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Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)
Aldo Leopold
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A Sand County Almanac
ASIN: 0345345053
Release Date: 1986-12-12 |
Amazon.com
Published in 1949, shortly after the author's death, A Sand County Almanac is a classic of nature writing, widely cited as one of the most influential nature books ever published. Writing from the vantage of his summer shack along the banks of the Wisconsin River, Leopold mixes essay, polemic, and memoir in his book's pages. In one famous episode, he writes of killing a female wolf early in his career as a forest ranger, coming upon his victim just as she was dying, "in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes.... I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, no wolves would mean hunters' paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view." Leopold's road-to-Damascus change of view would find its fruit some years later in his so-called land ethic, in which he held that nothing that disturbs the balance of nature is right. Much of Almanac elaborates on this basic premise, as well as on Leopold's view that it is something of a human duty to preserve as much wild land as possible, as a kind of bank for the biological future of all species. Beautifully written, quiet, and elegant, Leopold's book deserves continued study and discussion today. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
"We can place this book on the shelf that holds the writings of Thoreau and John Muir." San Francisco Chronicle
These astonishing portraits of the natural world explore the breathtaking diversity of the unspoiled American landscape -- the mountains and the prairies, the deserts and the coastlines. A stunning tribute to our land and a bold challenge to protect the world we love.
Customer Reviews:
My view.......2007-10-07
Well written book. A. Leopold was an early messenger regarding people`s influence on nature and the risk of damage because of short-sighted politics/business. His description of his surroundings is vivid. One wonders how "his" landscape looks today!
A sand county Almanac: and sketches Here And there by Aldo Leopoid.......2007-02-27
was not a hard covered book recieved a paper back. I kept it only because I wanted to read it. arrived in good condition and in about 10 days
First Time User.......2007-01-16
The whole process went great. It took a few minutes extra at the beginning as it was my first time. Since then, I have bought another book and some other items. It's truly a great way to get a good deal on thing you would never think were available on line. Have plans for many other items that I have been checking out as my budget allows.
an excellent edition of an outstanding book.......2007-01-16
Book worth reading and re-reading for anyone interested in ecology, also professionally, or who has respect for the natural world. In a way it is pity that the book is as vital now as it was. Our undersanding of ecology and needs for looking after our environment increased alongside with the rate of its destruction
book revisited.......2007-01-13
except for about 3 missprinted words in this book,it is just as good a read as it was for me in high school.A true conservation and nature classic.
Book Description
Collection of Dharma teachings addressing issues of common concern to Buddhist practitioners from all traditions.
Customer Reviews:
A Practical Guide to Enlightment.......2007-05-21
Venerable Tenzin Palmo describes in a very clear prose the benefits of meditation, its difficulties, how to overcome them, and extend this practice to our daily life. It is a book to be read more than once, and a must for those in quest of enlightment.
Reflections On A Mountain Lake : Teachings on Practical Buddhism.......2006-02-11
Reflections on a Mountain Lake is composed of Tenzin Palmo's talks to audiences of Western lay people and Buddhist nuns and monks. The talks cover a whole range of subjects on Buddhist teachings, practices and spiritual life. Reading her words of openness, warmth and fluidity, I felt as if I was with her in the audience. She begins with the story of her twelve-year retreat in a cave in the Himalayan mountains, and the words that fill the books seem to flow from that deep place of concentrated practice.
The book is lively, intelligent, practical and straightforward. Each chapter end with questions from the audience, such as: Where do thoughts arise from? Is it a good idea to take political action to right social evils? What's the process of making amends if you have acted unethically at some stage in your life? What happens if you don't keep your commitments?
One of her consistent messages is to keep it simple. She advises people not to be overcome by ambition to do more, or get more initiations and teachings. Tenzin Palmo has gained many insights and much wisdom from her practice and commitment, as if she has dug a deep, deep well from which she can bring up what is clearly needed in each different situation with people.
We all start with an undisciplined mind, and Tenzin Palmo has many excellent examples of how to approach spiritual practices and what these practices are all about. The mind has to be relaxed yet alert, and needs to be tuned like an instrument, with the knowledge of how to return to a clear place. It is then we can be of benefit to other people.
