Name: Managing Water
Brand: Dorothy Green
Price: 34.95 USD
Availability: InStock

Dorothy Green

Managing Water

$34.95

Water in California is controlled, stored, delivered, and managed within a complex network of interlocking and cooperating districts and agencies. Unraveling and understanding this system is not easy. This book describes how the current system works (or doesn't work) and discusses the issues that face elected officials, water and resource managers, and the general public. Using the Los Angeles area as a microcosm of the state, environmental activist Dorothy Green gathers detailed information on its water systems and applies the lessons learned from this data statewide. A useful primer on watershed and water policy issues, this book provides reasoned, thoughtful, and insightful arguments about sustainability.

Martin L. Cody

Plants on Islands

$70.00

This thorough and meticulous study, the result of nearly a quarter-century of research, examines the island biogeography of plants on continental islands in Barkley Sound, British Columbia. Invaluable both because of its geographical setting and because of the duration of the study, Plants on Islands summarizes the diversity, dynamics, and distribution of the approximately three hundred species of plants on more than two hundred islands. Martin Cody uses his extensive data set to test various aspects of island biogeographic theory. His thoughtful analysis, constrained by taxon and region, elucidates and enhances the understanding of the biogeographic patterns and dynamics. He provides an overview of the basic theory, concepts, and analytical tools of island biogeography. Also discussed are island relaxation to lower equilibrium species numbers post-isolation, plant distributions variously limited by island area, isolation and climatic differences, adaptation to local abiotic and biotic environments within islands, and the evolution of different island phenotypes. The book concludes with a valuable consideration of equilibrium concepts and of the interplay of coexistence and competition. Certain to challenge, Plants on Islands is among the first books to critically analyze the central tenets of the theory of island biogeography.

Walter K. Dodds

Laws, Theories, and Patterns in Ecology

$34.95

Physics and chemistry are distinguished from biology by the way generalizations are codified into theories tested by observation and experimentation. Some theories have been sufficiently tested to qualify as laws. In ecology, generalizations worthy of being called theories are less common because observations and experimentation are difficult and exceptions are more common. In this book, Walter K. Dodds enumerates generalizations in ecology. Introductory material describes how the practice of science in general, and ecology specifically, yields theories and laws. Dodds also discusses why such ideas are only useful if they have predictive ability, and delineates the scope of these generalizations and the constraints that limit their application. The result is a short book that delves deeply into important ecological ideas and how they predict and provide understanding.

Bill Sharpsteen

Dirty Water

$36.95

Dirty Water is the riveting story of how Howard Bennett, a Los Angeles schoolteacher with a gift for outrageous rhetoric, fought pollution in Santa Monica Bay--and won. The story begins in 1985, when many scientists considered the bay to be one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world. The insecticide DDT covered portions of the sea floor. Los Angeles discharged partially treated sewage into its waters. Lifeguards came down with mysterious illnesses. And Howard Bennett happily swam in it every morning.

By accident, Bennett learned that Los Angeles had applied for a waiver from the Clean Water Act to continue discharging sewage into the bay. Incensed that he had been swimming in dirty water, Bennett organized oddball coalition to orchestrate stunts such as wrapping brown ribbon around LA's city hall and issuing Dirty Toilet Awards to chastise the city's administration. This is the fast-paced story of how this unusual cast of characters created an environmental movement in Los Angeles that continues to this day with the nationally recognized Heal the Bay. Character-driven, compelling, and uplifting, Dirty Water tells how even the most polluted water can be cleaned up-by ordinary people.

William L. Kahrl

Water and Power

$39.95

It is not the purpose of this work to propose a specific format for the settlement of the city's current difficulties with the valley, to resolve the environmental questions associated with Los Angeles's proposed groundwater pumping program, or to promote any cause associated with the developing situation in the Owens Valley. But by performing the essential historical task of separating what happened from what did not, and by distinguishing in this way the choices which have been made from those which have yet to be decided, it is my hope that this effort will help to establish that common basis for understanding which is essential for the debate over specific issues to proceed most effectively. This book, then, is scarcely the last word on the Owens Valley conflict: the final chapter, after all, has yet to be written.

The story that has emerged here is at once very different and more troubling than the conventional treatments of the conflict as a simplistic political morality play. Any attempt to deal with so controversial a subject, however, is almost certain to spark controversy itself. For that reason, with the exception of a small collection of private letters, this work is constructed entirely from the published documents and other materials available to the general public, anchoring the narrative in sources the reader can consult to trace the line of my argument on any point with which he or she may disagree. In addition, the work as a whole has been reviewed for technical accuracy by officials of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, although the department is in no way responsible for the content of this study or the conclusions drawn from it.

