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The Hudson Primer: The Ecology of an Iconic River
by David L. StrayerThis succinct book gives an intimate view of the day-to-day functioning of a remarkable river that has figured prominently in history and culture--the Hudson, a main artery connecting New York, America, and the world. Writing for a wide audience, David Strayer distills the large body of scientific information about the river into a non-technical overview of its ecology. Strayer describes the geography and geology of the Hudson and its basin, the properties of water and its movements in the river, water chemistry, and the river's plants and animals. He then takes a more detailed look at the Hudson's ecosystems and each of its major habitats. Strayer also discusses important management challenges facing the river today, including pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing, invasive species, and ecological restoration.
Environmental Flows
by Angela H. ArthingtonEnvironmental Flows describes the timing, quality, and quantity of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human well-being and livelihoods that depend upon them. It answers crucial questions about the flow of water within and between different kinds of ecosystems. What happens when the flow or the availability of water is curtailed or diverted, either naturally or by human activity? How will climate change alter the availability of water and impact aquatic ecosystems? Methodological developments from the simplest hydrological formulas to large-scale frameworks that inform water management make this book a must-read for water managers and freshwater and estuarine ecologists contending with ever-changing conditions influencing the flow of water.hington ends with an appeal to address the freshwater biodiversity crisis, and turn the third millennium into an era of transformation and restoration of Earth's natural resiliency and healing power for the benefit of ecosystems and people.
The California Wildlife Habitat Garden
by Nancy BauerThis attractive, practical guide explains how to transform backyard gardens into living ecosystems that are not only enjoyable retreats for humans, but also thriving sanctuaries for wildlife. Beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs, this book provides easy-to-follow recommendations for providing food, cover, and water for birds, bees, butterflies, and other small animals. Emphasizing individual creativity over conventional design, Bauer asks us to consider the intricate relationships between plants and wildlife and our changing role as steward, rather than manipulator, of these relationships. In an engaging narrative that endorses simple and inexpensive methods of wildlife habitat gardening, Nancy Bauer discusses practices such as recycling plant waste on site, using permeable pathways, growing regionally appropriate plants, and avoiding chemical fertilizers and insecticides. She suggests ways of attracting pollinators through planting choices and offers ideas for building water sources and shelters for wildlife. A plant resource guide, tips for propagating plants, seasonal plants for hummingbirds, and host plants for butterflies round out The California Wildlife Habitat Garden, making it an indispensable primer for those about to embark on creating their own biologically diverse, environmentally friendly garden.
Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America
by R. Michael Davis John A. Menge Robert SommerCalifornia and the Western States are rich in abundant and diverse species of mushrooms. Amateur mushroom collectors and mycologists alike will find over 300 species of the region's most common, distinctive, and ecologically important mushrooms profiled in this comprehensive field guide. It provides the most up-to-date science on the role of fungi in the natural world, methods to identify species, and locations of mushroom habitats. With excellent color illustrations showing top and side views of mushrooms of the Western States and a user-friendly text, it is informative but still light enough to be carried into the woods. When used to identify mushrooms, keys bring the reader to individual species, with a descriptive text providing cues for identifying additional species. Mushrooms common in urban landscapes are included, which is especially useful for the casual encounter with backyard fungi. The guide also provides a table of both old and new species names, and information on edibility and look-alikes, both dangerous and benign. A section on mushroom arts and crafts features mushroom photography, painting, philately, spore prints, dyes, and cultivation. The guide also offers a comprehensive list of resources including national field guides, general mushroom books and periodicals, club and society contact information, and web sites. · Primary descriptions and illustrations of 300 species of mushrooms plus text descriptions of many more. · Latest word in mushroom taxonomy and nomenclature. Clear discussion of DNA sequencing and new classifications. · Especially good coverage of southern California and Southwestern mushrooms often neglected in other field guides.
Roots of Ecology
by Frank N. EgertonEcology is the centerpiece of many of the most important decisions that face humanity. Roots of Ecology documents the deep ancestry of this now enormously important science from the early ideas of Herodotos, Plato, and Pliny, up through those of Linnaeus and Darwin, to those that inspired Ernst Haeckel's mid-nineteenth-century neologism ecology. Based on a long-running series of regularly published columns, this important work gathers a vast literature illustrating the development of ecological and environmental concepts, ideas, and creative thought that has led to our modern view of ecology. Roots of Ecology should be on every ecologist's shelf.