Tenzin Palmo is an example of how women are re-establishing the lineage of yogic practice for women. She is developing a Buddhist retreat for nuns and making available the teachings of Drukpa Kargyu lineage, which has a strong tradition of fully ordained female practitioners. Because of Tenzin Palmo's work, in 1995 nuns debated publicly for the first time in Tibetan history. "There is nothing that women cannot accomplish and have not accomplished in the past. It is up to us to support them...it is time to appreciate the whole picture and bring the two sides together."
I enjoyed Reflections on a Mountain Lake because Tenzin Palmo is a storyteller. Like all great teachers, she uses her personal life and traditional stories to engage us in the teachings. It seems somehow easier for the mind to catch hold of profound ideas if they are told as myth and metaphor. And because she tells many personal stories - from her home life as a child, her searching as a young woman and her times with her guru - she becomes human and accessible, as well as an example of dedication.
Practical and relates Vajrayana to the West.......2005-02-26
This is a great book for Western Buddhists, especially useful as a loaner to friends seeking to understand Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana). It includes extensive Q&A; 8 photos, and a great number of quotable quotes. Ani Palmo (Ani is an honorific for a Buddhist nun) is VERY down-to-earth and realistic and relates a considerable about of advice and commentary from her Lama. She points out that Tibetan mythological themes should not be taken literally-even Tibetan teachers indicate this. For example:
pp. 61-2: "Shantideva says, `Who made the red-hot iron floors? All this is a projection of the personal mind.' Even if we don't believe in the physical reality of the hell realms, we can definitely believe that a mind filled with anger, which loves harming others and takes pleasure in cruelty, could easily project a paranoid environment for itself...the content of our inner mind is projected outward and becomes our entire reality." Furthermore, she invokes valid psychological principles such as: p. 67: "Those who deny the shadow are in a very insecure and precarious position...It is hard to develop true compassion when you are continuously blanking out all suffering from your own life." Also, Sociological principles: p. 81: "Today the West is making a significant contribution to the way the Dharma is presented. Every time the Buddhadharma travels to a new country, that country gives it something of itself."
Ani Palmo, in a highly readable and understandable style, provides pithy advice to practitioners: p. 93: "We need to dissolve the boundary between the subject and the object. In other words, we need to become the meditation" & p. 102: "Worldly desires are like salty water. The more you drink, the thirstier you get...The problem is the way we cling to things" & p. 141: "Our problem is that we believe our mind and identify with it." She also provides logical explanations for many Vajrayana practices: p. 95: "intricate visualizations of mandalas...totally occupy the mind so that there is no room for distraction." She provides considerable, pragmatic material on relationships between Vajrayana and Western religions: p. 96: "All true religions seek to gain access to that level of consciousness which is not ego-bound. In Buddhism it is called the unconditional, the unborn, the deathless. You can call it anything you like. You can call it atman. You can call it anatman. You can call it God." She also provides a number of intriguing teaching stories such as p. 103: monkeys captured by refusing to let go of a sweet--: "If you want to hold water, you have to hold it with cupped hands. If you make a tight fist, it runs away" and of a king unattached to his palace with a guru attached to his gourd. She also observes that the movie "Groundhog Day" can be interpreted as a Buddhist film about reincarnation and karma.
And, best of all, Ani Palmo provides quotes which defuse misconceptions concerning Buddhist doctrines: p. 156: "The Buddha said, `I too use conceptualization, but I am no longer fooled by it."
pp. 159-160: "Difficult Points for Westerners" chapter: "The Buddha replied, `do not take anything on trust merely because it has passed down through tradition, or because your teachers say it, or because your elders have taught you, or because it's written in some famous scripture. When you have seen it and experienced it for yourself to be right and true, then you can accept it.'" However, the one criticism might be that she fails to apply this regarding: p. 238: Eastern images & p. 241: Tibetan lineages.
p. 166: "According to the Buddhadharma, the most important component of any action of body, speech, or mind is intention."
p. 168: when asked about hell, her "Lama just laughed and said, `Oh well, we talk that way in order to frighten people into being good. Actually, it is very difficult to be reborn in hell. You have to be especially evil, and particularly, very cruel.'"
p. 169: "My Lama once said, `Not everything you read in the sutras is true. You don't have to believe everything you read.' ... The Tibetans took from that huge ocean a few drops of this and a few drops of that and put it together into a mixture which was helpful for Tibetans. Much of it is relevant for the rest of us as well. The ways they present the Dharma is wonderful. But there is no doubt that certain aspects, although helpful for them, are not very helpful for us. We can leave those aside." Higher teachings often contradict lower teachings and not everything is appropriate for everybody.
p. 191: "Some Tibetans say it's almost impossible to realize the nature of the mind without a teacher. I don't think that's true. Some people do realize the nature of mind spontaneously without a teacher. But a good teacher helps."
