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American Pests: The Losing War on Insects from Colonial Times to DDT
by James McWilliamsThe world of insects is one we only dimly understand. Yet from using arsenic, cobalt, and quicksilver to kill household infiltrators to employing the sophisticated tools of the Orkin Man, Americans have fought to eradicate the "bugs" they have learned to hate. Inspired by the still-revolutionary theories of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, James E. McWilliams argues for a more harmonious and rational approach to our relationship with insects, one that does not harm our environment and, consequently, ourselves along the way. <P><P>Beginning with the early techniques of colonial farmers and ending with the modern use of chemical insecticides, McWilliams deftly shows how America's war on insects mirrors its continual struggle with nature, economic development, technology, and federal regulation. He reveals a very American paradox: the men and women who settled and developed this country sought to control the environment and achieve certain economic goals; yet their methods of agricultural expansion undermined their efforts and linked them even closer to the inexorable realities of the insect world. As told from the perspective of the often flamboyant actors in the battle against insects, American Pests is a fascinating investigation into the attitudes, policies, and practices that continue to influence our behavior toward insects. Asking us to question, if not abandon, our reckless (and sometimes futile) attempts at insect control, McWilliams convincingly argues that insects, like people, have an inherent right to exist and that in our attempt to rid ourselves of insects, we compromise the balance of nature.
American Politics and the Environment, Second Edition (SUNY Press Open Access)
by Byron W. Daynes Glen Sussman Jonathan P. WestChanging our environmental policy has been at the forefront of many political discussions. But how can we make this change come about? In American Politics and the Environment, Second Edition, Byron W. Daynes, Glen Sussman and Jonathan P. West argue it is critical that we must understand the politics of environmental decision making and how political actors operate within political institutions. Blending behavioral and institutional approaches, each chapter combines discussion of an institution along with sidebars focusing on a particular environmental topic as well as a personal profile of a key decision maker. A central focus of this second edition is the emergence of global climate change as a key issue. Although the scientific community can provide research findings to policy makers, politics can create conflicts, tensions, and delays in the crafting of effective and necessary environmental policy responses. Daynes, Sussman, and West help us understand the role of politics in the policy making process and why institutional players such as the president, Congress, and interest groups succeed or fail in responding to important environmental challenges.This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to Knowledge Unlatched—an initiative that provides libraries and institutions with a centralized platform to support OA collections and from leading publishing houses and OA initiatives. Learn more at the Knowledge Unlatched website at: https://www.knowledgeunlatched.org/, and access the book online at the SUNY Open Access Repository at http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/7128.
The American Robin (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
by Roland H. WauerThe American Robin is North America's most widespread songbird, with a range extending from Alaska, Canada, and Newfoundland to the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala. Its ruddy red breast and cheerful song have also made it one of our most beloved birds—as American as apple pie, as familiar a harbinger of spring as the first daffodil. Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin have chosen the American Robin as their state bird, while a pair of robins grace the Canadian two dollar bill. In this book, Roland Wauer offers a complete natural history of the American Robin for a popular audience. Combining his own observations as a field naturalist with data gleaned from the scientific literature, he describes the American Robin from every angle—appearance and biology, distribution, behavior, life cycle, and enemies and threats. In addition, he explores the legends and lore surrounding robins and offers suggestions for attracting them to your yard.
American Roots: Lessons and Inspiration from the Designers Reimagining Our Home Gardens
by Nick McCullough Allison McCullough Teresa Woodard&“I love this book. Here are home gardens of designers from every part of our great country that are inspiring proof of a passionate vitality and freshness in American gardening today.&” — Page Dickey, author of Uprooted In recent years, bold designers have begun championing an American design aesthetic that embraces regional cultures, plants, and growing conditions. In American Roots, Nick McCullough, Allison McCullough, and Teresa Woodard highlight designers and creatives with exceptional home gardens, focused on those who push the boundaries, trial extraordinary plants, embrace a regional ethos, and express their talents in highly personal ways. Covering all the regions of the country, the profiles dive into design influences, share the back stories of the gardens and their creators, and include design tips and plant suggestions. American Roots is a beautiful invitation to reconsider how we define the American garden, filled with guidance and encouragement for anyone looking to dig more deeply into their own home garden.
