Three Emerald and Sepia: New Leaves on Burned SlopesChapter Four An Explosion of Color: Wildflowers Seize the DayChapter Five Flower-Followers: PollinatorsChapter Six The Relativity of Time: Oak and Pine in Life and DeathChapter Seven Cornerstones: Lichens in Rapidly Changing EcosystemsChapter Eight Blazing a Trail: Mammals of All KindsChapter Nine The Fire Cycle in the Anthropocene: Cold Canyon Burns AgainChapter Ten Bring Fire with You: A New Old ParadigmConclusion: The Newt’s Way Note 1 Stebbins Cold Canyon: A UC Natural ReserveNote 2 Ecoreportage: Drawing a Changing LandscapeNote 3 Names of Species Discussed in the TextBibliographyAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author

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Book SynopsisAn all-access guide to the abundant natural splendor of Sonoma County.Wild Sonoma celebrates the spectacular and resilient natural landscapes of Sonoma County, which along with its neighboring counties is one of the world’s premier winegrowing regions. Our exploration launches with an entertaining primer on ecology basics, including the impact of fire, before a fun fact–filled survey of sixty-two of the area’s iconic and commonly encountered species—from vivacious acorn woodpeckers to disease-neutralizing Western fence lizards. It caps off with a tour of six sites to experience Sonoma’s diverse natural beauty, with a special emphasis on access. Written by Wild LA author Charles Hood, introduced by renowned naturalist Jane Goodall, and illustrated by John Muir Laws, Wild Sonoma offers residents and tourists from eight to eighty a sense of wonder and cause for hope.Trade Review"Earthy and balanced, smooth on the tongue, and with a buttery finish, Wild Sonoma is an appealing, opulent introduction to the natural wonders just beyond the tasting rooms and terraces of Northern California wine country."—Foreword ReviewsTable of ContentsForeword by Jane Goodall Introduction: Welcome to Wild Sonoma! Part 1: Where Nature Comes From water and watersheds dirt versus soil fire and fire ecology Part 2: a Field Guide to Cool, Interesting, and Essential Species birds acorn woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus American coot Fulica americana American robin Turdus migratorius Anna’s hummingbird Calypte anna California quail Callipepla californica California scrub-jay Aphelocoma californica common raven Corvus corax dark-eyed junco Junco hyemalis double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus golden-crowned sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla great blue heron Ardea herodias great egret Ardea alba house finch Haemorhous mexicanus mallard Anas platyrhynchos mourning dove Zenaida macroura red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor turkey vulture Cathartes aura western bluebird Sialia mexicana flowers, shrubs, and trees arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis bay laurel Umbellularia californica blue dicks Dipterostemon capitatum California buckeye Aesculus californica California poppy Eschscholzia californica coast live oak Quercus agrifolia coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens common manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglas iris Iris douglasiana field mustard Brassica spp. Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii Pacific poison oak Toxicodendron diversilobum sky lupine Lupinus nanus spring vetch Vicia sativa sticky monkey-flower Diplacus aurantiacus toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia valley oak Quercus lobata insects common buckeye Junonia coenia bumble bee Bombus spp. cabbage white Pieris rapae California sister Adelpha californica common yellowjacket Vespula pensylvanica darkling beetle Eleodes grandicollis flame skimmer Libellula saturata harvester ant Veromessor andrei mourning cloak Nymphalis antiopa pipevine swallowtail Battus philenor mammals black bear Urus americanus bobcat Lynx rufus coyote Canis latrans gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus mule deer Odocoileus hemionus northern raccoon Procyon lotor striped skunk Mephitis mephitis western gray squirrel Sciurus griseus reptiles and amphibians California newt Taricha torosa garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis gopher snake Pituophis catenifer northern Pacific rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus Sierran treefrog Pseudacris sierra western fence lizard Sceloporus occidentalis Part 3: Explorations and Excursions Jenner and the Russian River Estuary Lake Sonoma The Middle Russian River Spring Lake Regional Park Jack London State Historic Park Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Where to Go Next About the Authors

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Book SynopsisThe cat’s out of the bag – the pet industry is booming. From grooming to pet sitting, spas to nutrition, the pet business is teaming with consistent clientele who want the best for their balls of joy. Animal lovers and aspiring entrepreneurs look no further, Start Your Own Pet Business is here to unlock your pet-tential. Detailing how to find your market, create your specific business plan, finance your venture, and obtain permits, Rich Mintzer and the experts at Entrepreneur guide you every step of the way, so you can dig your paws into the meat of the matter and maximize your profits. Using this comprehensive blueprint, you’ll discover how to: Locate and enhance your customer base Establish your business as a legal entity Navigate insurance, licensing, and expenditures Construct your individualized business plan Set up your base of operations for maximum productivity Every dog has its day, and today is yours! Join the pack of successful entrepreneurs with Start Your Own Pet Business as your go-to guide.Table of ContentsPrefaceChapter 1: Your Customers Are HumanChapter 2: Putting the Parts of Your Business in PlaceChapter 3: Basic ServicesChapter 4: Putting Your Best Paw ForwardChapter 5: Useful CredentialsChapter 6: Contracts, Insurance, and Legal MattersChapter 7: Financial ConsiderationsChapter 8: Raining Cats and DogsChapter 9: Other Common House PetsChapter 10: Barn-Animal CareChapter 11: Jungle FeverChapter 12: Expanding Your BusinessAppendixGlossaryAbout the AuthorIndex