She also provides valuable observations and techniques on Vajrayana practices: pp. 179-180: in utilizing tonglen - "black pearl-like seed of self-cherishing at our heart center...sometimes instead of a black pearl...we can visualize a crystal Vajra which represents our innate Dharmakaya mind. The dark light absorbs into this and is instantly transformed into radiance, since no darkness exists within the pristine nature of the mind." p. 235: "My Lama always said to me, `Don't undertake big commitments. Keep your practice very small and simple, but do it.' ... I have always been very clear with lamas when it comes to initiations. Sorry, I am not keeping this commitment. I say this before taking the initiation, then they can decide whether or not it's okay for me to take it. Usually, they say its okay."
Highly recommended.......2004-10-12
If I were to be stranded on a deserted island and could have but one book along, it would be Reflections on a Mountain Lake. With her lifetime in spiritual pursuit, twelve years as a woman in male dominated Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, and another twelve years alone in a cave in the Himalayas, Tenzin Palmo indeed has something to say. Our good fortune is that she is a talented orator and expresses herself with dazzling clarity and wit. Her persective on life (before, here and after) is deeply wise, casting welcome perspective on what It All is truly about. In the West we are proud of how many books we consume. In the East, the intense study of one magnificent book is revered. This is one such book.
A lifetime of meditation, retreat, and learning.......2002-09-07
Reflections On A Mountain Lake: Teachings On Practical Buddhism is a compilation of the wisdom and Dharma teachings of Ani Tenzin Palmo, who was born in London in 1943 and become one of the first Western women to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. Her writings comprising Reflections On A Mountain Lake, gathered from a lifetime of meditation, retreat, and learning, wonderfully communicate her understanding of holistic and profound principles relevant to Buddhism and to the commonplace struggles of daily life. Reflections On A Mountain Lake is a welcome and very highly recommended addition for Buddhist Studies reference collections and reading lists.
Book Description
From strenuous opposition to physician-assisted suicide to a conviction that sex-correction surgery for newborns is cruel and misguided, Dr. Paul R. McHugh's opinions are strong and often controversial. In this collection of essays, McHugh demonstrates why he is one of the most thought-provoking figures in the academic world.
These pieces argue for a realistic appraisal of just what psychiatrists know and how they know it, with the aim of indicating how such knowledge can best be used not only for better patient care but also to reflect on and influence public issues and social movements. His essays will stimulate professional and popular discussion about the goals and effectiveness of current psychiatric practice.
McHugh sorts through the layers of what he terms the "culturally driven misdirection of psychiatry and psychotherapy" to explain concepts often misunderstood by nonscholars and the intellectual community alike. America's leading psychiatrist may inspire you or offend you, but he will certainly make you think.
Customer Reviews:
Incisive and Insightful.......2007-05-07
This is a fantastic book that explores the depths that modern psychiatry has only recently rebounded from, and is in danger of relapsing into. McHugh is a fairly balanced thinker, and pretty well-informed. The article on sex reassignment surgery is an absolute gem that challenges psychiatry to look its dogma in the face. Occasionally, there is a tendency to be extremely conservative. The Terry Schiavo comparison to the Nazi's extermination is a bit hyperbolic, although his point that there was no fMRI, PET, or even conventional MRI to _scientifically_ enlighten the debate is a very good one. The slippery slope argument is valid, but I think focusing of the right to keep alive by tube-feeding is going to distract from more clear-cut issues. Finally, McHugh outlines where the future of psychiatry might lead and how we have to make crucial decisions at this point in history to keep the art in accordance with truly Hippocratic principles.
In short, every psychiatrist should read it, but I am sad to say there are many who won't because they lack the capacity to be self-critical.