American Serengeti: The Last Big Animals of the Great Plains
by Dan FloresAmerica's Great Plains once possessed one of the grandest wildlife spectacles of the world, equaled only by such places as the Serengeti, the Masai Mara, or the veld of South Africa. Pronghorn antelope, gray wolves, bison, coyotes, wild horses, and grizzly bears: less than two hundred years ago these creatures existed in such abundance that John James Audubon was moved to write, "it is impossible to describe or even conceive the vast multitudes of these animals." In a work that is at once a lyrical evocation of that lost splendor and a detailed natural history of these charismatic species of the historic Great Plains, veteran naturalist and outdoorsman Dan Flores draws a vivid portrait of each of these animals in their glory--and tells the harrowing story of what happened to them at the hands of market hunters and ranchers and ultimately a federal killing program in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Great Plains with its wildlife intact dazzled Americans and Europeans alike, prompting numerous literary tributes. American Serengeti takes its place alongside these celebratory works, showing us the grazers and predators of the plains against the vast opalescent distances, the blue mountains shimmering on the horizon, the great rippling tracts of yellowed grasslands. Far from the empty "flyover country" of recent times, this landscape is alive with a complex ecology at least 20,000 years old--a continental patrimony whose wonders may not be entirely lost, as recent efforts hold out hope of partial restoration of these historic species. Written by an author who has done breakthrough work on the histories of several of these animals--including bison, wild horses, and coyotes--American Serengeti is as rigorous in its research as it is intimate in its sense of wonder--the most deeply informed, closely observed view we have of the Great Plains' wild heritage.
American Snakes
by Sean P. Graham“A wonderful book to read because it is replete with snake stories, personal stories, and stories about other herpetologists . . . engaging.” —CopeiaAlthough many people fear them, snakes are as much a part of America’s rich natural heritage as redwoods, bald eagles, and grizzly bears. Found from the vast Okefenokee Swamp to high alpine meadows, from hardwood canopies to the burning bottom of the Grand Canyon, these ultimate vertebrates are ecologically pivotal predators and quintessential survivors.In this revelatory and engaging meditation on American snakes, Sean P. Graham, a respected herpetologist and gifted writer,explains the everyday lives of American snakes, from their daily routines and seasonal cycles to their love lives, hunting tactics, and defensive repertoiresdebunks harmful myths about snakes and explores their relationship with humanshighlights the contribution of snakes to the American wildernesstells tales of “snake people”—important snake biologists with inspiring careersNeither a typical field guide nor an exhaustive reference, American Snakes is instead a fascinating study of the suborder Serpentes. Brimming with intriguing and unusual stories—of hognose snakes that roll over and play dead, blindsnakes with tiny vestigial lungs, rainbow-hued dipsadines, and wave-surfing sea-snakes—the text is interspersed with scores of gorgeous full-color images of snakes, from the scary to the sublime. This proud celebration of a diverse American wildlife group will make every reader, no matter how skeptical, into a genuine snake lover.“This thoroughly enjoyable book lets readers absorb the excitement of being a herpetologist who works with snakes while learning about the general and specific biology of the creatures.” —Quarterly Review of Biology
The American Steppes: The Unexpected Russian Roots of Great Plains Agriculture, 1870s–1930s (Studies in Environment and History)
by David MoonBeginning in the 1870s, migrant groups from Russia's steppes settled in the similar environment of the Great Plains. Many were Mennonites. They brought plants, in particular grain and fodder crops, trees and shrubs, as well as weeds. Following their example, and drawing on the expertise of émigré Russian-Jewish scientists, the US Department of Agriculture introduced more plants, agricultural sciences, especially soil science; and methods of planting trees to shelter the land from the wind. By the 1930s, many of the grain varieties in the Great Plains had been imported from the steppes. The fertile soil was classified using the Russian term 'chernozem.' The US Forest Service was planting shelterbelts using techniques pioneered in the steppes. And, tumbling across the plains was an invasive weed from the steppes: tumbleweed. Based on archival research in the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, this book explores the unexpected Russian roots of Great Plains agriculture.
