Susan Cerulean’s memoir trains a naturalist’s eye and a daughter’s heart on the lingering death of a beloved parent from dementia. At the same time, the book explores an activist’s lifelong search to be of service to the embattled natural world. During the years she cared for her father, Cerulean also volunteered as a steward of wild shorebirds along the Florida coast. Her territory was a tiny island just south of the Apalachicola bridge where she located and protected nesting shorebirds, including least terns and American oystercatchers. I Have Been Assigned the Single Bird weaves together intimate facets of adult caregiving and the consolation of nature, detailing Cerulean’s experiences of tending to both. The natural world is the “sustaining body” into which we are born. In similar ways, we face not only a crisis in numbers of people diagnosed with dementia but also the crisis of the human-caused degradation of the planet itself, a type of cultural dementia. With I Have Been Assigned the Single Bird, Cerulean reminds us of the loving, necessary toil of tending to one place, one bird, one being at a time.
Take flight with Belle, an osprey born on Martha's Vineyard as she learns to fly and migrates for the first time to Brazil and back--a journey of more than 8,000 miles. Dr. B. and Dick, two osprey scientists in Massachusetts, observe ospreys and their offspring, tagging one special fledgling with a transmitter to better study migration habits. Follow Belle as she attempts her first flight, conquers her first fishing endeavour, and heads south for her first migration all while her tracking device transmits information about where's she been. Based on information garnered through twenty years of research by the author, Belle's Journey will soar into reader's hearts.
The roots of the current National Wildlife Refuge System were formed in 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt, who wanted to keep our most important habitats "forever wild". Devoted primarily to protecting wildlife, wetlands, and open spaces, refuges offer unrivaled opportunities for visitors to observe and learn about our natural world. There are now more than 500 refuge areas in the United States, comprising more than 90 million acres. Habitats protected by refuges include virgin forests, tidal marshes, prairies, deserts, and tundra; species that flourish on refuges include the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, the American alligator, the American bison, mountain lions, bats, beavers, bears, sea turtles, and hundreds of others, including more than 60 endangered species. With more than 19 million copies sold to date and more than 105 titles now in print, the National Audubon Society's book program includes the National Audubon Society Field Guides (Knopf) and National Audubon Society First Field Guides (Scholastic). The mission of the Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. The National Wildlife Refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Think I would never have met Dawn, had it not been for that blessed fl ashy footwear... The year is 2035 when these events are told by one who lived through them, a computer fashion-graphics expert and inventor of a three-way game revolutionizing chess. This is fi rst and foremost the story of a portentous encounter - marvelous and ominous - of a man in the prime of his life, with an enigmatic young lady, hence united to live a growing passion. - It is the tale of a story within the story, in which Dawn is treating her young audience to a new Wonderland episode entitled Alice's Journey Through the Sea of Time. - It is also the story of a consequential natural catastrophe, and the premeditated explosion of a passenger plane, complicating their lives. - It is the story of sunny days and the couple's osmosis giving life to Amber. - And it is fi nally the story of childhood happiness sombered by Amber's disappearance, and perilous years of futile, although CIA-assisted, global quest to retrieve the child taken from them by a deranged female reemerging from Dawn's past and befalling the couple unawares. - Both women outlived 'A Thousand Fathoms Under the Skin', the preceding erotic-suspense novel by the same author. In spite of the story's uncouth and breathtaking conclusion, it leaves the reader with a feeling of interminate suspense...
Los Angeles may have a reputation as a concrete jungle, but in reality, it’s incredibly biodiverse, teeming with an amazing array of animals and plants. You just need to know where to find them. Wild LA—from the experts at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County—is the guidebook you’ve been waiting for. Equal parts natural history book, field guide, and trip planner, Wild LA has something for everyone. You’ll learn about the factors shaping LA nature—including flood, fire, and climate change—and find profiles of over one hundred local species, from sea turtles to rare plants to Hollywood's famous mountain lion, P-22. Also included are day trips that detail which natural wonders you can experience on hiking trails, in public parks, and in your own backyard.
Whether we live in cities, in the suburbs, or in the country, birds are ubiquitous features of daily life, so much so that we often take them for granted. But even the casual observer is aware that birds don’t fill our skies in the number they once did. That awareness has spawned conservation action that has led to notable successes, including the recovery of some of the nation’s most emblematic species, such as the Bald Eagle, Brown Pelican, Whooping Crane, and Peregrine Falcon. Despite this, a third of all American bird species are in trouble—in many cases, they’re in imminent danger of extinction. The most authoritative account ever published of the threats these species face, The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation will be the definitive book on the subject. The Guide presents for the first time anywhere a classification system and threat analysis for bird habitats in the United States, the most thorough and scientifically credible assessment of threats to birds published to date, as well as a new list of birds of conservation concern. Filled with beautiful color illustrations and original range maps, the Guide is a timely, important, and inspiring reference for birders and anyone else interested in conserving North America’s avian fauna. But this book is far more than another shout of crisis. The Guide also lays out a concrete and achievable plan of long-term action to safeguard our country’s rich bird life. Ultimately, it is an argument for hope. Whether you spend your early weekend mornings crouched in silence with binoculars in hand, hoping to check another species off your list, or you’ve never given much thought to bird conservation, you’ll appreciate the visual power and intellectual scope of these pages.
New York Times bestseller Twenty years after the publication of the bestselling All’s Fair, James Carville and Mary Matalin look at how they—and America—have changed in the last two decades. James Carville and Mary Matalin have long held the mantle of the nation’s most ideologically mismatched and intensely opinionated political couple. In this follow-up to All’s Fair, Carville and Matalin pick up the story they began in that groundbreaking bestseller and talk family, faith, love, and politics in their two winning voices. If nothing else, this new collaboration proves that after twenty years of marriage they can still manage to agree on a few things. A fascinating look at the last two decades in American politics and an intimate, quick-witted primer on grown-up relationships and values, Love & War provides unprecedented insight into one of our nation’s most intriguing and powerful couples. With their natural charm and sharp intelligence, Carville and Matalin have written undoubtedly the most spirited memoir of the year.
In this first-rate guide, the hip authors supply recommendations for all the best to see and do in the Big Easy, with information on getting around, walking tours, and insider advice on the city's fabled music, food, and nightlife. Sidebars cover everything from Creole cooking and Mardi Gras to Huey Long and paddlewheel steamers. Color throughout. 16 maps.
Spiders are among the most diverse groups of terrestrial invertebrates, yet they are among the least studied and understood. This first comprehensive guide to all 68 spider families in North America beautifully illustrates 469 of the most commonly encountered species. Group keys enable identification by web type and other observable details, and species descriptions include identification tips, typical habitat, geographic distribution, and behavioral notes. A concise illustrated introduction to spider biology and anatomy explains spider relationships. This book is a critical resource for curious naturalists who want to understand this ubiquitous and ecologically critical component of our biosphere.