Thoughtful and Stimulating.......2007-04-02
An excellent collection of essays by Dr. Paul McHugh. Having been a student of Dr. McHugh's, these essays reveal his thoughtfulness and incredible grasp of things medical, social, and psychological. It is an excellent overview of where the field of psychiatry has been and where it is going. The future is bright thanks to the foresight and leadership of Dr. McHugh and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins, among others.
A Welcome Re-Orientation.......2006-11-10
Having encountered the fads of the 70's-80's,I had come to take a very dim view of the profession. It is a relief to see that change is in the air, science is back in the saddle (or nearly), and a refreshing practicality guides at least some practitioners.
Gaining Perspective in an Arena of Myths.......2006-11-04
McHugh provides biological,psychological,and psychiatric insights in a thoughtful, scholarly, and highly readible commentary.
Breadth and Depth in a Slender Volume.......2006-07-21
In 1909, during a lecture at Clark University, Dr. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, who was educated to be a neurologist, told his audience in Massachusetts that he was pleased and satisfied that psychoanalysis would only accompany medical doctors for a short distance but then "take leave of them."
Just how far this distance would grow and how unfortunate the consequences of the separation between psychoanalysis and scientific medicine would be for our culture, and indeed all of society, is one of the topics in this new, five-part book, "The Mind Has Mountains." The author, Dr. Paul McHugh, former chair of the department of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School, has put together a collection of his scholarly articles.
Harold Bloom in his column, "Why Freud Matters," (Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2006) advised us that despite the fact that no one today believes that psychoanalysis is a science, it cannot be gainsaid that "Freud ... was the equal of the other major writers of his era, James Joyce, Marcel Proust and Franz Kafka." Freudianism, along with its creative and imaginative platonic-like constructs (id, ego, libido, etc.) continues to impact society.
A reader of "The Mind Has Mountains" will have a balanced, erudite critique of Freud's continuing influence. Unlike the work of Freud and his progeny, Dr. McHugh's "Reflections" are based not on personal opinions or unproven theses, but are the fruit of years of painstaking, empirically verified research coupled with the vast clinical experience of the author and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins and other major university hospitals.
The book is not narrowly limited to psychoanalysis, but treats the whole range of issues which psychiatry faces today. From Part I, "Beginnings," until the last chapters in Part V, "The Ethical Use of Embryonic Stem Cells" and "A Psychiatrist Looks at Terrorism," the book covers a breadth of subject matter in engaging language that is accessible to the layman.
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- A Great Read
- Edxcellent Book
- Stop & ponder about some of the thoughts in the book!
- The Greatest Living "Social Philosopher"
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Waiting for the Mountain to Move: Reflections on Work and Life
Charles Handy
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ASIN: 0787946591 |
Book Description
"Handy writes with the eloquence of simplicity and his gift to us is an enjoyable, profound, and reliable guide toward meaning and direction."--Max De Pree, author of Leading without Power and chairman emeritus, Herman Miller Inc.
Charles Handy's reflections on work and life have earned him legions of fans throughout the world. His previous books have together sold over a million copies. And his "Thought for the Day" series on BBC radio is celebrated throughout the U.K. Now present and future fans in America can sample what his BBC listeners have enjoyed for so long. Waiting for the Mountain to Move includes the gifted commentator's best essays, culled from ten years of radio broadcasts. These succinct writings draw poignant lessons from everyday occurrences and cause us to examine our lives, our institutions, and our society in a different and revealing light.
NOT FOR SALE OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
Customer Reviews:
A Great Read.......2007-01-10
'Waiting For The Mountain To Move' is full of interesting and thought provoking. It is written in an easy to read format.
Jill Weeks
Author 'Where To Retire In Australia'
Edxcellent Book.......2002-01-08
One of the easier to read books by Handy. Contains many interesting ideas presented in a easy to read and understand manner. Excellent.
Stop & ponder about some of the thoughts in the book!.......2001-07-03
An excellent book to make you stop and think about the realities of work and life. Prof. Handy has put some very valuable truths in the short essays in the book. Some of the essays touch on spiritual issues and I endorse the truths he mentions! The essays are short and you could read them at the start of a long commute and ponder over the thoughts during the journey. Or are we do too busy to do that even? For those you have read Prof. Handy's other books, don't miss this one!
