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On Trails: An Exploration
by Robert MoorFrom a brilliant new literary voice comes a groundbreaking exploration of how trails help us understand the world--from tiny ant trails to hiking paths that span continents, from interstate highways to the Internet.In 2009, while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Robert Moor began to wonder about the paths that lie beneath our feet: How do they form? Why do some improve over time while others devolve? What makes us follow or strike off on our own? Over the course of the next seven years, Moor traveled the globe, exploring trails of all kinds, from the miniscule to the massive. He learned the tricks of master trail-builders, hunted down long-lost Cherokee trails, and traced the origins of our road networks and the Internet. In each chapter, Moor interweaves his adventures with findings from science, history, philosophy, and nature writing--combining the nomadic joys of Peter Matthiessen with the eclectic wisdom of Lewis Hyde's The Gift. Throughout, Moor reveals how this single topic--the oft-overlooked trail--sheds new light on a wealth of age-old questions: How does order emerge out of chaos? How did animals first crawl forth from the seas and spread across continents? How has humanity's relationship with nature and technology shaped world around us? And, ultimately, how does each of us pick a path through life? Moor has the essayist's gift for making new connections, the adventurer's love for paths untaken, and the philosopher's knack for asking big questions. With a breathtaking arc that spans from the dawn of animal life to the digital era, On Trails is a book that makes us see our world, our history, our species, and our ways of life anew.
On Your Own in the Wilderness (Stackpole Classics)
by Bradford AngierThe classic guide to living amid wild, unspoiled nature by a legendary outdoorsman and an experienced survivalist. A longtime Army colonel, Townsend Whelen later became renowned for his passion for wilderness exploration and his skills as a rifleman. Bradford Angier, inspired by Henry David Thoreau and possessing the same adventurous spirit, advocated for back-to-the-land living and wrote extensively on outdoor survival skills. In this book, they collaborate to offer a guide to discovering the inexpressible thrill of primitive country, the workshop of nature, and the appreciation of wilderness technique. Unspoiled regions possess a quiet beauty and peace—no artificiality, no crowds, all woods uncut. There is unbounded satisfaction and pleasure in successfully meeting the challenge of the wilderness. Colonel Townsend Whelen and Bradford Angier have combined their vast experiences camping and bivouacking to produce the perfect guide to peace and utter freedom. If the wilderness calls you, they invite you to join them and talk about how to live in it. They explain what from their experience they found to be the best ways of entering wild and unspoiled country, of finding their way through it with the right knowledge and equipment, and of living there in comfort and safety. On Your Own in the Wilderness is their explicit direction on how to escape to an earthly paradise.
On Zion’s Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape
by Jared FarmerShrouded in the lore of legendary Indians, Mt. Timpanogos beckons the urban populace of Utah. And yet, no “Indian” legend graced the mount until Mormon settlers conjured it—once they had displaced the local Indians, the Utes, from their actual landmark, Utah Lake. On Zion’s Mount tells the story of this curious shift. It is a quintessentially American story about the fraught process of making oneself “native” in a strange land. But it is also a complex tale of how cultures confer meaning on the environment—how they create homelands. Only in Utah did Euro-American settlers conceive of having a homeland in the Native American sense—an endemic spiritual geography. They called it “Zion.” Mormonism, a religion indigenous to the United States, originally embraced Indians as “Lamanites,” or spiritual kin. On Zion’s Mount shows how, paradoxically, the Mormons created their homeland at the expense of the local Indians—and how they expressed their sense of belonging by investing Timpanogos with “Indian” meaning. This same pattern was repeated across the United States. Jared Farmer reveals how settlers and their descendants (the new natives) bestowed “Indian” place names and recited pseudo-Indian legends about those places—cultural acts that still affect the way we think about American Indians and American landscapes.