The Environmental Legacy of the UC Natural Reserve System
by Kathleen M. Wong Peggy L. Fiedler Susan Gee RumseyThe UC Natural Reserve System, established in 1965 to support field research, teaching, and public service in natural environments, has become a prototype of conservation and land stewardship looked to by natural resource managers throughout the world. From its modest beginnings of seven sites, the UC NRS has grown to encompass more than 750,000 wildland acres. This book tells the story of how a few forward-thinking UC faculty, who'd had their research plots and teaching spots destroyed by development and habitat degradation, devised a way to save representative examples of many of California's major ecosystems. Working together with conservation-minded donors and landowners, with state and federal agencies, and with land trusts and private conservation organizations, they founded what would become the world's largest university-administered natural reserve system--a legacy of lasting significance and utility. This lavishly illustrated volume, which includes images by famed photographers Ansel Adams and Galen Rowell, describes the natural and human histories of the system's many reserves. Located throughout California, these wildland habitats range from coastal tide pools to inland deserts, from lush wetlands to ancient forests, and from vernal pools to oak savannas. By supporting teaching, research, and public service within such protected landscapes, the UC NRS contributes to the understanding and wise stewardship of the Earth.
Methods in Forest Canopy Research
by Margaret D. Lowman Timothy D. Schowalter Jerry F. FranklinPoised between soil and sky, forest canopies represent a critical point of exchange between the atmosphere and the earth, yet until recently, they remained a largely unexplored frontier. For a long time, problems with access and the lack of tools and methods suitable for monitoring these complex bioscapes made canopy analysis extremely difficult. Fortunately, canopy research has advanced dramatically in recent decades. Methods in Forest Canopy Research is a comprehensive overview of these developments for explorers of this astonishing environment. The authors describe methods for reaching the canopy and the best ways to measure how the canopy, atmosphere, and forest floor interact. They address how to replicate experiments in challenging environments and lay the groundwork for creating standardized measurements in the canopy--essential tools for for understanding our changing world.
Evolution's Wedge
by Karin S. Pfennig David W. PfennigEvolutionary biology has long sought to explain how new traits and new species arise. Darwin maintained that competition is key to understanding this biodiversity and held that selection acting to minimize competition causes competitors to become increasingly different, thereby promoting new traits and new species. Despite Darwin's emphasis, competition's role in diversification remains controversial and largely underappreciated. In their synthetic and provocative book, evolutionary ecologists David and Karin Pfennig explore competition's role in generating and maintaining biodiversity. The authors discuss how selection can lessen resource competition or costly reproductive interactions by promoting trait evolution through a process known as character displacement. They further describe character displacement's underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms. The authors then consider character displacement's myriad downstream effects, ranging from shaping ecological communities to promoting new traits and new species and even fueling large-scale evolutionary trends. Drawing on numerous studies from natural populations, and written for a broad audience, Evolution's Wedge seeks to inspire future research into character displacement's many implications for ecology and evolution.
Savannas of Our Birth
by Robin S. ReidThis book tells the sweeping story of the role that East African savannas played in human evolution, how people, livestock, and wildlife interact in the region today, and how these relationships might shift as the climate warms, the world globalizes, and human populations grow. Our ancient human ancestors were nurtured by African savannas, which today support pastoral peoples and the last remnants of great Pleistocene herds of large mammals. Why has this wildlife thrived best where they live side-by-side with humans? Ecologist Robin S. Reid delves into the evidence to find that herding is often compatible with wildlife, and that pastoral land use sometimes enriches savanna landscapes and encourages biodiversity. Her balanced, scientific, and accessible examination of the current state of the relationships among the region's wildlife and people holds critical lessons for the future of conservation around the world.
Deep Things out of Darkness
by John G. AndersonNatural history, the deliberate observation of the environment, is arguably the oldest science. From purely practical beginnings as a way of finding food and shelter, natural history evolved into the holistic, systematic study of plants, animals, and the landscape. Deep Things out of Darkness chronicles the rise, decline, and ultimate revival of natural history within the realms of science and public discourse. Ecologist John G. T. Anderson focuses his account on the lives and contributions of an eclectic group of men and women, from John Ray, John Muir, Charles Darwin, and Rachel Carson, who endured remarkable hardships and privations in order to learn more about their surroundings. Written in an engaging narrative style and with an extensive bibliography of primary sources, the book charts the journey of the naturalist's endeavor from prehistory to the present, underscoring the need for natural history in an era of dynamic environmental change.