American Studies, Ecocriticism, and Citizenship: Thinking and Acting in the Local and Global Commons (Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Literature)
by Joni Adamson Kimberly N. Ruffin Philip J. DeloriaThis collection reclaims public intellectuals and scholars important to the foundational work in American Studies that contributed to emerging conceptions of an "ecological citizenship" advocating something other than nationalism or an "exclusionary ethics of place." Co-editors Adamson and Ruffin recover underrecognized field genealogies in American Studies (i.e. the work of early scholars whose scope was transnational and whose activism focused on race, class and gender) and ecocriticism (i.e. the work of movement leaders, activists and scholars concerned with environmental justice whose work predates the 1990s advent of the field). They stress the necessity of a confluence of intellectual traditions, or "interdisciplinarities," in meeting the challenges presented by the "anthropocene," a new era in which human beings have the power to radically endanger the planet or support new approaches to transnational, national and ecological citizenship. Contributors to the collection examine literary, historical, and cultural examples from the 19th century to the 21st. They explore notions of the common—namely, common humanity, common wealth, and common ground—and the relation of these notions to often conflicting definitions of who (or what) can have access to "citizenship" and "rights." The book engages in scholarly ecological analysis via the lens of various human groups—ethnic, racial, gendered, coalitional—that are shaping twenty-first century environmental experience and vision. Read together, the essays included in American Studies, Ecocriticism, and Citizenship create a "methodological commons" where environmental justice case studies and interviews with activists and artists living in places as diverse as the U.S., Canada, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Taiwan and the Navajo Nation, can be considered alongside literary and social science analysis that contributes significantly to current debates catalyzed by nuclear meltdowns, oil spills, hurricanes, and climate change, but also by hopes for a common future that will ensure the rights of all beings--human and nonhuman-- to exist, maintain, and regenerate life cycles and evolutionary processes
American Tropics: The Caribbean Roots of Biodiversity Science (Flows, Migrations, and Exchanges)
by Megan RabyBiodiversity has been a key concept in international conservation since the 1980s, yet historians have paid little attention to its origins. Uncovering its roots in tropical fieldwork and the southward expansion of U.S. empire at the turn of the twentieth century, Megan Raby details how ecologists took advantage of growing U.S. landholdings in the circum-Caribbean by establishing permanent field stations for long-term, basic tropical research. From these outposts of U.S. science, a growing community of American "tropical biologists" developed both the key scientific concepts and the values embedded in the modern discourse of biodiversity.Considering U.S. biological fieldwork from the era of the Spanish-American War through the anticolonial movements of the 1960s and 1970s, this study combines the history of science, environmental history, and the history of U.S.–Caribbean and Latin American relations. In doing so, Raby sheds new light on the origins of contemporary scientific and environmentalist thought and brings to the forefront a surprisingly neglected history of twentieth-century U.S. science and empire.
American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West
by Nate BlakesleeThe enthralling story of the rise and reign of O-Six, the celebrated Yellowstone wolf, and the people who loved or feared her <P><P>Before men ruled the earth, there were wolves. Once abundant in North America, these majestic creatures were hunted to near extinction in the lower 48 states by the 1920s. But in recent decades, conservationists have brought wolves back to the Rockies, igniting a battle over the very soul of the West. With novelistic detail, Nate Blakeslee tells the gripping story of one of these wolves, O-Six, a charismatic alpha female named for the year of her birth. <P><P>Uncommonly powerful, with gray fur and faint black ovals around each eye, O-Six is a kind and merciful leader, a fiercely intelligent fighter, and a doting mother. She is beloved by wolf watchers, particularly renowned naturalist Rick McIntyre, and becomes something of a social media star, with followers around the world. <P><P>But as she raises her pups and protects her pack, O-Six is challenged on all fronts: by hunters, who compete with wolves for the elk they both prize; by cattle ranchers who are losing livestock and have the ear of politicians; and by other Yellowstone wolves who are vying for control of the park’s stunningly beautiful Lamar Valley. <P><P>These forces collide in American Wolf, a riveting multigenerational saga of hardship and triumph that tells a larger story about the ongoing cultural clash in the West—between those fighting for a vanishing way of life and those committed to restoring one of the country’s most iconic landscapes.
America's Best Day Hikes: Spectacular Single-day Hikes Across The States
by Derek Dellinger50 of the greatest hikes in the country, for all abilities and in all landscapes Beautifully illustrated, this best-of compendium features the most memorable one-day hikes in every region of the United States from Sierra Buttes Lookout in Tahoe National Forest to Grinnell Glacier Trail in Montana's Glacier National Park to Giant Mountain in Adirondack Park and beyond. Organized by region, this guide goes into detail about what makes each hike so remarkable and why it might be worth a detour or even a special journey for someone looking to broaden their horizons. All of the hikes are doable during daylight hours and none require camping. America’s Best Day Hikes comes with all the information anyone would need to experience these unique locations, including details about the hike itself—difficulty, duration, seasonal hazards, and more.—as well as traveling, planning, and packing suggestions. All this paired with Derek Dellinger’s stunning photography makes this incredible volume a must-have for any lover of the outdoors.