On a Coral Reef (A Day and Night)
by Anita GaneriPopping with colour and fizzing with life, coral reefs bloom like beautiful gardens under the sea. They're among the most spectacular places on our planet. Follow a day and night on a coral reef and see how coral and the amazing creatures that live on a reef change their behaviour depending on the time of day.Thousands of fabulous creatures live around coral reefs. Get ready to meet ...... fish that like to snooze in sleeping bags... shells big enough to have a bath in... fish that start to smell like the coral they eat... and many, many more.Then find out why coral reefs are in danger and what is being done to help them.Perfect for children aged 7+ to help them learn about this beautiful and amazing habitat.Full of intricate illustrations by award-winning artist, Khoa Le, who is a dedicated and passionate diver. She frequently engages in activities organized by her hometown divers' community, helping with beach cleanups and or protecting coral reefs by removing crown-of-thorns starfish.
On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson
by William SouderPublished on the fiftieth anniversary of her seminal book, Silent Spring, here is an indelible new portrait of Rachel Carson, founder of the environmental movement. She loved the ocean and wrote three books about its mysteries, including the international bestseller The Sea Around Us. But it was with her fourth book, Silent Spring, that this unassuming biologist transformed our relationship with the natural world. Rachel Carson began work on Silent Spring in the late 1950s, when a dizzying array of synthetic pesticides had come into use. Leading this chemical onslaught was the insecticide DDT, whose inventor had won a Nobel Prize for its discovery. Effective against crop pests as well as insects that transmitted human diseases such as typhus and malaria, DDT had at first appeared safe. But as its use expanded, alarming reports surfaced of collateral damage to fish, birds, and other wildlife. Silent Spring was a chilling indictment of DDT and its effects, which were lasting, widespread, and lethal.Published in 1962, Silent Spring shocked the public and forced the government to take action-despite a withering attack on Carson from the chemicals industry. The book awakened the world to the heedless contamination of the environment and eventually led to the establishment of the EPA and to the banning of DDT and a host of related pesticides. By drawing frightening parallels between dangerous chemicals and the then-pervasive fallout from nuclear testing, Carson opened a fault line between the gentle ideal of conservation and the more urgent new concept of environmentalism.Elegantly written and meticulously researched, On a Farther Shore reveals a shy yet passionate woman more at home in the natural world than in the literary one that embraced her. William Souder also writes sensitively of Carson's romantic friendship with Dorothy Freeman, and of her death from cancer in 1964. This extraordinary new biography captures the essence of one of the great reformers of the twentieth century.
On a Particular Service: A John Pearce Adventure (John Pearce)
by David DonachieThe fourteenth volume in the popular John Pearce Adventures set on the high seas1796: Lieutenant John Pearce is heading home aboard a hospital ship crammed with human cargo, yet the journey is far from plain sailing. Evading capture by an Algerine warship, Pearce attempts to save his disparate band of friends, the Pelicans, from being pressed into service on a British frigate—only for the group to risk being hanged for desertion once home.While using his cunning to protect his friends, his clandestine relationship with widow Emily Barclay becomes more complicated. In a whirlwind of forged wills, devious trades, contrived murders, and dangerous spy missions, Pearce does not know whom to trust. All he can hope to do is survive.
On a Rainy Day
by Sarah LuAnn PerkinsA sweet story of a father and daughter's cozy day together as they wait for a storm to pass When rain interrupts their outdoor play, a girl and her father retreat indoors to wait out the storm. As lightning cracks and thunder booms, they each have their own ideas of things they can do together on a rainy day.Told through spare text and bold sound effects, Sarah LuAnn Perkins' unique linocut-like textured illustrations create a fun read-aloud experience for both reader and listener.
