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Ranching West of the 100th Meridian: Culture, Ecology, and Economics
by Richard L. Knight Ed Marston Wendell GilgertRecommended by The Nature Conservancy magazine.Ranching West of the 100th Meridian offers a literary and thought-provoking look at ranching and its role in the changing West. The book's lyrical and deeply felt narratives, combined with fresh information and analysis, offer a poignant and enlightening consideration of ranchers' ecological commitments to the land, their cultural commitments to American society, and the economic role ranching plays in sustainable food production and the protection of biodiversity.The book begins with writings that bring to life the culture of ranching, including the fading reality of families living and working together on their land generation after generation. The middle section offers an understanding of the ecology of ranching, from issues of overgrazing and watershed damage to the concept that grazing animals can actually help restore degraded land. The final section addresses the economics of ranching in the face of declining commodity prices and rising land values brought by the increasing suburbanization of the West. Among the contributors are Paul Starrs, Linda Hasselstrom, Bob Budd, Drummond Hadley, Mark Brunson, Wayne Elmore, Allan Savory, Luther Propst, and Bill Weeks.Livestock ranching in the West has been attacked from all sides -- by environmentalists who see cattle as a scourge upon the land, by fiscal conservatives who consider the leasing of grazing rights to be a massive federal handout program, and by developers who covet intact ranches for subdivisions and shopping centers. The authors acknowledge that, if done wrong, ranching clearly has the capacity to hurt the land. But if done right, it has the power to restore ecological integrity to Western lands that have been too-long neglected. Ranching West of the 100th Meridian makes a unique and impassioned contribution to the ongoing debate on the future of the New West.
Ranching, Mining, and the Human Impact of Natural Resource Development
by Raymond L. GoldIn Ranching, Mining, and the Human Impact of Natural Resource Development, Raymond L. Gold observes and reports on people whose lives have been significantly affected by the industrialization of rural communities in the American West. Such community change research is rarely done, so this classic study is invaluable for its real world groundings applicable to a variety of social science theories. The study evolved out of ethnographic research on Western communities done over a full decade.This was the first work of its kind to examine and account for the rise of local citizens' groups on the sense of being a community. Its account of this process covers both ordinarily slow and extraordinarily rapid areas of change in the American West. In this regard it is a contribution to basic social theory, showing clearly the interrelation between small-community and large-society elements of the structure and functioning of community life. No other book brings together the story of social effects of natural resource development projects in the American West.This book shows how to implement a social policy concerning resource development and public agencies. It is intended for people interested in the environment, American society, rural and urban affairs, social impact assessment, and urban structures generally. It is also aimed at industrial and community planners and natural resource development firms.
Range Wars: The Environmental Contest for White Sands Missile Range
by Ryan H. EdgingtonEstablished in south-central New Mexico at the end of World War II, White Sands Missile Range is the largest overland military reserve in the western hemisphere. It was the site of the first nuclear explosion, the birthplace of the American space program, and the primary site for testing U.S. missile capabilities.In this environmental history of White Sands Missile Range, Ryan H. Edgington traces the uneasy relationships between the military, the federal government, local ranchers, environmentalists, state game and fish personnel, biologists and ecologists, state and federal political figures, hunters, and tourists after World War II—as they all struggled to define and productively use the militarized western landscape. Environmentalists, ranchers, tourists, and other groups joined together to transform the meaning and uses of this region, challenging the authority of the national security state to dictate the environmental and cultural value of a rural American landscape. As a result, White Sands became a locus of competing geographies informed not only by the far-reaching intellectual, economic, and environmental changes wrought by the cold war but also by regional history, culture, and traditions.
Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
by Lance B. McNew David K. Dahlgren Jeffrey L. BeckThis open access book reviews the importance of ecological functioning within rangelands considering the complex inter-relationships of production agriculture, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and wildlife habitat. More than half of all lands worldwide, and up to 70% of the western USA, are classified as rangelands—uncultivated lands that often support grazing by domestic livestock. The rangelands of North America provide a vast array of goods and services, including significant economic benefit to local communities, while providing critical habitat for hundreds of species of fish and wildlife. This book provides compendium of recent data and synthesis from more than 100 experts in wildlife and rangeland ecology in Western North America. It provides a current and in-depth synthesis of knowledge related to wildlife ecology in rangeland ecosystems, and the tools used to manage them, to serve current and future wildlife biologists and rangeland managers in the working landscapes of the West. The book also identifies information gaps and serves as a jumping-off point for future research of wildlife in rangeland ecosystems. While the content focuses on wildlife ecology and management in rangelands of Western North America, the material has important implications for rangeland ecosystems worldwide.