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Book SynopsisThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA - was established on July 29, 1958. Ever since that day, NASA has been at the forefront of efforts to explore outerspace, resulting in the Apollo missions to the moon, the Skylab space-station and today''s space shuttle.But behind the open face of NASA, there is a much more mysterious world. NASA has been linked to a wealth of high-level cover-ups, including:Claims that the Apollo moon landings of 1969 to 1972 were faked as part of an effort to demonstrate military and technological superiority over the former Soviet UnionNASA''s role in hiding the truth about the controversial face on Mars - which many believe to be a carved structure, created in the remote past by long-extinct, indigenous MartiansNASA''s deep and longstanding involvement in the famous UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico, in the summer of 1947Deep Throat-like NASA sources that have attempted to blow the lid on NASA''s most guarded secrets concerning the U.S. Government''s interactions with aliens."Nick Redfern [is] the Brit with a knack for ferreting out all the dope on outrageous subjects."- Jim Marrs, best-selling author of Psi Spies and Alien Agenda

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Book SynopsisGet your horse in shape and maintain his overall fitness, regardless of his age or abilities. Equine Fitness will have your horse looking and feeling his best with a series of fun exercise routines specifically designed to enhance his strength, stamina, and agility. Clear step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations make the exercises easy to follow, and the book includes a handy set of pocket-sized cards that you can use in the ring. Jec Ballou’s simple conditioning program promises lasting results for healthy horses and satisfied riders.

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Book Synopsis2017 is the 50th anniversary of The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda. Three astounding women scientists have in recent years penetrated the jungles of Africa and Borneo to observe, nurture, and defend humanity's closest cousins. Jane Goodall has worked with the chimpanzees of Gombe for nearly 50 years; Diane Fossey died in 1985 defending the mountain gorillas of Rwanda; and Biruté Galdikas lives in intimate proximity to the orangutans of Borneo. All three began their work as protégées of the great Anglo-African archeologist Louis Leakey, and each spent years in the field, allowing the apes to become their familiars--and ultimately waging battles to save them from extinction in the wild. Their combined accomplishments have been mind-blowing, as Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas forever changed how we think of our closest evolutionary relatives, of ourselves, and of how to conduct good science. From the personal to the primate, Sy Montgomery--acclaimed author of The Soul of an Octopus and The Good Good Pig--explores the science, wisdom, and living experience of three of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century. Trade ReviewPublishers Weekly- In this study of three great female primatologists, science journalist Montgomery moves beyond biography into ethology, taking a step that goes well beyond even her subjects' research. Goodall, Fossey and Galdikas each made a similar leap, the author contends, moving from observers and recorders to an almost shamanistic quest to enter the world of the apes they studied. These personal transformations are sketchily supported with anecdotes from the field, personal interviews and even a jarring account of an attempt to contact Fossey, after her death, via channeling. Montgomery adds little to Farley Mowat's 1988 biography of Fossey, Woman in the Mists , but she offers a few fresh angles on Goodall, Galdikas and other characters, human and ape, met before in their books. In an epilogue, Montgomery offers the intriguing view of these scientists as pioneers of a particularly female way of scientific knowing that deserves fuller argument than three portraits allow. Photos. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title."This is a book about how love--the power that moves us beyond us and our own self interest to form relationships with an 'other'--can transform lives and worlds.... Author Montgomery brings an admirable grace and kindness to her treatment of the three women's lives and work, affording them, in many ways, the same dignity and respect they offered to the animals they observed and card for so deeply.... It is worth reading simply as expert storytelling, animated by particular and passionate writing."--Cape Cod TimesTable of ContentsPart 1. Nurturers: 1. Biruté Galdikas and Supinah 2. Jane Goodall and Flo 3. Dian Fossey and Digit Part 2. Scientists: 4. The prodigal faith of Louis Leakey 5. "Science with a capital S" 6. The sacrifice of Nyiramachabelli 7. A study in patience Part 3. Warriors: 8. Crusader: The moral dilemma of Jane Goodall 9. Sorceress: The madness of Dian Fossey 10. Diplomat: The politics of Birute Galdikas Epilogue: Shamans

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