On a Reef (Into Reading, Level B)
by Maureen Mecozzi<p>NIMAC-sourced textbook <p>Do you know what a reef is? Read this book to find out what animals and plants live on it!</p>
On a Summer Night
by Deborah HopkinsonStep into the quiet magic of this celebration of summer nighttime and the mystery of a world lit differently by the moon.On a summer night, the world is still. Even the crickets think it’s too hot to sing. But all at once, a girl wakes. In the kitchen, the cat rolls onto its soft paws. A neighbor’s small white dog yaps, a brown rabbit peeks from a hedge, and the leaves of a cherry tree begin to stir in the breeze. Readers witness and wonder: Who has woken them all? In this soothing bedtime story, the quiet of a warm summer night is brought to vivid, magical life with the soft steps of bare feet, the padding of paws, and the bright, golden light of the moon. One by one, each creature is roused and then gently returned to sleep in a lovely and lyrical exploration of wakefulness, restfulness, and the mysterious calm of the night.PERFECT FOR BEDTIME . . . OR ANYTIME: This beautifully illustrated children's book is ideal for soothing young readers to sleep—or encouraging a contemplative break in an energetic day. The story’s engagement with the wonders of nighttime will help children feel comforted by the dark and the prospect of going to sleep rather than afraid of them.READ-ALOUD READINESS: With its lyricism and short refrains, this gentle story is just right for sharing.CONNECTION TO NATURE: This magical book gradually reveals the moon as a character as it wakes girl, cat, dog, rabbit, tree, air, and cloud in turn—and connects them to one another through the welcoming quiet and wonder of a world gilded by moonlight.THE POWER OF SLOWING DOWN: Picture books are often wonderful excuses to slow down and share a moment of gentleness in kids' (and parents') busy lives; this book feels like a deep breath and offers a chance to wonder and reflect.Perfect for:Kids who can't sleep on hot summer nightsParents, grandparents, and caregivers seeking a sweet bedtime bookLibrarians and storytime leaders looking for a summer read-aloudGift givers who want to share a beautiful, lyrical book with someone specialReaders of such classic bedtime stories for kids as Goodnight Moon and The Going to Bed Book
On a Sustainable Future of the Earth's Natural Resources
by Mu. RamkumarOn a Sustainable Future of the Earth's Natural Resources is divided into three sections, with individual chapters contributed by experts on diff erent facets of the earth sciences, natural resources management and related issues. The first section focuses on the status of Earth's resources; land, water, biota and atmosphere. Reviews on the rate of exploitation and the need to conserve these resources for future sustenance are also covered in this section. Th e following section includes chapters elucidating environmental, ecological, climatological and anthropological pressures on sustained nourishment with the Earth's resources. The last section describes management practices, issues and perspectives on sociological, legal, administrative, ICT and strategic efforts that need to be implemented in order to sustain our natural resources. This book covers a broad spectrum of the Earth's resources and sustenance, offering a comprehensive perspective on their past, present and future.
On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden
by Elizabeth HennessyAn insightful exploration of the iconic Galápagos tortoises, and how their fate is inextricably linked to our own in a rapidly changing world. Finalist for the 2020 E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, sponsored by PEN America Literary Awards The Galápagos archipelago is often viewed as a last foothold of pristine nature. For sixty years, conservationists have worked to restore this evolutionary Eden after centuries of exploitation at the hands of pirates, whalers, and island settlers. This book tells the story of the islands&’ namesakes—the giant tortoises—as coveted food sources, objects of natural history, and famous icons of conservation and tourism. By doing so, it brings into stark relief the paradoxical, and impossible, goal of conserving species by trying to restore a past state of prehistoric evolution. The tortoises, Elizabeth Hennessy demonstrates, are not prehistoric, but rather microcosms whose stories show how deeply human and nonhuman life are entangled. In a world where evolution is thoroughly shaped by global history, Hennessy puts forward a vision for conservation based on reckoning with the past, rather than trying to erase it. &“Fresh, insightful . . . Hennessy&’s melding of human and natural history makes for thought-provoking reading.&” —Booklist (starred review) &“Gripping . . . well-researched and thought-provoking . . . whether you&’re well-versed in the intricacies of conservation or have only just begun to long for a look at the tortoises yourself. On the Backs of Tortoises is a natural history that asks important questions, and challenges us to think about how best to answer them.&” —Genevieve Valentine, NPR &“Wonderfully interesting, informative, and engaging, as well as scholarly.&” —Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place
On the Burning Edge: A Fateful Fire and the Men Who Fought It
by Kyle DickmanIn the tradition of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm and Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers comes a true and heartbreaking tale of courage, difficult decisions, and ultimate sacrifice. On the Burning Edge, by award-winning journalist and former wildland firefighter Kyle Dickman, is the definitive account of the Yarnell Hill Fire. On June 28, 2013, a single bolt of lightning sparked an inferno that devoured more than eight thousand acres in northern Arizona. Twenty elite firefighters--the Granite Mountain Hotshots--walked together into the blaze, tools in their hands and emergency fire shelters on their hips. Only one of them walked out. Dickman brings to the story a professional firefighter's understanding of how wildfires ignite, how they spread, and how they are fought. He understands hotshots and their culture: the pain and glory of a rough and vital job, the brotherly bonds born of dangerous work. Drawing on dozens of interviews with officials, families of the fallen, and the lone survivor, he describes in vivid detail what it's like to stand inside a raging fire--and shows how the increased population and decreased water supply of the American West guarantee that many more young men will step into harm's way in the coming years.