Ranger Medic Handbook
by U.S. Department of DefenseHistorically in warfare, the majority of all combat deaths have occurred prior to a casualty ever receiving advanced trauma management. The execution of the Ranger mission profile in the Global War on Terrorism and our legacy tasks undoubtedly will increase the number of lethal wounds. Ranger leaders can significantly reduce the number of Rangers who die of wounds sustained in combat by simply targeting optimal medical capability in close proximity to the point of wounding. Directing casualty response management and evacuation is a Ranger leader task; ensuring technical medical competence is a Ranger Medic task. A solid foundation has been built for Ranger leaders and medics to be successful in managing casualties in a combat environment. The true success of the Ranger Medical Team will be defined by its ability to complete the mission and greatly reduce preventable combat death. Rangers value honor and reputation more than their lives, and as such will attempt to lay down their own lives in defense of their comrades. The Ranger Medic will do no less.
Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Gorilla (I Can Read Level 1)
by Jennifer BovéExplore the lives of gorillas with Ranger Rick in this beginning reader with full-color photos of gorillas in the wild! What if you wished you were a gorilla and then you became one? Could you eat like a gorilla? Sleep like a gorilla? Live in a gorilla family? And would you want to? Find out!Ranger Rick explorers can learn all about gorillas in this reader full of fascinating facts, vivid wildlife photographs, a Wild Words glossary, and a hands-on activity about how to make a snack like a gorilla! Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Gorilla is a Level One I Can Read, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.
Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Lion (I Can Read Level 1)
by Sandra MarkleDig into the lives of lions with Ranger Rick in this beginning reader with full-color photos of lions in the wild! What if you wished you were a lion? And then you became one? Could you eat like a lion? Sleep like a lion? Live in a lion family? And would you want to? Find out! Ranger Rick explorers can learn all about lions in this reader full of fascinating facts, vivid wildlife photographs, a Wild Words glossary, and a hands-on activity about practicing your lion-quick reflexes!Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Lion is a Level One I Can Read, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.
Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Polar Bear (I Can Read Level 1)
by Jennifer BovéExplore the lives of polar bears with Ranger Rick in this beginning reader with full-color photos of polar bears in the wild! What if you wished you were a polar bear and then you became one? Could you eat like a polar bear? Talk like a polar bear? Live in the cold Arctic tundra? And would you want to? Find out!Ranger Rick explorers can learn all about polar bears in this reader full of fascinating facts, vivid wildlife photographs, a Wild Words glossary, and a paws-on activity that shows readers how blubber works using ice water and vegetable shortening! Ranger Rick, the iconic raccoon ambassador from Ranger Rick magazine, asks questions like: Would you want to nap on the snow? Brrr!Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Polar Bear is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.
Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Wolf (I Can Read Level 1)
by Jennifer BovéExplore the lives of wolves with Ranger Rick in this beginning reader with full-color photos of wolves in the wild! What if you wished you were a wolf and then you became a gray wolf pup? Could you play like a pup? Talk with howls and growls? Live with a wolf pack? And would you want to? Find out!Ranger Rick explorers can learn all about wolves in this reader full of fascinating facts, vivid wildlife photographs, a Wild Words glossary, and a paws-on activity that teaches kids how to talk like a wolf! Ranger Rick, the iconic raccoon ambassador from Ranger Rick magazines, asks questions like: How do you practice being a grown-up? Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Wolf is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.
Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was an Elephant (I Can Read Level 1)
by Jennifer BovéExplore the lives of elephants with Ranger Rick in this beginning reader with full-color photos of elephants in the wild!What if you wished you were an elephant and then you became one? Could you talk like an elephant? Sleep like an elephant? Live in an elephant family? And would you want to? Find out! Ranger Rick explorers can learn all about elephants in this reader full of fascinating facts, vivid wildlife photographs, a Wild Words glossary, and a hands-on activity about how to play “elephant hockey” using your arm like an elephant trunk. Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was an Elephant is a Level One I Can Read, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.
Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was an Orca (I Can Read Level 1)
by Sandra MarkleDive into the lives of orcas with Ranger Rick in this beginning reader with full-color photos of orcas in the wild! What if you wished you were an orca? And then you became one? An orca is an amazing kind of whale. Could you eat like an orca? Sleep like an orca? Live in an orca family? And would you want to? Find out! Ranger Rick explorers can learn all about orcas in this reader full of fascinating facts, vivid wildlife photographs, a Wild Words glossary, and a hands-on activity about how to communicate like an orca!Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was an Orca is a Level One I Can Read, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.
