Amazon.com
Since the dawn of history, no other living thing (save, possibly, the snake) has been as reviled by humankind as the wolf. Still, wolves and people have been drawn to each other since the beginning. Canis lupus bounds through our folklore, howls in our dreams, and--occasionally--competes with us on the hunt. As one zoologist imagines it: "Through the cold of winter the wolf made music in the mysterious darkness and sometimes, in curiosity, sat just beyond the dwindling circle of firelight and watched." The curiosity was mutual; this is the feared animal, ironically, that gave rise to man's best friend. Yet only recently has science begun to understand these complex social mammals. Enter biologist L. David Mech. Years of research during the 1960s in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park provided Mech with a level of firsthand knowledge shared by few in the field. In 1970 he compiled his findings (updated in 1980) into the preeminent document of its kind. Thomas McNamee, author of The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone, calls the book the "best single source of information on wolf biology," and refers to its author as "the undisputed king of wolf research." When government officials in the early 1990s decided to embark on an ambitious project to reintroduce wolves into their former range of Yellowstone National Park, they called on Mech's expertise. All this is to say that, if you want to learn about wolves, you cannot ignore this seminal work or its author. Chapters cover wolf evolution, range, and physiology; society and pack behavior; reproduction; hunting and predator-prey relationships; and the species' uncertain future. Like any self-respecting scientist, Mech includes all the hard data, but he presents his work in an engaging manner that is accessible to a broader audience, drawing heavily on anecdotes and personal experience.
"Many people strongly dislike the wolf," Mech writes, "others rush to its defense. But no one denies that the animal is strong, powerful, intelligent, keen, and dynamic." While persecution by man has severely restricted its current status, the tide is turning, thanks to education and conservation efforts. After all, a night without a howl echoing somewhere across the landscape would surely be a colder, less alive night. --Langdon Cook
Customer Reviews:
Dedicated to Mojo........2006-01-24
Listen. If you interested in this subject, this is the book to get.
It's soft cover, black-and-white, dense text. The book is laid-out like a research paper. The writing is scientific, yet clear and readable. There are photographs, charts, tables, maps, and graphs. There is a comprehensive bibliography.
The information presented includes biology, as well as information on individual behavior, pack behavior, and the social life of wolves. So much learning to do.
If you love wolves or canids, this is the book.
A Good Resource for anyone interested in wolves.......2004-04-11
This was the first book I studied before I bought my wolfdog. It's a great general reference book on wolves, factual and not biased. It's especially useful for understanding wolf behavior and body language, which one must aquaint one's self with before considering getting a wolfdog. Some of data is outdated, such as showing the wolf and domestic dog as separate branches on the canine family tree, but by and large it's a good reference book.
Aaawwwwoooooo!.......2004-01-27
I simply wish to echo what was said in the previous two reviews of this book. If one wants a primer on wolves for lab, classroom or at home reading this is the one to get.
It is a highly enjoyable book easy to understand for a wide ranging audience. It is my hope this book will inspire it's readers to probe deeper and consider reading further on the topic, for example: Wolves of Minong: Isle Royale's Wild Community (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) by Durward Leon Allen.
Fantastic, informative and 'A MUST READ'.......2003-01-08
For anyone with a serious interest in Wolf Ecology or Dog Psychology this is a'Must Read!'. In the book Mech draws on his own observations of wolf behaviour, as well as those of other influential wolf researchers. Full of information and observation on the ecology, sociology, behaviour and communication of wolves, I have found this book invaluable in my research into Dog Physcology, and have even applied some of what I learnt from its pages to the training of my Inuit pup.
fascinating book with many, well researched details.......2000-05-10
This book fascinates every wolf lover even more of this species, and those, who haven't decided yet what to think about wolves, might start to love them and "fight" for the recovery of this species. It gives many details about behaviour, ecology, and conservation of wolves. Despite being written in the 90ths most of its information is still up to date. This book is used by many students, but is equally suitable for the interested public as Mech manages to describe the facts in clear, understandable words. It is highly recommendable for people who want to learn more about wolves.
Book Description
BOOK SENSE NOTABLE BOOK
"By piquing our imaginations, by sparking in us a sense of wonder, Yellowstone's wolves have done much to invigorate our sense of place, even our sense of generosity, rekindling relationships that allow us to again feel at home in the world."