Traveling the 38th Parallel: A Water Line around the World
by Janet Carle David CarleBetween extremes of climate farther north and south, the 38th North parallel line marks a temperate, middle latitude where human societies have thrived since the beginning of civilization. It divides North and South Korea, passes through Athens and San Francisco, and bisects Mono Lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada, where authors David and Janet Carle make their home. Former park rangers, the authors set out on an around-the-world journey in search of water-related environmental and cultural intersections along the 38th parallel. This book is a chronicle of their adventures as they meet people confronting challenges in water supply, pollution, wetlands loss, and habitat protection. At the heart of the narrative are the riveting stories of the passionate individuals--scientists, educators, and local activists--who are struggling to preserve some of the world's most amazing, yet threatened, landscapes. Traveling largely outside of cities, away from well-beaten tourist tracks, the authors cross Japan, Korea, China, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Greece, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, the Azores Islands, and the United States--from Chesapeake Bay to San Francisco Bay. The stories they gather provide stark contrasts as well as reaffirming similarities across diverse cultures. Generously illustrated with maps and photos, Traveling the 38th Parallel documents devastating environmental losses but also inspiring gains made through the efforts of dedicated individuals working against the odds to protect these fragile places.
Backyard Woodland: How to Maintain and Sustain Your Trees, Water, and Wildlife (Countryman Know How)
by Josh VanbrakleThe complete guide to maintaining your own personal woods. Who owns our forests? We do. And it’s up to us to care for them. More than 10 million ordinary citizens own over half of the forestland in America. The vast majority of landowners want to do right by their land, but until now, there’s been no single resource to help them do so. Backyard Woodland is a comprehensive guide to nurturing the land in your care, from soil and water protection to fostering wildlife diversity and keeping the land whole. Backyard Woodland also features tips for the financial considerations that come from land-owning, including how to save money on your taxes and how to make some extra income from responsible timber sales and viable farming. Owning a piece of the forest is a rare privilege, and this complete guide will help you get the most out of the experience.
The Winter Camping Handbook: Wilderness Travel & Adventure in the Cold-Weather Months
by Stephen GormanA thoroughly updated edition of the classic guide, considered the authoritative resource for winter camping Winter camping has its own special allure: the splendid quiet of a winter forest, the hush of falling snow, the thrill of gliding over ice and snow on skis. From building a snow shelter to traveling comfortably in sub-zero temperatures, The Winter Camping Handbook covers everything you'll need to know in order to enjoy wilderness travel and adventure in the colder months. Extremely user-friendly, the book's step-by-step approach covers everything from choosing a location to explore, selecting teammates, planning the trip, winterizing a travel vehicle, gear selection, making camp, food and nutrition, dealing with winter safety concerns, and even camping with children. Now revised and updated to include tips for using smartphones and the latest GPS navigation, this is the definitive guide to cold-weather hiking and camping.
Trees of New York City
by Benjamin SwettExperience the ancient roots and enduring natural beauty of New York as never before. New York City, once a lush and verdant group of forested islands, is still home to a rich collection of diverse tree species, each with a story to tell about the city’s past. This gorgeous book by naturalist and photographer Benjamin Swett offers stunning color photographs, personal narratives, and fascinating historical observations about a select few of the thousands of trees that thrive in the five boroughs—from the sprawling New York Botanical Garden in spring bloom to the snow-laden residential blocks of Queens in winter. Swett’s warm and welcome voice adds depth and perspective to his collection, as well as an unmistakable charm unique to his city’s cosmopolitan character. The stories of these trees—some dating back to the Revolutionary era and before—link the living with the past in a visceral and engaging way that will leave readers with a renewed and lasting appreciation of their own environments. This book is a new edition to New York City of Trees.