David C. Coleman

Big Ecology

$85.00

In Big Ecology, David C. Coleman documents his historically fruitful ecological collaborations in the early years of studying large ecosystems in the United States. As Coleman explains, the concept of the ecosystem—a local biological community and its interactions with its environment—has given rise to many institutions and research programs, like the National Science Foundation’s program for Long Term Ecological Research. Coleman’s insider account of this important and fascinating trend toward big science takes us from the paradigm of collaborative interdisciplinary research, starting with the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957, through the International Biological Program (IBP) of the late 1960s and early 1970s, to the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) programs of the 1980s.

Glen Martin

Game Changer

$34.95

Are conservation and protecting animals the same thing? In Game Changer, award-winning environmental reporter Glen Martin takes a fresh look at this question as it applies to Africa’s megafauna. Martin assesses the rising influence of the animal rights movement and finds that the policies championed by animal welfare groups could lead paradoxically to the elimination of the very species—including elephants and lions—that are the most cherished. In his anecdotal and highly engaging style, Martin takes readers to the heart of the conflict. He revisits the debate between conservationists, who believe that people whose lives are directly impacted by the creation of national parks and preserves should be compensated, versus those who believe that restrictive protection that forbids hunting is the most effective way to conserve wildlife and habitats. Focusing on the different approaches taken by Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia, Martin vividly shows how the world’s last great populations of wildlife have become the hostages in a fight between those who love animals and those who would save them.

Cover image for Game Changer, isbn: 9780520952058

Rick Shine

Cane Toad Wars

$34.95

In 1935, an Australian government agency imported 101 specimens of the Central and South American Cane Toad in an attempt to manage insects that were decimating sugar-cane harvests. In Australia the Cane Toad adapted and evolved with abandon, voraciously consuming native wildlife and killing predators with its lethal skin toxin. Today, hundreds of millions of Cane Toads have spread across the northern part of Australia and continue to move westward. The humble Cane Toad has become a national villain.

Cane Toad Wars chronicles the work of intrepid scientist Rick Shine, who has been documenting the toad’s ecological impact in Australia and seeking to buffer it. Despite predictions of devastation in the wake of advancing toad hordes, the author’s research reveals a more complex and nuanced story. A firsthand account of a perplexing ecological problem and an important exploration of how we measure evolutionary change and ecological resilience, this book makes an effective case for the value of long-term natural history research in informing conservation practice.

Rick Shine

Cane Toad Wars

$34.95

In 1935, an Australian government agency imported 101 specimens of the Central and South American Cane Toad in an attempt to manage insects that were decimating sugar-cane harvests. In Australia the Cane Toad adapted and evolved with abandon, voraciously consuming native wildlife and killing predators with its lethal skin toxin. Today, hundreds of millions of Cane Toads have spread across the northern part of Australia and continue to move westward. The humble Cane Toad has become a national villain.

Cane Toad Wars chronicles the work of intrepid scientist Rick Shine, who has been documenting the toad’s ecological impact in Australia and seeking to buffer it. Despite predictions of devastation in the wake of advancing toad hordes, the author’s research reveals a more complex and nuanced story. A firsthand account of a perplexing ecological problem and an important exploration of how we measure evolutionary change and ecological resilience, this book makes an effective case for the value of long-term natural history research in informing conservation practice.

Glen Martin

Game Changer

$34.95

Are conservation and protecting animals the same thing? In Game Changer, award-winning environmental reporter Glen Martin takes a fresh look at this question as it applies to Africa’s megafauna. Martin assesses the rising influence of the animal rights movement and finds that the policies championed by animal welfare groups could lead paradoxically to the elimination of the very species—including elephants and lions—that are the most cherished. In his anecdotal and highly engaging style, Martin takes readers to the heart of the conflict. He revisits the debate between conservationists, who believe that people whose lives are directly impacted by the creation of national parks and preserves should be compensated, versus those who believe that restrictive protection that forbids hunting is the most effective way to conserve wildlife and habitats. Focusing on the different approaches taken by Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia, Martin vividly shows how the world’s last great populations of wildlife have become the hostages in a fight between those who love animals and those who would save them.

Dr. Gilbert Waldbauer Dr.

How Not to Be Eaten

$24.95

All animals must eat. But who eats who, and why, or why not? Because insects outnumber and collectively outweigh all other animals combined, they comprise the largest amount of animal food available for potential consumption. How do they avoid being eaten? From masterful disguises to physical and chemical lures and traps, predatory insects have devised ingenious and bizarre methods of finding food. Equally ingenious are the means of hiding, mimicry, escape, and defense waged by prospective prey in order to stay alive. This absorbing book demonstrates that the relationship between the eaten and the eater is a central—perhaps the central—aspect of what goes on in the community of organisms. By explaining the many ways in which insects avoid becoming a meal for a predator, and the ways in which predators evade their defensive strategies, Gilbert Waldbauer conveys an essential understanding of the unrelenting coevolutionary forces at work in the world around us.