-- Douglas Smith, Wolf Project Leader
For millions of people around the world, the image of wolves running free through Yellowstone National Park has become the ultimate symbol of the American wilderness. The release of thirty-one Canadian gray wolves in 1995 and 1996-arguably the most controversial feat of conservation in our nation's history-sparked a new-found passion for these remarkable animals and the unbound lands that sustain them.
Few were prepared for the outpouring of emotion sparked by the reintroduction of these wolves, and for the changes that came, both in the land and in the minds of men, with that experiment. For the first time, Douglas Smith and Gary Ferguson recount the first ten years of this historic endeavor. The journey of the wolves themselves and the people who faithfully followed them through the wilds of Yellowstone make for unforgettable reading.
Here are intimate details about the lives of these animals, including wonderful stories about survival and family dynamics. Smith and award-winning nature writer Gary Ferguson weave together never-before-published scientific discoveries with spell-binding tales of the wolves' behaviors. The wolves have not only survived, but completely changed the ecosystem, spilling a fresh measure of wild across the world's first national park. . DECADE OF THE WOLF serves to mark the end of the opening act of this inspired, often tumultuous tale of preservation.
DOUGLAS SMITH, PHD, Wolf Project leader, has studied wolves for twenty-four years and has worked on the reintroduction in Yellowstone since its inception. He lives in Gardiner, Montana.
GARY FERGUSON is an award-winning nature writer whose books include The Great 0 Divide: The Rocky Mountains in the American Mind, Hawks Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone, and The Yellowstone Wolves. He has written for numerous publications including Vanity Fair, Outside, the Los Angeles Times, and Men's Journal. He lives in Red Lodge, Montana.
Customer Reviews:
A terrific book about wolves & wildlife biology.......2007-10-01
I have read over 40 books about wolves over 35 years and this one stands out as one of the very best.
The book has two main themes -- the life histories of individual wolves brought to Yellowstone and their packs, and what wildlife biologists actually do to accomplish a successful introduction and gather the histories of these wolves. Both these themes are covered very well in exceptionally graceful writing.
Missing intentionally is a blow by blow history of the political controversy surrounding the introduction, and I am glad for that -- the focus remains on the wolves and how they deal with the challenges they face. The political history has been covered in other books and is a fairly depressing story of people shouting at each other.
The authors ability to describe in remarkable detail on the histories of individual wolves and their packs was aided enormously by the radio collars the placed on select individuals and the high visibility of the wolves in Yellowstone. The picture that emerges is of an enormously rich, complex, dynamic and tough world. Surviving is a constant challenge for a wolf, even in this prey-rich environment, and few wolves make it past 4-5 years old, much younger than the lives of wolves in captivity.
Their is so much information about their behavior that the wolves emerge as distinct individuals with dramatically different personalities and styles. Packs develop unique cultures (e.g. hunting bison). The static alpha male - alpha female hierarchy so often described in other books turns out to be far more variable with much greater roles in some packs for the alpha female and non-alpha wolves.
The authors note how frequently the wolves' behavior continues to them, particularly social behavior. There are far more ways to organize and "run" a wolf pack then previously thought, and the complexity of the dynamics described resembles human social interactions to a remarkable degree.
There is a lot that can be learned even by well-read wolf enthusiasts from reading this book. Yet, for those who are just beginning to read about wolves, this book is a superb introduction to these animals that get more fascinating the more we know about them.
Those who enjoyed the insight into the life of a wildlife biologist in this book would no doubt also enjoy Craig Packer's Into Africa, an account of his work with the social histories of African lion prides.
Great Book about the wolves of Yellowstone N.P........2007-08-12
This has to be the best book I have read in years about the Yellowstone National Park's reintroduction of the wolves. Entertaining and very educational. I highly advise anyone that would like to further there education on the history of the Yellowstone Wolves to read this book. It was pure enjoyment.
A good wolf book.......2007-08-06
This book was a great read and, despite the rip-off for the CDN dollar by the publisher, I was very happy to recieve this in the mail. It made a good, informative and sweet read for those who love wildlife and wolves. The narrative isn`t borring or scientific which makes it easy to read. Of course there are a few things that bothered me while reading this.
Firstly, the people didn`t realy explore alternatives to wolves eating livestock, they just kind of shot them and didn`t take the responsibility to practice other non-lethal methods of controling wolves such as the use of guard dgs or deterrents. I was also looking forward to a lot more pictures of wolves, and while the ones in the book were beautiful, they were small and there were few. I really wish that the authors could have elaborated more about the indivdual wolves` that were the founders of Yellowstone`s packs. it seemed that just one peice of each wolf wasn`t enough to capture their intimate lives (and not enough pictures of the wolves themselves). If they ever re-do this book, hopefully more can be placed on pictures and what has happened to the wolves and their packs in yellowstone.