Ranger: A Dog of the Forest Service
by S. P. MeekBuzz Hampdon joined the U.S. Forest Service as an Area Guard and brough his big Labrador Retriever into the service along with him. Side by side, as their career unfolds, Buzz and Ranger find adventure, often more dangerous than they had bargained for. Avalanches, fires, and a strange mystery of an absent mountain lookout keep them busy.
Rants from the Hill: On Packrats, Bobcats, Wildfires, Curmudgeons, a Drunken Mary Kay Lady, and Other Encounters with the Wild in the High Desert
by Michael P. Branch“If Thoreau drank more whiskey and lived in the desert, he’d write like this.”—High Country News Welcome to the land of wildfire, hypothermia, desiccation, and rattlers. The stark and inhospitable high-elevation landscape of Nevada’s Great Basin Desert may not be an obvious (or easy) place to settle down, but for self-professed desert rat Michael Branch, it’s home. Of course, living in such an unforgiving landscape gives one many things to rant about. Fortunately for us, Branch—humorist, environmentalist, and author of Raising Wild—is a prodigious ranter. From bees hiving in the walls of his house to owls trying to eat his daughters’ cat—not to mention his eccentric neighbors—adventure, humor, and irreverence abound on Branch’s small slice of the world, which he lovingly calls Ranting Hill.
Raphael’s Ostrich
by Una Roman D’EliaRaphael’s Ostrich begins with a little-studied aspect of Raphael’s painting—the ostrich, which appears as an attribute of Justice, painted in the Sala di Costantino in the Vatican. Una Roman D’Elia traces the cultural and artistic history of the ostrich from its appearances in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to the menageries and grotesque ornaments of sixteenth-century Italy. Following the complex history of shifting interpretations given to the ostrich in scientific, literary, religious, poetic, and satirical texts and images, D’Elia demonstrates the rich variety of ways in which people made sense of this living “monster,” which was depicted as the embodiment of heresy, stupidity, perseverance, justice, fortune, gluttony, and other virtues and vices. Because Raphael was revered as a god of art, artists imitated and competed with his ostrich, while religious and cultural critics complained about the potential for misinterpreting such obscure imagery. This book not only considers the history of the ostrich but also explores how Raphael’s painting forced viewers to question how meaning is attributed to the natural world, a debate of central importance in early modern Europe at a time when the disciplines of modern art history and natural history were developing. The strangeness of Raphael’s ostrich, situated at the crossroads of art, religion, myth, and natural history, both reveals lesser-known sides of Raphael’s painting and illuminates major cultural shifts in attitudes toward nature and images in the Renaissance. More than simply an examination of a single artist or a single subject, Raphael’s Ostrich offers an accessible, erudite, and charming alternative to Vasari’s pervasive model of the history of sixteenth-century Italian art.
Raphael’s Ostrich
by Una Roman D’EliaRaphael’s Ostrich begins with a little-studied aspect of Raphael’s painting—the ostrich, which appears as an attribute of Justice, painted in the Sala di Costantino in the Vatican. Una Roman D’Elia traces the cultural and artistic history of the ostrich from its appearances in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to the menageries and grotesque ornaments of sixteenth-century Italy. Following the complex history of shifting interpretations given to the ostrich in scientific, literary, religious, poetic, and satirical texts and images, D’Elia demonstrates the rich variety of ways in which people made sense of this living “monster,” which was depicted as the embodiment of heresy, stupidity, perseverance, justice, fortune, gluttony, and other virtues and vices. Because Raphael was revered as a god of art, artists imitated and competed with his ostrich, while religious and cultural critics complained about the potential for misinterpreting such obscure imagery. This book not only considers the history of the ostrich but also explores how Raphael’s painting forced viewers to question how meaning is attributed to the natural world, a debate of central importance in early modern Europe at a time when the disciplines of modern art history and natural history were developing. The strangeness of Raphael’s ostrich, situated at the crossroads of art, religion, myth, and natural history, both reveals lesser-known sides of Raphael’s painting and illuminates major cultural shifts in attitudes toward nature and images in the Renaissance. More than simply an examination of a single artist or a single subject, Raphael’s Ostrich offers an accessible, erudite, and charming alternative to Vasari’s pervasive model of the history of sixteenth-century Italian art.