On the Clean Road Again
by Willie NelsonFor more than 40 years, Willie Nelson has been a national treasure, contributing many memorable songs to our musical canon. His impact, however, extends far beyond the scope of his music. A champion of family farms, Nelson has helped mobilize support for the American farmer, both as a founder of Farm Aid and more recently as one of the nation's most knowledgeable and recognized advocates of the use of biodiesel-a clean-burning, renewable fuel made from vegetable oils or animal fats. In this funny and inspirational book, Nelson confronts our dependency on foreign oil as a source of energy. Through facts, stories, and interviews with everyday Americans, he explains the benefits of biodiesel as an alternative fuel that not only drastically reduces carbon dioxide emissions, but also may help save our family farms.
On the Edge
by Char MillerOn the Edge grew out of a lifetime spent living and traveling across the American Southwest, from San Antonio to Los Angeles. Char Miller examines this borderland region through a native's eyes and contemplates its considerable conflicts. Internal to the various US states and Mexico's northern tier, there are struggles over water, debates over undocumented immigrants, the criminalizing of the border, and the region's evolution into a no-man's land.The book investigates how we live on this contested land --how we make our place in its oft-arid terrain; an ecosystem that burns easily and floods often and defies our efforts to nestle in its foothills, canyons, and washes.Exploring the challenges in the Southwest of learning how to live within this complex natural system while grasping its historical and environmental frameworks. Understanding these framing devices is critical to reaching the political accommodations necessary to build a more generous society, a more habitable landscape, and a more just community, whatever our documented status or species.
On the Edge
by Char MillerOn the Edge grew out of a lifetime spent living and traveling across the American Southwest, from San Antonio to Los Angeles. Char Miller examines this borderland region through a native's eyes and contemplates its considerable conflicts. Internal to the various US states and Mexico's northern tier, there are struggles over water, debates over undocumented immigrants, the criminalizing of the border, and the region's evolution into a no-man's land.The book investigates how we live on this contested land --how we make our place in its oft-arid terrain; an ecosystem that burns easily and floods often and defies our efforts to nestle in its foothills, canyons, and washes.Exploring the challenges in the Southwest of learning how to live within this complex natural system while grasping its historical and environmental frameworks. Understanding these framing devices is critical to reaching the political accommodations necessary to build a more generous society, a more habitable landscape, and a more just community, whatever our documented status or species.
On the Edge
by Thomas E. Lovejoy Claude MartinIn 1972, The Limits to Growth introduced the idea that world resources are limited. Soon after, people became aware of the threats to the world's rainforests, the biggest terrestrial repositories of biodiversity and essential regulators of global air and water cycles. Since that time, new research and technological advances have greatly increased our knowledge of how rainforests are being affected by changing patterns of resource use. Increasing concern about climate change has made it more important than ever to understand the state of the world's tropical forests.This book provides an up-to-date picture of the health of the world's tropical forests. Claude Martin, an eminent scientist and conservationist, integrates information from remote imaging, ecology, and economics to explain deforestation and forest health throughout the world. He explains how urbanization, an increasingly global economy, and a worldwide demand for biofuels put new pressure on rainforest land. He examines the policies and market forces that have successfully preserved forests in some areas and discusses the economic benefits of protected areas. Using evidence from ice core records and past forest cover patterns, he predicts the most likely effects of climate change.Claude Martin brings his wealth of experience as an ecologist, director of the WWF, and advistor to various conservation organizations to bear on the latest research from around the world. Contributions from eight leading experts provide additional insight.
