Tundra (Biomes of the Earth)

Book Description

Stalks of grass towering over one's head. Patches of yellow and purple wildflowers as far as the eye can see. Thousands of butterflies fluttering across an ocean of grass. Herds of bison plowing through deep snow. Scenes like this were familiar on the tallgrass prairie that once stretched across America's heartland. Today, although most of the original prairie has disappeared, hints of its beauty still remain.

Illustrator Claudia McGehee brings the glory of the prairie back to life in A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet. From the yellow stargrass that welcomes springtime to the butterfly weed that attracts summer's favorite winged visitors, from the horned lark that soars in the fall to the little bluestem that fights its way above the snow—each season unfolds in the vibrant color and vivid details of McGehee's scratchboard illustrations.

Old friends like white-tailed deer and the short-eared owl, as well as the endangered species like the greater prairie-chicken, are all depicted living in harmony within their native habitat. For those wanting to learn more about the wonders of this rich environment, McGehee provides the common and scientific names of all the plants and animals she illustrates.

Anyone who has ever seen remnants of the tallgrass prairie—from child to teacher to tourist to prairie enthusiast—will appreciate the passion and warmth that leap from the pages of this beautifully illustrated alphabet book.

Customer Reviews:

Prairie books in short supply.......2007-04-04

In presenting a program for young children on prairies I realized that there aren't alot of books out there. This book was one of the few I could find. The illustrations were wonderful and the alphabet examples were good. I do wish, though, that there had been more text. It made for a somewhat boring read for the kids.

Great illustrations of prairie.......2005-10-26

This is a great learning tool for teachers or anyone involved in educating young people about the tall grass prairie. It has wonderful illustrations of plants and animals of the prairie. Good book for young and old.

The New Ranch Handbook: A Guide to Restoring Western Rangelands (Quivira Collection)

Average customer rating:

Natural Allies: Conservationists and Ranchers

The New Ranch Handbook: A Guide to Restoring Western Rangelands (Quivira Collection)
Nathan Freeman Sayre
Manufacturer: Quivira Coalition
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0970826400

Customer Reviews:

Natural Allies: Conservationists and Ranchers .......2007-08-08

I've long held to the common environmentalist's view that cattle and sheep grazing in the arid west was an environmental disaster, destroying vegetation, habitat, and displacing wild animals. New research and books like this have changed my opinion. Sayre, a well know dry-land ecologist, profiles six ranches in Arizona and New Mexico and describes how ranchers have enhanced their grazing land with environmentally-sound techniques. This sounds like dry stuff, but this attractive book and a not-too-technical text make the subject interesting.

Traditionally, ranchers and environmentalists were sworn enemies with nothing but contempt for each other. This was silly. The threat to the open land of the West now is 2-acre "ranchettes" and galloping suburbanization. Preserving the big ranches from "development" is the best means we have to ensure that the lone prairies remain for future generations. What we now see, with books like this one, is science rather than emotion being used to evaluate how ranch land can be improved and preserved -- or at least damage minimized -- through better techniques of grazing cattle.

The New Ranch Handbook is large-format; the cover features dramatic before and after color photos of good and bad grazing; and 100 good black and white photos are scattered among 100 pages of text. It's an excellent book for the dry-land rancher, the environmentalist, or people like me who just like to know what we're looking at as we explore the great American Southwest.

Smallchief

Where the Buffalo Roam: Restoring America's Great Plains

Average customer rating:

Raises some good points but rambles, not enough information
An interesting view of the West
The Dilemma on the Great Plains

Where the Buffalo Roam: Restoring America's Great Plains
Anne Matthews
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Land Use | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Wildlife | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0226510964

Book Description

In 1987 Frank and Deborah Popper proposed a bold solution to the decline of America's Great Plains: create a vast nature preserve by returning 139,000 square miles in ten states to prairie and reintroducing the buffalo that once roamed there. In Where the Buffalo Roam, Anne Matthews follows the Poppers from Montana to Texas as they try to sell their idea called the Buffalo Commons; in the process, she introduces us to the people who love these arid windswept lands.