Raptor: A Journey through Birds
by James Macdonald LockhartFrom the merlin to the golden eagle, the goshawk to the honey buzzard, James Macdonald Lockhart’s stunning debut is a quest of beak, talon, wing, and sky. On its surface, Raptor is a journey across the British Isles in search of fifteen species of birds of prey, but as Lockhart seeks out these elusive predators, his quest becomes so much more: an incomparably elegant elegy on the beauty of the British landscape and, through the birds, a journey toward understanding an awesome power at the heart of the natural world—a power that is majestic and frightening in its strength, but also fragile. Taking as his guide the nineteenth-century Scottish naturalist and artist William MacGillivray, Lockhart loosely follows the historical trail forged by MacGillivray as he ventured from Aberdeen to London filling his pockets with plants and writing and illustrating the canonical A History of British Birds. Linking his journey to that of his muse, Lockhart shares his own encounters with raptors ranging from the scarce osprey to the successfully reintroduced red kite, a species once protected by medieval royal statute, revealing with poetic immediacy the extraordinary behaviors of these birds and the extreme environments they call home. Creatures both worshipped and reviled, raptors have a talon-hold on the human heart and imagination. With his book, Lockhart unravels these complicated ties in a work by turns reverent and euphoric—an interweaving of history, travel, and nature writing at its best. A hymn to wanderers, to the land and to the sky, and especially to the birds, Raptor soars.
Raptors of Mexico and Central America
by Lloyd Kiff N. John Schmitt William S. ClarkRaptors are among the most challenging birds to identify in the field due to their bewildering variability of plumage, flight silhouettes, and behavior. Raptors of Mexico and Central America is the first illustrated guide to the region's 69 species of raptors, including vagrants. It features 32 stunning color plates and 213 color photos, and a distribution map for each regularly occurring species. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, age-related plumages, status and distribution, subspecies, molt, habitats, behaviors, potential confusion species, and more.Raptors of Mexico and Central America is the essential field guide to this difficult bird group and the ideal travel companion for anyone visiting this region of the world.Covers all 69 species of raptors found in Mexico and Central AmericaFeatures 32 color plates and hundreds of color photosProvides multiple illustrations of each speciesDepicts and describes variations in plumage by individual, morph, age, and regionDescribes behavior, food preferences, hunting strategies, vocalizations, and moltCovers rare and extralimital speciesIncludes distribution maps and flight silhouettes
Raptors: Portraits of Birds of Prey
by Traer ScottThis delightful and dramatic collection of portraits reveals birds of prey as we never experience them: intimate and up close, photographed in Traer Scott's signature style. Seventy spectacular color photos present twenty-five different species, from the familiar to the exotic and endangered: hawks, owls, falcons, a bald eagle, kestrels, a Mississippi Kite, a turkey vulture, and more. Joining their elders are a fluffy baby vulture and adorable baby and juvenile great horned owls. The birds in this remarkable collection emerge as personalities, not just types: wise and quizzical, graceful and enigmatic, serene and fiercely self-possessed. A personal introduction describes Scott's process and connection to the birds, and captions detail the characteristics and habits of these incredible winged creatures.
Raptors: The Curious Nature of Diurnal Birds of Prey (Birdlife Conservation Ser. #Volume 9)
by Keith L. BildsteinRaptors are formally classified into five families and include birds—such as eagles, ospreys, kites, true hawks, buzzards, harriers, vultures, and falcons—that are familiar and recognized by many observers. These diurnal birds of prey are found on every continent except Antarctica and can thrive in seemingly inhospitable spots such as deserts and the tundra. They have powerful talons and hooked beaks for cutting and tearing meat, and keen binocular vision to aid in their hunting prowess. Because of their large size, distinctive feeding habits, and long-distance flight patterns, raptors intrigue humans and have been the subject of much general interest as well as extensive scientific research.Keith L. Bildstein has watched and studied raptors on five continents and is well prepared to explain their critical importance, not only as ecological entities but also as inspirational tokens across natural and human-dominated landscapes. His book offers a comprehensive and accessible account of raptors, including their evolutionary history, their relationships to other groups of birds, their sensory abilities, their general natural history, their breeding ecology and feeding behavior, and threats to their survival in a human-dominated world. Biologically sound but readable, Raptors is a nontechnical overview of this captivating group. It will allow naturalists, birders, hawk-watchers, science educators, schoolchildren, and the general public, along with new students in the field of raptor biology, to understand and appreciate these birds, and in so doing better protect them.