On the Edge of Nowhere
by James HuntingtonHis father is a white trapper, his mother an Athabascan Indian who walks a thousand miles in winter to reunite with her family. Thus, Jimmy Huntington learns early how to survive on the land. Huntington is only seven when his mother dies, and he must care for his younger siblings. A courageous and inspiring man, Huntington hunts wolves, fights bears, survives close calls too numerous to mention, and becomes a championship sled-dog racer.
On the Edge of the Wild: Passions and Pleasures of a Naturalist (Lyons Press Series)
by Stephen Bodio Paula Young Lee"This book is a collage in essays about the kind of life I found worth living so far," writes author Stephen J. Bodio. On the Edge of the Wild is a stunning collection that shares Bodio's love for the country, wilderness, literature, and much more. With compelling stories about moving to Montana, treasured shotguns, and his absolute love of cooking, readers will be hooked by the beautiful way in which Bodio shares his feelings about life and the outdoors.The thought-provoking essays in On the Edge of the Wild will appeal to those who enjoy living off the land as well as those who appreciate the detail and way that Bodio paints a picture of his travels. The incredible array of stories shows the deep appreciation and respect that he has for nature, including the wonderful animals that grace his presence. From dogs to falcons, the love shared by this naturalist will be something that readers treasure and hope to one day be able to share through experiences similar to the ones Bodio has lived.
On the Eighth Tin
by Adrian A. CoryThe ability of the human race to withstand the impact of climate change is reaching breaking point and increasingly unpredictable weather systems bring death and destruction on a global scale. As the elements wreak havoc, a young British student, Paul, is fighting his own battle. One day in the depths of December, Paul purchases eight tins of unknown origin that spark a sequence of change. Powerless to resist and unable to determine his fate, Paul is driven by an ancient force to endure a fantastic metamorphosis that must serve some purpose. But the clock is ticking... In the shadows, a subtle game is being played out between the United Nations, INTERPOL and a trillion-dollar-funded bioethics industry that'll stop at nothing to ensure Paul's incredible transformation. And all the time, the wind, rain and heat just keep coming...
On the Farm: Heritage and Heralded Animal Breeds in Portraits and Stories
by Aliza EliazarovA collection of moving and soulful portraits of beloved farm animals, alongside surprising facts, entertaining anecdotes, and captivating histories of these heritage breeds on American farms.&“The beauty and breadth of heritage animal breeds is on full display in this delightful and gorgeous book.&”—Isabella Rossellini, actress and author of My Chickens and IAnimal lovers, homesteaders, eco-conscious consumers, and fans of beautiful photography alike will cherish the charm of On the Farm&’s stunning portraits and stories. With over 150 photographs, renowned animal photographer Aliza Eliazarov invites us to take a closer look at the animal breeds taking center stage in the regenerative farming movement. Along with fun facts about the domesticated animals who have shaped and changed our world—goats, sheep, cows, horses, donkeys, llamas, alpacas, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and farm dogs—On the Farm features sometimes quirky, sometimes harrowing personal tales of amazing animals. Meet Bilbo, the donkey in love with truck tires; Kurt, the diminutive Angora goat with a miraculous birth story;and Princess Peppermint, an anxious pig with a taste for cocktails. The focus on rare and heritage breeds will enlighten and inform you about the astonishing variety of livestock and poultry, as well as the impact that the loss of this biodiversity is having on global food security.Equal parts fine art and field guide, shot entirely on location at small farms and homesteads, On the Farm delivers us to the pastoral with an enjoyable meditation on the animals that civilization has grown alongside.
On the Fireline: Living and Dying with Wildland Firefighters
by Matthew DesmondIn this rugged account of a rugged profession, Matthew Desmond explores the heart and soul of the wildland firefighter. Having joined a firecrew in Northern Arizona as a young man, Desmond relates his experiences with intimate knowledge and native ease, adroitly balancing emotion with analysis and action with insight. On the Fireline shows that these firefighters aren’t the adrenaline junkies or romantic heroes as they’re so often portrayed.