The Greatest Living "Social Philosopher".......1999-08-02
I can't say enough about Charles Handy's many books, and this little gem is absolutely thrilling. Comprised of 65 stories of about 500 words each, Handy's eloquent style and a non-proselytized collection of Christian anecdotes make each story a beautiful experience. Core values with a deep, profound essence of faith. I hope more Americans become familiar with his tremendous work.
Book Description
Gammage relates Phoenix's development patterns to the historical context. He examines how the region can better manage future growth given the issues of water, transportation, work patterns, and infrastructure, as well as the context. A thought-provoking read for anyone interested in the urban Southwest and twentieth-century American cities.
Customer Reviews:
Cheerleader for the Development Industries.......2000-10-16
Its hard to take Grady Gammage seriouly in this book. As a real estate lawyer, he has done little else besides acting as state cheerleader for the development industries.
While providing a pretty good history lesson on the city of Phoenix (thus the one star), this book does little but glorify and exaggerate the contributions the developement industry has had on the growth and prosperity of the Valley of the Sun (he credits the low-cost housing industry on the population boom...oh yeah...and air conditioning).
He discounts the notions of "sprawl" and blames any negative aspects on Phoenix's growth to market demand and a wonderful climate. He finds a way to absolve the develpment industry from any of the poor planning, tract housing, and characterless suburbs that blanket the Sonoran landscape.
While agreeing that there will someday be a limit to how large Phoenix and its outlying suburbs can get, he sees little use for any type of growth management and describes growth boundaries as "draconian." Portland is proof enough that growth boundaries do in fact work, and that they are hardly "draconian."
Gammage's solution to growth issues in Phoenix relates to water supply. Yet he fails to see that dealing with growth management via the water supply is like realizing that its time to go on a diet once you've already reached 400 pounds. By that time its too late. How do you tell a city of 5 million that the water supply has dried up, and now its time to start conserving....or limiting population? If growth boundaries are draconian, how does Gammage describe stopping growth because of a lack of water?
This book offers a neat history lesson on the Valley of the Sun, but outside of that, it offers little in the form of solutions to Phoenix's problems related to growth, pollution, traffic and its now characterless landscape. I'd give it a half star if I could.
"We really lay it on thick".......2000-09-21
This is truly a disappointing and shocking book; and, for that reason, a must read in any city where residents want to stop or at least curtail the destruction of their community by developers whose only motive is greed.
Grady Gammage Jr. is the son of one of Arizona's great families; Gammage auditorium at Arizona State University, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, honors decades of contributions by his family. Instead of community service, he became a wealthy lawyer for developers and was instrumental in creating the urban blight he so skillfully outlines in this book.
A hundred years ago, Phoenix was the smallest of the four major Southwestern cities (the others are Tucson, Albuquerque and El Paso). Now it is the largest, and is growing by an acre of new homes per hour. At that rate, as Gammage notes, growth can continue uninterrupted for another 672 years.
What is the new Phoenix? In Gammage's words, "A small narrow lot, a relatively large house, and a two- or three-car garage combine to produce neighborhoods with a different feel than those of even ten years ago. Houses seem squeezed together by non-existent side yards. Garage doors, lined up to a mandatory setback line, become the dominant feature of the streetscape. Front yards are shallower, with less grass . . . the desert is covered by acres of concrete tile."
Everything is geared to growth, at the lowest possible cost to developers. When the first Interstate freeway was built through Phoenix in the 1960's, it went below ground in elite neighborhoods and then soared to 25 feet above ground in low income areas. The elevated portion was often called "our Berlin Wall" and it destroyed poorer neighborhoods, providing cheap land for "slum clearance" and industrial space. No interchange was ever built to serve Guadaloupe, a low-income Yaqui village on the freeway; but, when a developer was appointed to the highway commission, bulldozers were at work within six months building an interchange for his speculative subdivision.
Obviously, as an attorney for developers, Gammage doesn't highlight problems. Yet, two out of three new residents to Arizona leave the state within five years. The Phoenix downtown crime rate is five times the national average. Arizona has the highest percentage of children without adequate medical care of any state, including Texas. It has the second-highest high school dropout rate. Believe it or not, here in the Sonoran Desert, it's against the law to grow sagebrush in your front yard.