This edition includes a new foreword by environmental historian Donald Worster. Matthews's new afterword describes how with growing support from Native Americans and private groups like the Nature Conservancy, the Poppers' dream of a Buffalo Commons is becoming a reality.

"An admirably crafted book, as poignant and entertaining as it is informative."—Seattle Times

"A priceless piece of Americana."—The Boston Globe

"Matthew's delightful account of the Poppers, their proposal and the controversy surrounding it does focus new attention on the region and its problems."—The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Bright, active, effective journalism. . . . An extremely savvy overlook of the dilemmas of the Great Plains."—Wallace Stegner

Customer Reviews:

Raises some good points but rambles, not enough information .......2005-06-09

Originally written by the author in 1992, She spent a year following the Poppers and their efforts to get people to see how the Great Plains states are dying. They are actually running out of water and losing population.
There are a lot of pages about their travels, speaking engagements with often hostile crowds,hostile press (not all western) and some sections dealing with the science of what is happening to the land out there. You also get a fair amount of history, some people always saw the Plains as land that shouldn't be developed as eastern land had been (it wasn't suitable for such useage).
I'd have liked more science and more detail on the Buffalo commons concept, it's an interesting idea but I don't see it becoming a national policy. The new forward and afterword deal with changes in the situation since the original publication but don't convince me that it has much chance of really happening.

An interesting view of the West.......2003-12-09

This book is typical of a piece that evolves from a New York Times Magazine article: full of narrative, a bit rammbling at times and a bit on the lite side. Matthews gives some snippets of ecological and historical analysis, but ultimately this is not an analytical book. It is very readable, however, and raises awareness to the ecologic and economic crises of the Great Plains. The piece details two Rutgers academics, the Poppers, who are promoting the notion of a "Buffalo Commons," a plan that involves the federal government buying out the most marginal of Great Plains land to turn into a giant reserve for bison, shortgrass and Indians. The book details much of the angry Western reaction to the plan. It also shows large sections of the West in near ruin, in desperate need of a new, sustainable solution, as current attempts to exploit the arid West by argiculture is producing only dust storms, a depleted aquifier and busted-out farm communities.

The Dilemma on the Great Plains.......2000-06-25

This book held my constant attention from the first time I picked it up. Ms. Matthews gives a very even-handed account of what I call "The Dilemma on the Great Plains." She thoughtfully explains the Buffalo Commons plan for the restoration of the plains. She introduces Frank and Deborah Popper, New Jersey academics from Rutgers University, who came up with the Buffalo Commons plan. I was riveted because I once lived in South Dakota, near the Montana and Wyoming borders and could empathize with the issue. The Poppers came up with the Buffalo Commons idea in the late 1980s as a way to "save" the plains. It has been very controversial, to say the least. The plains way of life and the emotions of the issue are handled brilliantly by Ms. Matthews. I was able to see both sides throughout the book. This issue has an importance to our nation. Read this book to know the issues about the decline in our Great Plains.

Average customer rating:

Meadow Food Chains
Bobbie Kalman , and Kelley Macaulay
Manufacturer: Crabtree Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Biology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 077871991X

Where The Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie (Bur Oak Book)

Average customer rating:

John Madson- a later day Leopold
John Madson -- Brilliant
Where the Sky Began: A terrific book!
A down-home review of prairie ecology and culture

Where The Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie (Bur Oak Book)
John Madson
Manufacturer: University Of Iowa Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0877458618

Book Description

"It was a flowing emerald in spring and summer when the boundless winds ran across it, a tawny ocean under the winds of autumn, and a stark and painful emptiness when the great long winds drove in from the northwest. It was Beulahland for many; Gehenna for some. It was the tall prairie."—from the prologue

Originally published in 1982, Where the Sky Began, John Madson's landmark publication, introduced readers across the nation to the wonders of the tallgrass prairie, sparking the current interest in prairie restoration. Now back in print, this classic tome will serve as inspiration to those just learning about the heartland's native landscape and rekindle the passion of longtime prairie enthusiasts.