Rare Birds: The Extraordinary Tale of the Bermuda Petrel and the Man Who Brought It Back from Extinction
by Elizabeth GehrmanThe inspiring story of David Wingate, a living legend among birders, who brought the Bermuda petrel back from presumed extinction David Wingate is known in Bermuda as the birdman and in the international conservation community as a living legend for single-handedly bringing back the cahow, or Bermuda petrel—a seabird that flies up to 82,000 miles a year, drinking seawater and sleeping on the wing. For millennia, the birds came ashore every November to breed on this tiny North Atlantic island. But less than a decade after Bermuda’s 1612 settlement, the cahows had vanished. Or so it was thought until the early 1900s, when tantalizing hints of their continued existence began to emerge. In 1951, two scientists invited fifteen-year-old Wingate along on a bare-bones expedition to find the bird. The team stunned the world by locating seven nesting pairs, and Wingate knew his life had changed forever. He would spend the next fifty years battling natural and man-made disasters, bureaucracy, and personal tragedy with single-minded devotion and antiestablishment outspokenness. In April 2009, Wingate saw his dream fulfilled, as the birds returned to Nonsuch, an island habitat that he had hand-restored, plant-by-plant, giving the Bermuda petrels the chance they needed in their centuries-long fight for survival.
Rare British Breeds: Endangered Species in the UK
by Sophie McCallumA look at rare British livestock breeds, from their history and characteristics to their conservation status and the efforts to help them survive.Rare British Breeds is a book inspired by the Rare Breed Survival Trust Watchlist, which is published annually, listing the species of sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, goats and poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese) that are endangered in the United Kingdom.This information is gathered from breed societies and lists the number of breeding females alive, along with their conservation status. Each species, regardless of their origin, is unique to the UK, either through cross breeding or by evolution.There are good reasons for wanting to keep these breeds alive. It’s not just the genetic makeup of these creatures which means many are able to survive and thrive in very formidable conditions—a prerequisite for enduring possible future environmental disasters. Once gone, these genes will never be able to be replaced. They have taken thousands of years to develop.The book looks at the history of every breed, with their evolutionary roots, development over time, exportation, cross breeding, and changing relationship to mankind as farming techniques react to societal shifts. Their particular physical characteristics such as meat, wool, milk, eggs, or ability to pull great weights are discussed, as well as their conservation status and the national and international efforts being made to ensure their survival.
Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds
by Lyanda Lynn HauptNaturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt, an ornithology teacher and researcher, examines the amazing talents and personalities of the most common of birds. She muses on the tarnished reputation of the starling, the sexed-up antics of male woodpeckers, and the mysterious behavior and startling population explosion of crows in her hometown. Through the eye and voice of this talented writer, birds provide a fascinating point of contact with the natural world at large.
Rare Trees: The Fascinating Stories of the World's Most Threatened Species
by Sara Oldfield Malin RiversDiscover the secrets and beauty of the world&’s rarest trees in this fantastic book filled with more than 300 color photographs. Forests cover nearly a third of the world's surface, and the trees that make them up include a staggering diversity of more than 60,000 species. Individual trees play specific ecological roles in their unique environments—and they have adapted to thrive on steep mountains, in cloud forests, on dry savannahs, in parched deserts, and in tropical wetlands. Our history, and our future, are interwoven with the trees that define the regions of our green planet. Rare Trees profiles over 60 unique species that are currently endangered—including the most charismatic, fascinating, and downright bizarre examples from all around the globe. Filled with hundreds of color photographs, maps to help readers identify habitats, and accessible and engaging text by tree experts from the Global Trees Campaign, Rare Trees will give readers a new appreciation for the importance of trees and will inspire them to preserve this critical canopy of life.
Rascal
by Sterling NorthSkunks, woodchucks, a crow named Poe, an absent-minded father, aneighteen foot, half-finished canoe in the living room--welcome to the North home! <P><P> Nothing's surprising at the North residence. Not even eleven-year-old Sterling's new pet raccoon. Rascal is only a baby when young Sterling brings him home to join his unusual family. The mischievous raccoon and Sterling are partners and best friends for a perfect year of adventure--swimming, fishing, exploring the countryside together--until the spring day when everything suddenly changes and Sterling realizes he must let Rascal go. <P> This heartwarming and delightful memoir of a boy's friendship with a wild animal, and his growing awareness of the world around him, has become a treasured classic. Rascal has taken his place among literature's most captivating and endearing animals.<P> <b>Newbery Medal Honor Book<P> Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award</b>
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
by Robert C. SullivanBeginning in the summer of 2001, the author spent night after night observing rats as they foraged in a New York City alley. In addition to gathering information on the behavior of these ubiquitous and seemingly indestructible rodents, he delves into the long and complex history of rat/human relations. Topics include Victorian-era rat-fighting (in which dogs were pitted against packs of rats), exterminators and their lore, and the history of the Black Death in Europe and the United States. The theme of this book could be summed as as "Rats R Us."