It's what makes this book so worth reading. It's a lesson in every sweet-talkin' word that you'll ever hear from developers and their lawyers. Read it in conjunction with `The Death and Life of Great American Cities" by Jane Jacobs, often regarded as one of the great urban thinkers of the past 40 years. This book clearly and proudly offers the opposite of everything Jacobs advocates.
For Phoenix residents, it's a chilling account of change from "the city that Los Angeles wishes it could be" into a mass of urban sprawl that even LA wouldn't tolerate. Gammage does an excellent job; he is articulate, knowledgeable and one of the best lawyers developers can hire. As one of the local asphalt companies proudly says on its billboards, "We really lay it on thick." So does Gammage.
For outsiders, it explains why two of every three newcomers flee within five years, most within a year. Read it, then decide if you're safe to assume in your city, "It can't happen here."
America's most thoughtful book on city development.......1999-11-29
Grady Gammage provides readers with an accurate and insightful account of the development of the Phoenix metropolitan area. More important his book presents a sensible review of the problems of urbanization and suburban growth. Most important it avoids uninformed theories, irrelevant Utopian visions, or public action action that has neither political support nor financial justification.
Customer Reviews:
Walking with the Wild Wind.......2003-12-22
Walking with the Wild Wind is a long overdue book by Walkin' Jim Stoltz. When I read it, I felt as though I were walking along with him on his journey through the Wilderness of Montana and Idaho.
He shares his thoughts on wilderness philosophy, on finding his way through the land and well as through his own inner landscape. I could feel his pain and pleasure as he trod through familiar trails and newer ones.
I highly reccomend this book for outdoor lovers and folks who haven't yet had a chance to enjoy wilderness and its unforgetable experience.
Take a walk with Walkin' Jim! Review by John B. Free
For nature buffs and armchair travelers.......2003-09-21
Walking With The Wild Wind is the personal travelogue of Jim Stoltz and his solo trek through the wilderness of Montana's roadless areas. A detailed and captivating journey, deftly written with appreciation for the wonders of nature and articulating a regret of man's voracious expansion into pristine land, as well as narrating harrowing close calls with brush fires, falls, wildlife encounters, and river crossings, Walking With The Wild Wind brings the reader along upon an unforgettable journey. Highly recommended reading for nature buffs and armchair travelers, Walking With The Wild Wind would make a welcome and popular addition to community library collections.
Walkin' Jim takes us all on a needed journey.......2003-09-19
The first time I saw Jim Stoltz was at a concert he did for the Audubon Center in Amherst, Ma. I have seen his amazing show many times since. He shows slides of his journeys (operating the projector with his foot) as they illustrate his marvelous songs which he sings in his deep, baritone voice. I run a concert series myself and have had him perform a couple of times when he has made his east coast tour. When he sent me a mailing about his book I bought it immediately. A long-distance hiker & long-distance cycler myself, and a librarian, I have read a lot
of accounts of adventures. Often they are mere catalogs of the journey, and the writing is not very good.
This book is poetic, and also, you get to know Jim. Often in reading chronicles of adventures I come away feeling I never knew the person at all. I don't need to have the narrator spill their guts but one isn't hiking in a vacuum. Jim's flashbacks to other hikes, and parts of his life connect the story to life.
He is also an ardent defender of Wilderness, and if you aren't one before reading the book, you will be afterwards.
Look him up on his web-site, see him in a concert when he travels near you, buy his book and CDs. He is great.
Book Description
An important book about the rich, yet fragile ecosystem in the Yaak Valley of northwestern Montana
Customer Reviews:
Forever Yaak?.......2003-01-20
One of my experiences as a biologist for the U.S. Forest Service was a brief stint in Libby, Montana where I was a weekend visitor to the remote Yaak Valley championed by resident conservationist Rick Bass. My first pass through the valley was a shock. The sea of clearcuts from past timber sales were clearly alarming, and I vowed to return for further investigation. In 1994 I studied fish populations in the Libby area now, and then, a superfund site at the plywood mill where we installed a fish weir in an attempt locate the last remaining Bull trout, now an endangered species in the Pacific Northwest. The previous year there were two. In 1994 none returned to the Libby trap. Similar conditions exist on the Yaak River, a major tributary to the Kootenai. Though superficially "wild" in outward apearance this is devastated landscape due to economic activity that has ruined the landscape and the citizenry from asbestosis at the other superfund site, a vermiculite mine once operated by W.R. Grace Corporation of "A Civil Action" fame. They are gone now, but so is everything else the area once offered. "We don't mind looking at the clearcuts," my boss a dour wildlife biologist told me. It is a legacy that Mr. Bass will be hard pressed to reverse with the current forest management leadership. But we must try. I stand with him in that battle. The chapter in my book "Against a Strong Current," is called "Three Bull Trout."