Good for biology of Yellowstone wolves but a disappointment for the larger story.......2007-06-06
This book looks back at the ten years since wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. The reintroduction has been a great success, with wolf packs filling up the park and dispersing outside its boundaries.
The authors are well-placed to tell this story. Douglas Smith is a biologist who has been closely involved with the wolf program, and Gary Ferguson is an award-winning journalist who has written on many outdoor topics connected to the American West.
Though it's certainly a good read, the book was nonetheless a bit of a disappointment to me. The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone saw two big pieces of action: the political firestorm before reintroduction, and the animals' success afterwards. The biggest story was probably the former debate, but the book hardly discusses that.
Instead, Smith and Ferguson focus on the wolves since reintroduction. They alternate types of chapters - - a substantive chapter about some aspect of wolves, and then a chapter telling the story about some individual wolf. Intensive radio collaring of wolves in the park makes these histories possible, and it is interesting to see the lives of wolves in this way.
If you want to know how scientific research on Yellowstone's wolves has been carried out, the book is invaluable. If you're interested in the larger human story, especially the political battles, then you should try Martin Nie's _Beyond Wolves_ instead.
Great report for a great project........2006-02-25
I enjoyed "Decade of the Wolf" both for the information given on the reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone as for the manner in which it is written. The first-person delivery of the tale is quite engaging and readable. However I would have liked to see more hard data, especially on the dramatic changes brought to Yellowstone ecosystems as a result of the reintroduction of the wolf.
Average customer rating:
|
Wolves (Our Wild World)
Laura Evert
Manufacturer: Northword Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Nonfiction
| Foxes & Wolves
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
| Fiction
| Nonfiction
Zoology
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| Foxes & Wolves
| Animals
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Zoology
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Eagles (Our Wild World)
-
Black Bears (Our Wild World Series)
-
Polar Bears (Our Wild World)
-
Tigers (Our Wild World)
-
Moose (Our Wild World)
ASIN: 1559717483 |
Book Description
Every title contains: -Where the animal lives, what it eats, when it sleeps, how it raises its young, and much more. -Over 30 vivid, full color photos and illustrations. -Sidebar 'Fun Facts,' an index and a list of useful Internet Sites.
Average customer rating:
- eco action novel!
- right on
- A Wild Read
- A howling-good novel!
|
The Lobo Outback Funeral Home
Dave Foreman
Manufacturer: Johnson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Human Rights
| Politics
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching
ASIN: 1555663397 |
Customer Reviews:
eco action novel!.......2006-01-21
Funny, horny, passionate, insightful and a damn good read!
Foreman gives testosterone a good name!
right on.......2001-09-14
Having moved to the New Mexico outback myself a few years ago with the notion that cowboys and ranchers were noble and strong caretakers of the land, I was shocked to learn about the whole public land multiple use system and what arrogant cretins the abusers of it really are. Dave Foreman has ripped the masks off every wise-use, militia belonging, united nations fearing, and custom-and-culture ranting local rural resident and revealed them for the ignorant, bombastic yahoos they really are. I hope I live long enough to someday hear the howl of a lobo here. This book let me dream that might someday come true.
A Wild Read.......2001-04-12
This was a wild read. Sex, romance, wilderness, wolves, good guys, bad guys, and a moral to the story. The story is about those who love the west and do battle to protect the land and its wildlife. Many of the characters and events are probably emulations from the author's own life that has been dedicated to the protection of wilderness and wildlife. If you want to gain a sense about why some people are willing to devote their lives to the wild then read this book. When you are done, choose your place to stand and defend.
A howling-good novel!.......2000-11-19
This is Earth First! founder, Dave Foreman's first novel. Set partly in New Mexico's Diablo National Forest and partly in southeastern Arizona, Foreman's natural descriptions read as if they were drawn from his own field notes. This story is as much about commitment to wild places as it is about survival.
Interestingly, Foreman's novel is similar to Barbara Kingsolver's current bestseller, PRODIGAL SUMMER (2000), in many respects. Both novels involve sensual love affairs that unfold in nature. Whereas Kingsolver's lovers, Deanna Wolfe (a forest ranger) and Eddie Bondo (a hunter) debate coyotes, Foreman's lovers, MaryAnne McClellen (a wildlife ecologist) and Jack Hunter (a burned-out, Sierra Club lobbyist) protect Mexican wolves. Like Deanna, MaryAnne understands: "If life in all its fecund, blooming, buzzing, beautiful diversity is to survive, we humans must find within ourselves the generosity of spirit and the greatness of heart to make room for the full flowering of other species and natural life processes" (p. 176). Kingsolver even lives in Tucson, where parts of Foreman's novel unfold.