The California Naturalist Handbook
by Greg De Nevers Adina Merenlender Deborah Stanger EdelmanThe California Naturalist Handbook provides a fun, science-based introduction to California's natural history with an emphasis on observation, discovery, communication, stewardship and conservation. It is a hands-on guide to learning about the natural environment of California. Subjects covered include California natural history and geology, native plants and animals, California's freshwater resources and ecosystems, forest and rangeland resources, conservation biology, and the effects of global warming on California's natural communities. The Handbook also discusses how to create and use a field notebook, natural resource interpretation, citizen science, and collaborative conservation and serves as the primary text for the California Naturalist Program.
Plant and Animal Endemism in California
by Susan P. HarrisonCalifornia is globally renowned for its biological diversity, including its wealth of unique, or endemic, species. Many reasons have been cited to explain this abundance: the complex geology and topography of its landscape, the special powers of its Mediterranean-type climate, and the historic and modern barriers to the wider dispersal of its flora and fauna. Plant and Animal Endemism in California compiles and synthesizes a wealth of data on this singular subject, providing new and updated lists of native species, comparing patterns and causes of both plant and animal endemism, and interrogating the classic explanations proposed for the state's special significance in light of new molecular evidence. Susan Harrison also offers a summary of the innovative tools that have been developed and used in California to conserve and protect this stunning and imperiled diversity.
Cache Lake Country: Or, Life in the North Woods
by John J. RowlandsThe classic chronicle of life and self-reliance in the great Northern Forest, reissued for its many fans “Cache Lake Country is a gem for many reasons—a simple narrative, the ways in which it conveys the work-a-day joys and exertions of life in the wilderness, the woodscraft techniques it illustrates, and the slow and pleasurable way in which the soul of a serene man is revealed.” —The New York Times Over half a century ago, John Rowlands set out by canoe into the wilds of Canada to survey land for a timber company. After paddling alone for several days, he came upon "the lake of my boyhood dreams," which he named Cache Lake because there was stored the best that the north had to offer?timber for a cabin; fish, game, and berries to live on; and the peace and contentment he felt he could not live without. This is his story, containing both folklore and philosophy, with wisdom about the woods and the demand therein for inventiveness. It includes directions for making moccasins, stoves, shelters, outdoor ovens, canoes, and hundreds of other ingenious and useful gadgets.
50 Hikes in Coastal and Inland Maine (5th Edition) (Explorer's 50 Hikes)
by John GibsonA best-selling hiking guide to Maine's most widely traveled region, completely revised and with 10 new hikes Locals and visitors to Maine's beautiful coastline will find miles of satisfying hiking, with outings that range from short walks for families to all-day excursions for serious hikers. Each hike in this guide includes a topographic map, information on difficulty, mileage, and elevation, and a detailed description of the route. An overview chart at the beginning of the book describes the 50 hikes at a glance for easy trip planning.
The West without Water
by Frances Malamud-Roam B. Lynn IngramThe West without Water documents the tumultuous climate of the American West over twenty millennia, with tales of past droughts and deluges and predictions about the impacts of future climate change on water resources. Looking at the region's current water crisis from the perspective of its climate history, the authors ask the central question of what is "normal" climate for the West, and whether the relatively benign climate of the past century will continue into the future. The West without Water merges climate and paleoclimate research from a wide variety of sources as it introduces readers to key discoveries in cracking the secrets of the region's climatic past. It demonstrates that extended droughts and catastrophic floods have plagued the West with regularity over the past two millennia and recounts the most disastrous flood in the history of California and the West, which occurred in 1861-62. The authors show that, while the West may have temporarily buffered itself from such harsh climatic swings by creating artificial environments and human landscapes, our modern civilization may be ill-prepared for the future climate changes that are predicted to beset the region. They warn that it is time to face the realities of the past and prepare for a future in which fresh water may be less reliable.
50 Hikes in Kentucky (2nd Edition) (Explorer's 50 Hikes)
by Hiram RogersStunning hikes and walks in the Bluegrass State This comprehensive guide is the essential companion to any traveler’s journey into the verdant countryside of Kentucky. Take advantage of Hiram Rogers’ robust experience when navigating Kentucky’s rich natural attractions, from the Cumberland Gap through to the towering Black Mountain to the rockhouses and cascades of the Bark Camp Trail. Hikes are organized by distance, difficulty, and natural features—including waterfalls and arches—and paired with succinct but informative notes so you can choose the right trail for you and make the most of your journey. Take the knowledge of a proven hiking veteran with you as you explore all that Kentucky’s nature has to offer. As with all the books in the 50 Hikes series, you’ll find clear and concise directions, easy-to-follow maps, and expert tips for enjoying the most of what you want in a hike—whether it’s stunning lake views, luminous moonrises, or sublime skyscapes framed by the crests of mountains.