America's Climate Choices
by Board on Atmospheric Sciences ClimateClimate change is occurring. It is very likely caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities, and poses significant risks for a range of human and natural systems. And these emissions continue to increase, which will result in further change and greater risks. America's Climate Choices makes the case that the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks posed by climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action now to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare for adapting to its impacts. Although there is some uncertainty about future risk, acting now will reduce the risks posed by climate change and the pressure to make larger, more rapid, and potentially more expensive reductions later. Most actions taken to reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts are common sense investments that will offer protection against natural climate variations and extreme events. In addition, crucial investment decisions made now about equipment and infrastructure can "lock in" commitments to greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come. Finally, while it may be possible to scale back or reverse many responses to climate change, it is difficult or impossible to "undo" climate change, once manifested. Current efforts of local, state, and private-sector actors are important, but not likely to yield progress comparable to what could be achieved with the addition of strong federal policies that establish coherent national goals and incentives, and that promote strong U. S. engagement in international-level response efforts. The inherent complexities and uncertainties of climate change are best met by applying an iterative risk management framework and making efforts to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; prepare for adapting to impacts; invest in scientific research, technology development, and information systems; and facilitate engagement between scientific and technical experts and the many types of stakeholders making America's climate choices.
America's Climate Problem: The Way Forward
by Robert RepettoWhat America does - or fails to do - in the next few years to solve the problem of climate change will largely determine the fate of the earth and humanity for centuries to come. Despite the efforts by some states, local governments and individual citizens to respond, controversy still embroils national efforts to come up with a solution. This book by Robert Repetto, a leading environmental economist, lets the reader cut through the confusion and political rhetoric and understand the way to resolve the climate problem. It explains in clear, accessible language how a sensible national policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can bring about a transition to clean energy sources while preserving healthy economic growth and high standards of living. It shows where the pitfalls are in developing a climate solution, how they can be avoided, and how to bring resistant interest groups on board. America cannot act alone but other nations will not take action if the United States does not lead, and this book explains how America can successfully promote international cooperation on climate solutions. Never has there been an environmental problem of such importance. Every citizen will benefit from the insight this book provides in solving it successfully.
America's Energy Gamble: People, Economy and Planet
by Shanti Gamper-RabindranHow can America get back to an energy transition that's good for the economy and the environment? That's the question at the heart of this eye-opening and richly informative dissection of the Trump administration's energy policy. The policy was ardently pro-fossil fuel and ferociously anti-regulation, implemented by manipulating science and economic analysis, putting oil and gas insiders at the helm of environmental agencies, and hacking away at democratic norms that once enjoyed bipartisan support. The impacts on the nation's health, economy, and environment were - as this book carefully demonstrates - dire. But the damage can be reversed. Ordinary Americans, civil society groups, environmental professionals, and politicians at every level all have parts to play in making sure the needed energy transition leaves no one behind. This compelling book will appeal to course instructors and students, government and industry officials, activists and journalists, and everyone concerned about the nation's future.
America's Environmental Legacies: Shaping Policy through Institutions and Culture
by Franklin KalinowskiThis powerful book focuses on the capacity of the American political system to respond to ecological challenges through policy perspectives, the constraints of our written Constitution, and the determination we muster to address these tests of national character. Put simply, this is a book about politics, policy, and political will. Kalinowski brilliantly shows that America's collective will is founded in the cultural values enunciated by the Founding Fathers, passed down through history with modifications, and comprises the essential missing ingredient in determining how we currently respond to crises. Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison had distinct ideas concerning the role that Nature might play in the future. Recognizing the origins and impacts of their environmental legacies is the key to interpreting where American environmental politics is today, how we got here, and where we might be headed.
America's Environmental Report Card
by Harvey BlattA timely survey of the state of America's environment: how we can take action to achieve a sustainable future.
America's Largest Classroom: What We Learn from Our National Parks
by Jessica L. ThompsonOver the past 100 years, visitor learning at America’s national parks has grown and evolved. Today, there are over 400 National Park Service (NPS) sites, representing over eighty million acres. Sites exist in every US state and territory and are located on land, at sea, in remote areas, and in major urban centers. Every year, more than 300 million people visit national parks, and several million of them are children engaged in one of many educational programs hosted by the NPS.America’s Largest Classrooms offers insight and practical advice for improving educational outreach at national parks as well as suggestions for classroom educators on how to meaningfully incorporate parks into their curricula. Via a wide collection of case studies—ranging from addressing inclusivity at parks and public lands to teaching about science and social issues—this book illustrates innovations and solutions that will be of interest to nature interpreters, outdoor educators, and policy makers, as well as professors in the sciences writ large.