Redefining Wilderness.......2002-09-27
A valuable collection of diverse voices bearing witness to the last of the last: a small but ecologically rich valley in the far northwest corner of Montana. Those familiar with the prolific writings (and rantings) of Yaak resident Rick Bass know that he can come off as a monomaniac, but this anthology proves his passion is grounded and infectious. Great contributions from prominent writers, poets, conservationists, biologists, politicians, and local residents provide a mosaic of visions on the endangered magic that is the Yaak. The primary lesson: the Yaak is a biological, not a recreational wilderness. It is a place that must be saved, not for your next summer vacation, but for the itinerent wolves, the few remaining stands of ancient larch, the inland redband trout, the resident horse loggers, 15 modest-sized 'gardens' of unroaded national forest, and a tiny (perhaps single digit)population of super-survivor grizzly bears.
Once gone, they are gone forever.
Book Description
This large-format high-quality photography book depicts the beauty of the Rocky Mountain landscape from New Mexico to the Yukon. Scenic photographs maximize the detail and tonality range. Dramatic landscape photographs depict Rocky Mountain vistas reflected in alpine lakes and backcountry rivers. There are also accent photographs of the wildlife found in these alpine regions.
The text presents an overview of the topography of the Rockies and the natural history of the mountain environment, including the three major regions:
The Southern Rockies (New Mexico, Colorado) highlighting Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Snowmass Wilderness, San Juan Range and Sangre de Cristo Range
The Central Rockies (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho) highlighting Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Medicine Bow Range
The Northern Rockies (Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon) highlighting Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, Revelstoke and Yoho National Parks, the Columbia River Valley and Kananaskis Park.
Customer Reviews:
A+ -- wonderful color photos of mountains, water & wildlife.......2005-09-09
This remarkable book represents the state of the art of printing color photographs in books, and at a very reasonable price.
I see a lot of pretty nature-photo books. They're almost always OK, but seldom memorable. This one's a keeper.
Check it out.
Happy reading--
Pete Tillman
Excellent book for my collection.......2001-01-14
For my liking, there is an excess of reflected images in this book even though the photography is excellent and sharp. I love the shots of the wildlife, however I would have enjoyed seeing more of the abundant flora of the region. Even with the minor shortcomings I can honestly say that this book deserves an excellent 5 star rating. With the help from OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY magazine I am a huge fan of several well known nature photographers-- John Shaw, Nevada Wier and Art Wolfe just to name a few. After buying this book and taking in all the photographs I can say that Tim Fitzharris is quickly joining that group!
review response.......2000-09-01
Can the reviewer above (Linda Wimberley) count? Of the 70 landscape photos depicted, 7 or 10% are from the Grand Tetons, arguably the most beautiful park in the Rockies. Glacier is represented by 2 photos not one.
Missing a few things.......2000-08-02
This has some great pictures of the Grand Tetons. And only one of Glacier National Park. There are many wildlife pictures and some of the canadian rockies. Generally it's a great picture book of the Grand Tetons.
Book Description
In this enthralling collection of essays and full-color paintings, George and Elizabeth Ellison call upon a lifetime of outdoor experiences to illuminate the extraordinary natural history of the Blue Ridge mountains. George's absorbing essays offer insight into the region's geologic origins, plants, animals and related Cherokee and settler lore while Elizabeth's artwork provides an evocative journey through the natural heart of this celebrated region.
