Wildlife Books

This book has become an invaluable reference around our office...for the engineers, landscape architect and directors. The book covers a range of useful topics, from design basics (including relevant modeling formulas), pricing estimates, integration information for planners, citizens and regulators, wetland ecology background notes, landscaping ideas and wonderful examples of systems that the authors themselves have designed and installed.

The book highlights the benefits of wetlands often overlooked or undervalued in other engineering-oriented texts - wildlife habitat creation, aesthetics, water recharge, etc.

Since the book was writen by a landscape architect and an engineer, two visionary pioneers in their fields, it covers a lot of useful ground.

I highly recommend Corridor Ecology for anyone who is interested in corridors, land fragmentation, and species conservation. It is the most comprehensive literature I have come across in terms of the role of corridors, corridor design and implementation. As a current graduate student working on a corridor project, this book has been incredibly helpful in planning my field work in ground truthing Least-Cost path corridors. Especially the chapter, Corridor Quality: Continuity, Composition, and Dimension. It has really helped me understand better how to evaluate potential corridors. My advisor has been so impressed with the book that she is going to order some for the library and a biodiversity center that is being set up at campus. I also feel that this would be an excellent text for conservation courses as it covers issues such as metapopulation theory, edge effects and focal species considerations. The book also covers issues and potential problems that need to be dealt with when designing a corridor, which is very valuable. I also think this would be a excellent source for land management agencies and the Department of Transportation to utilize. The authors do an excellent job in bringing together all aspect of corridor ecology by utilizing the most current literature, valuable study cases along with their incredible field and research experience.

Tanya Diamond
M.S. Candidate
San Jose State University

I have read this book to my 5 year old daughter, and we both loved it. The book was filled with facts on cranes which made for great discussions. It also had very good grammer which seems harder to find in a children's book. We love it and encourage others to read it.

For a short time, I interned with the editor, Dr. Ellis. He is quite the crane expert and has a way with words that keeps a person interested. The book is filled with pictures and diagrams of all the kinds of cranes in the world. It also shares details on how cranes are cared for in captive breeding programs, such as the one at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland. I am not a bird expert, but the book was very easy to read and I enjoyed all of the diagrams and photos. Although this is not a book for pleasure reading, it is extremely informative and makes a great resource for any novice or expert ornithologist.

Jack Boudreau grew up in the central BC lumber town of Penny, which is located along the Canadian National Railway line that runs through the Fraser valley in central B.C. He was regaled as a youth with stories of the guides, trappers, settlers, prospectors and others who tried to make this inhospitable wilderness their home during the beginning of the twentieth century. He decided that these stories were too valuable to let disappear with the passing of the original taletellers and began to record their stories. After several decades of collecting data from/about these individuals, Jack has done an excellent job of consolidating the best of their stories in this pleasurably readable collection. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in outdoor adventures. The wondrous thing is that the stories are true and these robust individuals actually went through trials that the contemporary reader might find incredible.

I may be a biased reviewer in that, J. Boudreau is my mother's brother and I also grew up listening to a few of the tales depicted in this book. I can guarantee that once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down until it's finished. In my case, I read it several times. This book is worth every penny and will bring you much pleasure.

This is the "BEST" gardening book around. It changed my life.... and my garden! I definitely recommend this to all the garden lovers out there in the world! Sherry, you have inspired me to write a book of my own! Thank you! And happy writing/gardening!

Henry Horenstein, who teaches photography at the Rhode Island School of Design and who has authored books on everything from color theory to horse-racing, offers us a wordless 80-page portfolio that will simply take your breath away. These are black and white "portraits of all manner of living things, made in zoos, aquaria and in the wild, shot on Agfa's wonderfully lush Scala black and white slide film, then translated into equally lush Ilfochrome, or on occasion, platinum prints. These, in turn, were printed in tritone to maintain the wide range of tone in the originals. You never have seen creatures portrayed like this, or in such wonderful juxtaposition: the graceful feathers of a flamingo in close-up on the left; a seemingly identical image on the right--only it is an overhead view of a school of carp. If Horenstein had relied only on closeups of hides or feathers, or on tortured abstracts, I would not be so ecstatic about this work. But he manages to capture the "animalness" of each creature while bringing a fresh perspective to it. Only the wildlife photographs of Frans Lanting have affected me as much. --Frank Van Riper, photography columnist, the Washington Post

Richard du Toit and Peter Apps, photographer and author of Creatures of Habit show intriguing insight in presenting the beguiling beauty and sometimes bizaare behaviour of curious African creatures. This is not just a reference book, it is a wonderful winding adventure through the African bush. It combines the charm of the charismatic mega fauna, (lion leopard elephants etc.)with the wonder of the often ignored, smaller superstars of the savannah scapes. Peter Apps writing is accessible and authoratative and he gives new insights into the private lives of many facinating creatures. The real cudos however, undoubtably go to Richard du Toit who must be one of the finest wildlife photographers working today. His pictures are fresh and inspiring and he manages to capture behavioural moments that regularly escape the eye of even the most experienced photographers. Richard shows an intimate understanding and clear passion for bushveld beasts. Perhaps the greatest thing about his pictures is that he never overlooks the little guys who invariably add originality and interest to every frame. Creatures of Habit is both informative and highly original. Top marks to Richard du Toit and Peter Apps!

This book shows Florida at its natural best, with an insider's look at some of the state's most beautiful waterways. As a Florida native, I found the book especially enjoyable - as it shows images of things that are disappearing all too fast. Even those who have never seen sights such as those Bertolaet reveals will enjoy the beauty of his photographs. The images draw the viewer into each scene, and it's easy to imagine the call of birds, whisper of the wind through branches or the murmur of water moving swiftly past. The writing is entertaining and easy to read, while also offering food for thought about the natural world and man's relationship to it.

The Critter Control Handbook: Pro Secrets For Stopping Sneaky Squirrels & Other Crafty Critters In Their Tracks by Dan "The Critter Man" Hershey is the testimony of an expert with 20 years of experience as a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Officer. Individual chapters address how to identify a creature control problem, evaluating whether or not a contractor is necessary, and a wide variety of means to keep animals at bay from fencing and repellents to lethal traps and hunting. Of particular interest is the lengthy and informative section devoted to a long list of pest animals ranging from bees and wasps to squirrels and woodchucks. If you have a problem with nuisance creatures, The Critter Control Handbook is a "must" to learn about practical, effective (and sometimes surprising) solutions!