environment

“There would be days and days when the air was alive with them, hardly a break occurring in a flock for half a day at a time. Flocks stretched as far as a person could see, one tier above another. I think it would be safe to say that millions could have been seen at the same time.” (The Passenger Pigeon, Chapter XI: Recollections of "Old Timers" pg 123)

This book is about the global ecological impacts from the natural resources industries. It contains a collection of papers on topics ranging from the importance of biodiversity to best practices according to industry experts. The book promotes the goals of conservation and sustainable development through collaboration and cooperation. One chapter discusses the Camp Caiman Gold Project in French Guiana. This case study shows how a local community worked with non-government organizations (NGOs) to bring environmental problems to the government.

Scientists have named the most recent geological time period the “Anthropocene" (age of humans). A majority of scientists now believe humans are altering various earth system processes—including our weather patterns. This very readable book argues that climate change and global warming affect us all. The book also offers information on how we can participate in solving this problem. Chapter 11 tells the story of the golden toad in the Monteverde cloud forest reserve in Costa Rica.

Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs)—a socio-biological term—are large (≥200,000 km²) regions of the world's oceans tied to coastal areas and related to “Exclusive Economic Zones” (EEZs). LMEs include the river basins and estuaries that feed into a coastal area and extend out to the continental shelf and beyond, to the edges of deep open water. Ninety-five percent of the biomass yields from oceans are produced within or near EEZs. To keep our oceans healthy, it is important to manage and conserve these areas of our planet properly.

This book is a narrative of the author’s 1971-1972 survey of nesting raptors in the eastern Colorado prairie. Species observed included golden eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons. The majority of the book describes the behaviors of these birds in their natural habitats, but it also includes anecdotes involving a few native reptiles, small mammals, and other non-raptor bird species. The author presents an optimistic view of the future of raptor-human interaction with proper conservation methods. The book is beautifully illustrated with drawings by Robert Katona, a self-taught artist.

Grazing. Fire. Water. All issues important out West, all issues pertinent to rangeland ecology and management, and all addressed in this comprehensive book. For scientists who study natural processes, such as the research staff at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (where this book resides), there is much to be learned from this text. Deer, insects, and other herbivores graze, and grazing has impacts on plant physiology and morphology, energy flow through ecosystems, and other ecosystem effects. Fire and water also profoundly shape both managed and natural systems.