Jack Hunter is a complicated character. No longer a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Hunter has become "a hard-drinking, sullen horseshoer in a backwater nowhere;" yet he remains "a man born to greatness" (p. 206). When confronted with Forest Service logging plans and saving the lobos, "Hunter knew he couldn't run any more," Foreman writes. "It was time to stick his spear in the ground and fight for home. He saw the grand cottonwoods and bouncy stream of Stowe Creek Meadow. He saw the tall ancient pines of Mondt Park. He saw the wolves of Davis Prairie. That was what was real. That was what was important. That was what made his life worth living . . . he would fight for it now. No matter what the cost" (p. 200).
Dave Forman has written a howling-good first novel which, like Kingsolver's, I recommend to those who share a love for wild places.
G. Merritt
Book Description
Since 1995, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released Canadian gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park as part of its wolf recovery program, reintroduction has been widely challenged in public forums and sensationalized in the media. This conflict has pitted western ranchers and property rights activists against environmental groups, highlighting starkly contrasting political perspectives. In this informed account, Martin A. Nie examines not only the future of wolf recovery but also the issues that will define debates around the politics of wildlife management, animal rights issues, and other flash points. The result is a revelatory look at the way the democratic process works when the subject is an environmental hot-button issue.
Examining the wolf recovery program from a policy-making perspective, Nie looks at programs in Alaska, the Lake Superior region, the Northern Rockies, the Southwest, and New England and upstate New York. He analyzes the social, political, and cultural backdrop in the areas in which wolves have been reintroduced and explores such contentious issues as the role of science in public policy; the struggle between wilderness protection, resource management, and private property; and the use of stakeholders in environmental conflicts.
For Nie, the debate over wolf recovery is above all a value-based political conflict that should take place in a more inclusive, participatory, and representative democratic arena. Wolves, Nie writes, are an important indicator species both biologically and politically, and in Beyond Wolves, he tells an important story of wolves and people, place and politics, that resonates far beyond the fate of America's most misunderstood inhabitants.
Martin A. Nie is assistant professor of natural resource policy in the School of Forestry at the University of Montana.
Customer Reviews:
Essential political perspective on wolves, if incomplete.......2005-08-11
This is an essential discussion of the politics of wolves and wolf recovery. Nie discusses the management of wild populations in Alaska and the upper Midwest as well as wolf reintroduction programs in Idaho and Yellowstone. He is primarily interested in wolf management policy. Though he is a professor, Nie avoids scholarly theory and jargon. He writes well and the book reads easily.
Nie has a background in both resource management and political science, so he's well positioned to talk about the human side of wolves. As a result of being more attuned to the social sciences, he provides a more insightful account of the human side of the wolf-human relationship than your typical biologist - or even your atypical biologist. This is really the best book available on the political social side of wolf management. However, it's not quite as reader-friendly as Steinhardt's book.
Nie considers a series of relevant issues: the symbolic issues of wolves and ranchers, the political economy of wolf regions, the politics of wildlife management organizations, and the successes and failures of stakeholder-based management such as the Fortymile caribou herd in Alaska and the Yukon. He emphasizes the conflicts in values between wolf supporters and opponents, and is sympathetic to solutions that bring interested parties into dialogue with one another.
The result is a very measured and moderate book. I can imagine fanatic anti-wolf people hating this book, but if you are a wolf lover who can't accept the idea of shooting wolves under any circumstances, you'll probably dislike his approach as well.
I would have liked to see him broaden his subject a bit. The book concentrates on the US, though Canada (and to a much lesser extent) Mexico are also discussed. It would be interesting to learn more about wolf management issues in Europe and Asia. For that, the best source is Mech and Boitani.