Gathered into two broad sections--Flora and Fauna--Blue Ridge Nature Journal is a masterful tribute to the natural wonder that permeates the Blue Ridge. In the first section, readers will learn why Jack-in-the-pulpit plants periodically change sexes, the defining characteristics of the mountain forests and how early settlers made bee hives and rabbit traps from hollow black gum trees. The second section includes details about the natural origins of the great Mythic Hawk and Mythic Serpent of the Cherokees, the demise of the timber wolf and the amusing spotted skunk, who does a handstand and looks between its legs before spraying an intruder.
George Ellison is the author of Mountain Passages: Natural and Cultural History of Western North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains. He lectures and conducts workshops about the natural and human history of the Blue Ridge. Elizabeth Ellison has exhibited and sold widely throughout the United States for more than thirty years, and her pen-and-ink drawings and watercolor washes have graced numerous publications.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Blue Ridge Experience.......2007-10-06
Having received my copy as a birthday present, I purchased another as a gift for a friend. The book is divided into two sections. The first consists of short essays by George Ellison on various subjects connected to flora and fauna and their history in the Southern Appalachians. Each one reveals little know secrets about its history. I loved the one about White Snakeroot. The illustrations are exquisite. The second section of the book is filled with breathtaking watercolor prints by George's wife, Elizabeth. I wish I knew where to buy one of the prints. Both Ellison's are very talented! Although you could consider this a "coffee table" book, it is much more than that. I learned so very much from reading it.
A wonderful mix of science, nature and art.......2006-11-22
Reading this book just further enhanced the appreciation of a native born Western Carolinian. As a child I ran through the mountains but like the author I did not appreciate the beauty around me for too many years. The Ellison's have put together a wonderful book, well written and well illustrated. The artistic renderings are gallery class material. I highly recommend this book to those in love with the Appalachians.
Book Description
Proposes a novel scheme for the protection and management of America's national parks
Customer Reviews:
Reflections on keeping the riff-raff out, even in a democracy.......2006-02-25
This book is a thoughtful and serious rebuttal to the argument that wilderness preservation is an elitist (even undemocratic) concern. Backpacking, wilderness designations, restrictions on development, and the like all *look* elitist. Backpacking is a pursuit of the educated upper-middle class, which also dominates most environmental groups. The broader working and middle classes want roads, RV campsites, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles, as well as attractive hotels, restaurants, gift shops, swimming pools and other resort activities. Is there a defensible democratic argument for saying "no" to these things?
Sax insists that there is. The full argument is too nuanced to summarize here but here's a piece of it. Some people buy season tickets to cultural events because they know that a full season will expose them to things they already like (Mozart for example) as well as things they don't yet know about. People pay for librarians to recommend books we wouldn't otherwise find. Wilderness preservation in our national parks can play an analogous role, introducing motorized visitors to non-motorized things that they wouldn't otherwise experience. Done correctly, visits can force visitors to experience nature with an open-ended agenda. Visitors won't know in advance whether they'll like the experience, but they might know that they're willing to take a chance and trust the Park Service.
Sax makes many interesting points about national parks and wilderness along the way. Like most others writing in this genre, he is also very critical of the tourism-related development that characterizes most national parks. This book is not the place to go if you're looking for a history of the parks (or if you're looking for any factual material), but if you'd like thoughtful reflections on the parks in a series of essays, I strongly recommend it.
A timely reminder, even 20 years later.......2000-09-30
Joseph Sax does an eloquent job of retracing the history of national parks with an emphasis on the differences between what was intended and what has been implemented. He writes not only of how our reserved lands are viewed, but also about how different sectors of the population believe these lands should be used (or not). What is particularly effective are his discourses on the different populations and the feedback effect We have on shaping policy for reserve lands. This is a very interesting book that anyone who considers themselves to be an "advocate" of wilderness or of the idea of the outdoors, would do well to read.
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- Sheep Hunting in Alaska (2nd Edition)
- Small Animal Surgery Textbook
- Spectacular Animals & Fascinating Animals
- Sperm Wars: Infidelity, Sexual Conflict, and Other Bedroom Battles
- Squirrel Proofing Your Home & Garden
- Straight from the Heart II: More True Stories of Remarkable Encounters with Once-in-a-Lifetime Horses
- The African Experience: An Introduction (2nd Edition)
- The Aging Brain (Maps of the Mind)
- The Aye-Aye and I: A Rescue Journey to Save One of the World's Most Intriguing Creatures from Extinction
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