On the Frontiers of Climate and Environmental Change
by Ole Bruun Thorkil CasseThis book is intended to fill a gap in climate-change literature by providing a comprehensive regional study and identifying the overall adaptation challenges in a real-life context. The way in which possible climate impacts interact with a range of other challenges in agriculture, forestry, disaster planning, health care, general economic development, and common livelihoods are presented, and it is argued that greater realism and broader vision are needed in order to address the climate challenge. For instance, unsuitable land- use changes in both coastal and highland regions may increase the vulnerability of rural people, many of whom are already living on the fringes. The author(s) also state(s) that, depending on context, it may be pertinent to address short-term and unsustainable resource use, irregularities in local land management, ineffective governance and social inequality, which are all likely to aggravate the impact of external climate and weather. Not least, it is imperative to integrate general environmental management with any climate-change adaptation effort.
On the Ganges: Encounters with Saints and Sinners Along India's Mythic River
by George BlackJourney along one of the world’s greatest rivers and catch a glimpse into the lives and cultures of the people who live along its banksThe Ganges flows through northern India and Bangladesh for more than 1,500 miles before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. It is sacred to Hindus who worship Ganga, the river goddess. But it has also long been a magnet for foreigners, some seeking to unravel its mysteries and others who have come in search of plunder. In On the Ganges, George Black, who chronicled the exploration of the American West and the creation of Yellowstone National Park in Empire of Shadows, takes readers on an extraordinary journey from the glaciers of the Himalayas to the sacred city of Varanasi to the “hundred mouths” of the Ganges Delta.On the Ganges, parts of which originated from a New Yorker article published last year, introduces us to a vivid and often eccentric cast of characters who worship the river, pollute it, and flock to it from all over the world in search of enlightenment and adventure. Black encounters those who run the corrupt cremation business, workers who eke out a living in squalid factories, religious fanatics, and Brits who continue to live as if the Raj had never ended.By the end of his journey, Black has given us a memorable picture of the great river, with all its riddles and contradictions, both sacred and profane, giving the last word to a man scavenging for the gifts left by pilgrims: "There are good days and there are bad days. It all depends. Everything is in the hands of our mother, Ma Ganga."
On the Ground: Terrestrial Theopoetics and Planetary Politics
by O'neil Van HornA bold, theoretical, and pragmatic book that looks to soil as a symbol for constructive possibilities for hope and planetary political action in the Anthropocene.Climate change is here. Its ravaging effects will upend our interconnected ecosystems, and yet those effects will play out disproportionately among the planet’s nearly 8 billion human inhabitants. On the Ground explores how one might account for the many paradoxical tensions posed by the Anthropocene: tensions between planetarity and particularity, connectivity and contextuality, entanglement and exclusion. Using the philosophical and theological idea of “ground,” Van Horn argues that ground—when read as earth-ground, as soil—offers a symbol for conceiving of the effects of climate change as collective and yet located, as communal and yet differential. In so doing, he offers critical interventions on theorizations of hope and political action amid the crises of climate change.Drawing on soil science, theopoetics, feminist ethics, poststructuralism, process philosophy, and more, On the Ground asks: In the face of global climate catastrophe, how might one theorize this calamitous experience as shared and yet particular, as interconnected and yet contextual? Might there be a way to conceptualize our interconnected experiences without erasing critical constitutive differences, particularly of social and ecological location? How might these conceptual interventions catalyze pluralistic, anti-racist planetary politics amid the Anthropocene? In short, the book addresses these queries: What philosophical and theological concepts can soil create? How might soil inspire and help re-imagine forms of planetary politics in the midst of climate change? On the Ground thus roots us in a robust theoretical symbol in the hopes of producing and proliferating intersectional responses to climate change.
On the Long Trail Home
by Elisabeth J. StewartThis book is based on the true story of the author's great-grandmother. It is very historical and a book that should be read. It sheds a great deal of light on the "trail of Tears", the forced move of the Cherokees from their rightful home to the West.