Environment and Nature Books

This book explores what happens if you take envrionmental zeal to the extreme, while also laying out the reasons why caring for the earth is a critical concern. The author is looking for a middle way between thoughtless corporate resource extraction and armed assaults by protectors of nature. His story is about a local Sierra Club president and loner, who, based on the evidence available, decides to shoot 32 cows grazing on public land in New Mexico in an effort to rid the landscape of exotic species. Mr. Baker explores the literary and societal roots of environmental activism and the development of the view of "nature" prevalent in our society. There are so many actions being taken today that reflect the conflict between our consumer culture and the preservation of the natural world. Deciding how resources are to be used is essential to our survivial and this book looks very closely and very critically at the issue. It is a mind opener, and could certainly offend true believers on both sides. A must read for our times.

This book about environmental decision making in governmental and private organizations presents over hundred and fifty tools, divided in eight functional categories, for identifying environmental values, characterizing the environmental, regulatory and judicial settings, understanding the socioeconomic and political settings, integrating geographic information, forecasting, assessing, refining and narrowing of options and post-decision assessment.

Each tool is defined, its use, its strengths and weaknesses are presented. Sidebars give practical examples. And the future needs for decision-aiding tools and their developments are discussed. Each chapter has been written by an expert. Key resources and detailed references are given. And after each chapter a decision-maker comments on the presentation of the expert.

This book is not only about tools, it's also about sound environmental decision making processes. The editors say it is addressed to all participants in environmental decision making. But I believe it is most welcome for people who have to prepare decisions, and not directly the decision-makers them-selves (it is to technical).

Even if you are a senior consultant, you will discover new tools and new processes to help prepare environmental decisions. It is not possible to be an expert in the use of all this tools, but having a good overview of all the possible tools and a general understanding the process of environmental decision making is essential. This book should definitely be part of the top 10 books for environmental consultants.

After reading this book and use it as a reference book for my research I found that is a comprehensive review about ecotourism in protected areas, written by an expert with many years of experience worlwide. No doubt that it could be a reference book to any person either new or with experience in the field. It covers not only the basics, but different aspects related to design, marketing and planning, among others. It's a most in any library.

This book is a comprehensive look at current knowledge and methods used in a booming field. This is only the second book of its kind, and does a wonderful job of presenting ideas clearly to those just starting out in the field or to professionals. It is not a casual read, but if you are looking for a scientific reference, this book is for you.

This book is great, we just got if from our local library, and my son 2 1/2 loves it! The illustrations are amazingly well done and the story is the perfect length for young ears. This book also has a place to store the CD so it's easy to keep track of. I would love to check out the rest of this series!

This may be Skutch's last book--the culmination of seven decades of careful observation of hundreds of bird species. Here he has selected some very interesting neotropicals and offers his own detailed, thoughtful insights into their habits, often citing other sources to round out the reader's appreciation of his subjects. His narrative style is objective yet personal--spoken as though he were standing right next to you while birding together. This book deserves a place in your library. It is a wonderful reference source as well as a good read. Skutch is truly a master and this is another important contribution to his body of excellent work.

The recent proliferation of books on tropical ecology is a goodthing, but it might make it difficult to decide which books toread. I've read almost all the books on tropical ecology and taughtseveral tropical ecology courses, and this is the best work I've seenyet. It is definitely not a text book and should not be used as such,but it covers all the major issues in tropical ecology while focusingon one of the best studied neotropical ecosystems: Barro ColoradoIsland. I recommend this book to anyone interested in tropicalecology.

"I cannot speak too highly of this book- the overall standard of presentation and production is excellent. It should be on the reading list of all university biology and environmental science courses, since it is the products of such courses who must deal with the major challenge facing our own species in the next 50 years: the sensible stewardship of the remaining forests. It also merits a place in school libraries, and will serve to provide a wealth of information to the concerned later day reader who seeks accesible, up-to-date information on the complexities of forest conservation."
-reviewed by Barry Meatyard

In this the third book of the Rooter & Snuffle raccoon series, Soffe gives us three more delightful short tales, each with an important message.

In "My True Friends," Rooter falls under the bad influence of Twitcher, the bully rabbit, and turns his back on his friends. Fortunately, this new attitude of his doesn't last long and he's able to realize what a true friend means. More importantly, he does something about it.

In "The Pity Party," Little Snuffle is feeling sorry for himself--is having, in fact, a pity party. Luckily, Rooter makes up a new game to help his little raccoon brother regain his confidence. Rooter reminds him that we all have our special gifts, we just have to find what those gifts are.

In "Yes We Can," Mrs. Quackers the duck is in serious trouble, and it's up to Rooter and Snuffle to help her and her baby ducklings. When they don't succeed, however, they must get the help of Slappy Beaver. As it turns out, it was a piece of garbage what almost killed the mother duck. This story teaches how we can protect wild animals from getting hurt by simply throwing the garbage in a can instead of leaving it everywhere for creatures to find. It is a story that teaches responsibility and a love and respect for animals.

Whenever I read the words "Rooter & Snuffle", I know I'm in for a good time. I have read all of the books in this series and enjoyed them all. What I like most about this author is that she teaches Christian values without being 'preachy'. The short tales are fun and engaging, and Collier's bright illustrations a symphony of colors on the pages. The expressions on the animal faces are just darling, transmitting their emotions to the reader. If you have young children (3 & up), I can whole-heartedly recommend this series!

--Mayra Calvani, Midwest Book Review

This book brings back many memories of my visits to Canyon De Chelly. The poetry and prose are descriptive of the feel of the area and the thoughts and emotions they generate. The photos are very nicely done and arranged.

They both give you a brief glimpse into the grandeur, charm, depth, majesty, sorrow, resiliency and soul of this amazing place and its inhabitants ancient and modern.

After the Grand Canyon, Canyon De Chelly is the place I most often recommend to visitors to Arizona. If you cannot visit Canyon De Chelly, I suggest getting this book. If you have been there, this book would make a great memento.