Only people can save wolves.......2003-07-16
If you are reading this review chances are you are a "Wolf Lover" and like myself have an great and overwhelming interest in the wolf and its place on this planet. Sadly though, loving wolves and enjoying photographs, films and books of them will not save them from the persecution they endure by this planets most cruel predator-mankind. Author Martin A Nie points out that the Wolf stands as a symbol for Wilderness, and in the 19th Century that was a symbol of all things that mankind hated about the wild, a fear of the unknown, yet now in the 21st Century the Wolf stands for everything that we love about the wild, Freedom. So what has changed in the Wolf? That's right, nothing, the wolf is still the same animal, it is only our attitude that is different. BEYOND WOLVES looks at the Socio-politics of this change in human ideals and thoughts. Every single person who claims to support the Wolf should read this book to understand that it is a political problem that is retarding Wolf Recovery efforts throughout the world, and that these problems must be understood and acknowledged by everyone, Land holders, Farmers, Urban dwellers and Environmentalists. A personal observation about the continuing conflict between farmers (who use dogs for protection and herding) and wolf-lovers (who love dogs as well) is illustrated by wolf photographer Jim Brandenburg in his excellent book BROTHER WOLF when he writes, "Thousands of years ago we brought a powerfull intelligent predator into our caves, and today it sleeps at our feet.While we were learning to love the wolf that became the dog, we somehow learned to hate the wolf that stayed the Wolf"(J Brandenburg-Brother Wolf pg150)This is our dilema, and as an intelligent species we must attempt to make peace with the rest of the planet and its other inhabitants, because a war against nature, is ultimatly a war against ourselves. BEYOND WOLVES is divided into Four parts (one) Wolf Recovery and Managment as Value-Based Political Conflict (two) The wolf as Symbol,Surragate and Policy problem. (three) Wolves and the Politics of Place. (four) The Use of Stakeholders and Public Participation in Wolf Policymaking and Management. These parts and their sub-chapters may seem like a difficult thing to read but Author Martin A Nie is the Assistant Professor of Natural Policy in the School of Forestry at the University of Montana, and his fine fact based text is totally interesting (and backed up with copious notes) so that anyone with any interest in wolves will find it a facinating, and most of all a very important book if our friend, Canis Lupus, is to survive with us on this planet.
Average customer rating:
|
Wolves (Animals, Animals)
Daniel A. Greenberg
Manufacturer: Benchmark Books (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
Nonfiction
| Foxes & Wolves
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Nonfiction
| General
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Nonfiction
| Environment
| Nature
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
jp-unknown1
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0761414479 |
Average customer rating:
|
The Red Wolf: Help Save This Endangered Species! (Saving Endangered Species)
Alison Imbriaco
Manufacturer: Myreportlinks.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
Nonfiction
| Environment
| Nature
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science & Technology
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Ecology
| Science & Technology
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1598450387 |
Customer Reviews:
A variety of poems presenting reptile facts within a fantasy.......1997-12-08
This book presented facts about types of reptiles through poetry in a way that captivated my five-year-old boy. He enjoyed the whimsical pictures and the context: imagining what it would be like to see reptiles dancing at a ball--without eating each other! In addition to reptile facts, the book demonstrated many different types of poetic form. A rhythmic reading of this books entertained and involved him from start to finish. This book could be used to teach zoology or poetry, but in both cases the result would be a fun time for all.
Average customer rating:
|
The Wolf in the Southwest: The Making of an Endangered Species
Manufacturer: Univ of Arizona Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Dogs
| Animal Care & Pets
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Animal Care & Pets
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Dogs & Wolves
| Animals
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Mammals
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Endangered Species
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Vanishing Lobo: The Mexican Wolf and the Southwest
ASIN: 0816507961 |
Books:
- The Yearling
- Time For Kids: Bears! (Time For Kids)
- Travels in Search of Endangered Species
- Tree Houses You Can Actually Build: A Weekend Project Book (Stiles, David R. Weekend Project Book Series.)
- Veterinary Medicine: A textbook of the diseases of cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and goats
- Water for Elephants: A Novel
- Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
- WILD ICE
- Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition
- Winter Chance: Walking in Wolf Tracks
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide
- A Mormon in the White House
- The Wizard of Oz Catalog: L. Frank Baum's Novel, Its Sequels and Their Adaptations for Stage, Televi
- Viking World: A Guide to 11th Century Scandinavia
- USS Los Angeles: The Navy's Venerable Airship and Aviation Technology
- A Game of Thrones
- Wildlife Wars: My Battle to Save Kenya's Elephants
- Handbook of Technical Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide to Analytical Methods, Trading Systems and Tec
- Supercalc: Supermodels for Business
- How to Buy the Best Phone System: Getting the Maximum Value Without Spending a Fortune
The Wolf Almanac
Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation
Of Wolves and Men
Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone
Wolves at Our Door : The Extraordinary Story of the Couple Who Lived with Wolves