Customer Reviews:

John Madson- a later day Leopold.......2006-01-02

The late John Madson was the equivalent of a later day Aldo Leopold. He was gifted in writing about the natural world and drawing a connection to mankind. This book does that for man and the tallgrass prairie. In this book, Madson examines man's relationship with the prairie and the creatures that call the prairie home. Madson presents a narative that is both insightful and entertaining and makes a strong case for why the tallgrass prairie should be preserved and restored.

John Madson -- Brilliant.......2001-12-03

I once got lost with John Madson in the Great Batchtown Swamp, but I never got stuck in any of his books -- he is a great outdoorsman and writer, who always takes your imagination somewhere interesting (and often useful). He wrote the best book ever on The Pheasant, a wee paperback that he dashed off in a couple of weeks but which has never been bettered. It must be natural talent, but as Lee Trevino said, I had to hit a million practice balls before my natural talent began to show through. Willy Newlands (Scotland)

Where the Sky Began: A terrific book!.......2001-02-20

As a kid growing up in post-war Chicago suburbia, I got to see farmlands give way to housing tracts. The question I asked was "What was here before the farms?" Madson has the answer--prairie. Practically a million square miles of prairie and the first European settlers never had an idea that a vast expanse of grassland stretched roughly from the eastern border of Illinois to the Rocky Mountains.

Madson takes you to the prairie from an historical, personal, anecdotal, and geological perspective. You can practically see the prairie flora, feel the prairie air on your face, hear the prairie fauna calling you in this excellently written and touching book. Enjoy!

A down-home review of prairie ecology and culture.......1999-04-16

John provides a factful and sometimes comical look at prairie ecology and culture. A good first book for those interested in the prairie.

Average customer rating:

The Moorlands of England and Wales
Ian Simmons
Manufacturer: Edinburgh University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This is a history of the moorlands and the part they have played in English and Welsh history over ten millennia. Ian Simmons draws on natural science, archaeology, social history and historical geography, as well as his own forty years of exploring and studying the moorlands. He describes their origins and how they changed under the impact of human and natural forces. He shows how perceptions of the moors have been influenced by writers, artists and the media, and how these perceptions have resulted in great changes in attitudes to their use and management. The moors provide grazing land, wood, water, recreation and scenery for people, and unique habitats for birds, mammals, insects, and plants.

The book begins by offering a concise understanding of their physical and natural characteristics. It then moves quickly to an account of how hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic period altered their surroundings using fire. It describes how millennia of agricultural production wrought distinctive moorland landscapes and how these in turn were affected and sometimes transformed by industrialization, deforestation, and changes in farming methods. The twentieth-century's renewed impetus for environmental management and conservation brings the story near to the present. The North Pennines, Dartmoor, and South Wales are the subject of detailed accounts that reveal the common characteristics of the moorlands as well as their marked contrasts. The author then offers a brief history of the moorlands in the artistic and literary imagination. Beyond the recent crises of overgrazing and the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak, Ian Simmons lays out some possible futures for the moors.

Average customer rating:

The Cerrados of Brazil

Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0231120435

Book Description

While the imperiled Brazilian rainforest has been the focus of considerable international media attention and conservation efforts, the massive grasslands of Brazil -- known as the cerrados -- which cover roughly a quarter of its land surface and are among the most threatened regions in South America, have received little notice. This book brings together leading researchers on the area to produce the first detailed account in English of the natural history and ecology of the cerrado/savanna ecosystem. Given their extent and threatened status, the richness of their flora and fauna, and the lack of familiarity with their unique ecology at the international level, the cerrados are badly in need of this important and timely work.

Blackland Prairies of the Gulf Coastal Plain: Nature, Culture, and Sustainability

Average customer rating:

Blackland Prairies of the Gulf Coastal Plain: Nature, Culture, and Sustainability
Timothy Schauwecker
Manufacturer: University Alabama Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Geography | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Renewable Energy | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0817312153

The Grasslands of the United States: An Environmental History (Nature and Human Societies)

Average customer rating:

The Grasslands of the United States: An Environmental History (Nature and Human Societies)
James Sherow
Manufacturer: ABC-CLIO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1851097201
Release Date: 2007-04-27

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books