50 Hikes in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula (2nd Edition) (Explorer's 50 Hikes)
by Taz TallyA hiking guide to one of Alaska's most stunning outdoor getaways Alaska is vast, wild, and stunningly beautiful—and notoriously difficult to get around. The Kenai Peninsula, with its proximity to Anchorage, is the gateway to the great outdoors of Alaska for vast numbers of visitors and locals alike. The Kenai offers coastal, forest, subalpine, tundra, and even glacial hiking opportunities accessible to most. The hikes in this book range from an easy half-mile walk through a boggy lowland meadow to more challenging multi-day hikes through mountainous terrain. As with all of the 50 Hikes series, this volume provides the kind of narrative descriptions that allow you to choose which hikes to actually take and equips you with critically acclaimed maps that help you navigate to and from where you are hiking.
The Green Guide to Low-Impact Hiking and Camping
by Guy Waterman Laura Waterman Bill Mckibben"A classic of backpacking literature" (Backpacker), now updated with a brand-new foreword by environmentalist and best-selling author Bill McKibben Originally published as Backwoods Ethics in 1979, Laura and Guy Waterman's definitive guide to low-impact hiking and camping was a prophetic call to reevaluate the impact of outdoor recreation on the wilderness. Enthusiastically received by environmentalists and wilderness managers at the time, its warnings and advice are now more relevant than ever. With wisdom and gentle humor, Laura and Guy Waterman present a strong case for the importance of respecting the natural world while you're enjoying it. In his foreword to the new edition, world-famous environmentalist Bill McKibben puts the Watermans' advice into context for today's world. Day hikers, campers, and backpackers who follow the sensible techniques laid out in this book will help preserve the wilderness experience for generations to come.
Birds of New York City
by Cal VornbergerSee the concrete jungle revealed as a secret habitat for an array of avian life Many marvelous species of bird call New York’s boroughs home, though it takes a keen eye to spot them. Birds of New York City is the culmination of years of work from photographer Cal Vornberger. The product of a master photographer’s patience and ardor, Vornberger’s spectacular images, taken across all five boroughs in all four seasons, reveal an urban environment teeming with wildlife only steps away from speeding cabs and rushing pedestrians. Accompanying these expertly captured images are Vornberger’s engaging anecdotes about his experiences birding in the city, along with helpful photography tips for professionals, hobbyists, or even interested novices, including a detailed list of his trusted equipment. More than two hundred species pass through New York each year, about one-third of the species found in the entire country. With hundreds of dazzling pictures taken year-round and city-wide, Birds of New York City brings these elusive creatures to light for readers everywhere to experience.
50 Hikes in Northern New Mexico (Explorer's 50 Hikes)
by Kai HuschkeA complete hiking guide to some of the most beautiful and mystical lands in America's Southwest This is your guide to more than 50 spectacular and sublime walks, hikes, and backpacking adventures accessing the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, contorted volcanic formations, and striated canyons. Move across the expansive Valle Grande; pierce the clouds on Wheeler Peak. Wade through a sea of wildflowers along subalpine lakes in the Pecos Wilderness. Walk with the ancients as you explore ruins left by American Indian, Hispanic, and Anglo inhabitants in places like Chaco Canyon and Bandelier National Monument. As with all the books in the 50 Hikes series, you’ll find clear and concise directions, easy-to-follow maps, and expert tips for enjoying what each hike has to offer—whether it’s staggering views, rushing rapids, or deep canyons.
50 Hikes in South Carolina (Explorer's 50 Hikes)
by Johnny MolloyHikes and walks from the mountains to the Lowcountry Seasoned hiking author Johnny Molloy details 50 hikes of varied lengths and difficulties throughout verdant South Carolina, from the Chattooga River to the diverse terrain of the Midlands, including Congaree National Park, all the way to the Lowcountry, land of beaches and forgotten swamps and designated wildernesses. Specific emphasis is placed on the most scenic destinations and unique places that make the Palmetto State special. Each hike includes a helpful information section, trail map, trailhead directions, and stunning photographs, with intriguing commentary about the human or natural history along the way.