America's Last Wild Horses
by Hope RydenFrom the Book Jacket: "A richly researched and written book with an unusual appeal." -Publishers Weekly "This book is a treat for everyone who knows or cares about horses." -Cleveland Amory No wild animal captures the spirit of North America quite so powerfully as the wild horse-nor has any faced such diverse and potent enemies. In this provocative account, Hope Ryden-who helped to ensure the passage of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, which grants mustangs special protection-combs the history of these proud and noble horses; Descended from the Spanish horses ridden by the conquistadors, they evolved into the tough and intelligent ponies that Indians-and later, explorers and cowboys-learned to rely on. From the period when wholesale extermination of the buffalo was underway until recent times, commercial and political interests have sought to eliminate the wild horses as varmints. In the latest update to this classic story Ryden tells of the successes: and failures in the past ten years of regulation, and has added stunning new color photographs. The subject of a front-page article in The New York Times. when it was first published, america's last wild horses continues to be a compelling testament to the life of a uniquely American symbol of grace and wildness, and is a must read for horse lovers and Western history enthusiast everywhere.
America's Marine Sanctuaries: A Photographic Exploration
by NAT'L MARINE SANCTUARY FDNAn extraordinary illustrated overview of the National Marine Sanctuary System and a guide to its fourteen protected underwater locationsAmerica's Marine Sanctuaries tells the story of fourteen underwater places so important they are under special protection, together forming the US National Marine Sanctuary System. These sanctuaries, spanning more than 620,000 square miles and ranging from the Florida Keys to the Great Lakes and to the Hawaiian Islands, are critical and breathtaking marine habitats that provide homes to endangered and threatened species. They also preserve America's rich maritime heritage and act as living laboratories for science, research, education, and conservation, offering outdoor recreation experiences for all ages. Through 175 full-color photographs and lively narrative, America's Marine Sanctuaries showcases each of the marine sanctuaries and the creatures that live there, from whales and manatees to Hawaiian monk seals and Laysan ducks, as well as sunken ships from the Ghost Fleet and USS Monitor to Shipwreck Alley. The book underscores how marine sanctuaries have shaped the nation's development, survival, and identity, and celebrates these protected underwater treasures for all they can tell us about our communities, our country, and our world.
America's National Parks and Their Keepers (RFF Forests, Lands, and Recreation Set)
by Ronald A. ForestaFirst Published in 2011. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
America's Natural Places: Rocky Mountains And Great Plains
by Kelly EnrightFrom Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas, this volume provides a snapshot of the most spectacular and important natural places in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.
America's Natural Places: South And Southeast
by Stacy S. KowtkoFrom the Texas Blackland Prairies to the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain of the Carolinas, this volume provides a snapshot of the most spectacular and important natural places in the southern United States.
America's Natural Places: The Midwest
by Jason Ney Terri NicholsFrom Iowa's Decorah Ice Cave to the Kitty Todd Nature Preserve in Ohio, this volume provides a snapshot of the most spectacular and important natural places in the Midwestern United States.
America's Natural Places: Pacific And West
by Methea K. SappFrom Alaska As Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the Milnes and Prairie Preserve of New Mexico, this volume provides a snapshot of the most spectacular and important natural places in the western United States.
America's Neighborhood Bats: Understanding and Learning to Live in Harmony with Them (Revised Edition)
by Merlin D. TuttleA guide to these frequently misunderstood animals that dispels unnecessary fears and encourages an appreciation of bats and their conservation needs. Since its publication in 1988, America&’s Neighborhood Bats has changed the way we look at bats by underscoring their harmless and beneficial nature. In this revised edition, Merlin Tuttle offers bat aficionados the most up-to-date bat facts, including a wealth of new information on attracting bats and building bat houses and a revamped key to the identification of common North American species. The easy-to-understand text, clear illustrations, and spectacular color photographs make this the perfect bat book for the general reader, as well as an invaluable resource for professionals who field questions from the public. Those who provide advice at health and animal control departments, museums, zoos, and nature centers will find it especially useful.