Cover image for How Not to Be Eaten, isbn: 9780520952461

Kip Will

Field Guide to California Insects

$16.95

Beautifully illustrated and approachable, this is the only California-specific, statewide book devoted to all groups of insects.

Completely revised for the first time in over 40 years, Field Guide to California Insects now includes over 600 insect species, each beautifully illustrated with color photographs. Engaging accounts focus on distinguishing features, remarkable aspects of biology, and geographical distribution in the state. An accessible and compact introduction to identifying, understanding, and appreciating these often unfamiliar and fascinating creatures, this guide covers insects that readers are likely to encounter in homes and natural areas, cities and suburbs, rural lands and wilderness. It also addresses exotic and invasive species and their impact on native plants and animals. Field Guide to California Insects remains the definitive portable reference and a captivating read for beginners as well as avid naturalists.

Cover image for Field Guide to California Insects, isbn: 9780520963573

Richard A. Bradley

Common Spiders of North America

$34.95

This stunning field guide provides a comprehensive resource for identifying and appreciating nearly 500 species of spiders.

Arachnids are among the most diverse groups of terrestrial invertebrates, yet they are among the least studied and understood. This is the most comprehensive field guide to all 68 spider families in North America, with beautiful illustrations of 469 of the most commonly encountered species. Group keys enable accurate identification by web pattern, morphology, and other observable details, and species descriptions include tips to help everyday naturalists identify spiders, as well as their common names, typical habitat, geographic distribution, and behavioral notes. A concise illustrated introduction to spider biology and anatomy explains spider relationships. Featuring 82 gorgeous color plates, this book is an accessible and detailed resource for curious naturalists who want to understand this ubiquitous and ecologically critical component of our biosphere.

Cover image for Common Spiders of North America, isbn: 9780520954502

Gilbert Waldbauer

How Not to Be Eaten

$24.95

“At times this informative book turns wonderfully gross and lovely, reminding us that there’s an entire universe of largely unnoticed creatures all around us.”—Audubon

All animals must eat. But who eats who, and why, or why not? Because insects outnumber and collectively outweigh all other animals combined, they comprise the largest amount of animal food available for potential consumption. How do they avoid being eaten? From masterful disguises to physical and chemical lures and traps, predatory insects have devised ingenious and bizarre methods of finding food. Equally ingenious are the means of hiding, mimicry, escape, and defense waged by prospective prey in order to stay alive. This absorbing book demonstrates that the relationship between the eaten and the eater is a central—perhaps the central—aspect of what goes on in the community of organisms. By explaining the many ways in which insects avoid becoming a meal for a predator, and the ways in which predators evade their defensive strategies, Gilbert Waldbauer conveys an essential understanding of the unrelenting coevolutionary forces at work in the world around us.

Gilbert Waldbauer

How Not to Be Eaten

$29.95

All animals must eat. But who eats who, and why, or why not? Because insects outnumber and collectively outweigh all other animals combined, they comprise the largest amount of animal food available for potential consumption. How do they avoid being eaten? From masterful disguises to physical and chemical lures and traps, predatory insects have devised ingenious and bizarre methods of finding food. Equally ingenious are the means of hiding, mimicry, escape, and defense waged by prospective prey in order to stay alive. This absorbing book demonstrates that the relationship between the eaten and the eater is a central—perhaps the central—aspect of what goes on in the community of organisms. By explaining the many ways in which insects avoid becoming a meal for a predator, and the ways in which predators evade their defensive strategies, Gilbert Waldbauer conveys an essential understanding of the unrelenting coevolutionary forces at work in the world around us.

Dr. Gilbert Waldbauer Dr.

Fireflies, Honey, and Silk

$23.95

The ink our ancestors wrote with, the beeswax in altar candles, the honey on our toast, the silk we wear. This enchanting book is a highly entertaining exploration of the myriad ways insects have enriched our lives–culturally, economically, and aesthetically. Entomologist and writer Gilbert Waldbauer describes in loving, colorful detail how many of the valuable products insects have given us are made, how they were discovered, and how they have been used through time and across cultures. Along the way, he takes us on a captivating ramble through many far-flung corners of history, mythology, poetry, literature, medicine, ecology, forensics, and more. Enlivened with personal anecdotes from Waldbauer's distinguished career as an entomologist, the book also describes surprising everyday encounters we all experience that were made possible by insects. From butterfly gardens and fly-fishing to insects as jewelry and sex pheromones, this is an eye-opening ode to the wonder of insects that illuminates our extraordinary and essential relationship with the natural world.

Cover image for Fireflies, Honey, and Silk, isbn: 9780520944954

Ted Beedy

Birds of the Sierra Nevada

$39.95

This beautifully illustrated and user-friendly book presents the most up-to-date information available about the natural histories of birds of the Sierra Nevada, the origins of their names, the habitats they prefer, how they communicate and interact with one another, their relative abundance, and where they occur within the region. Each species account features original illustrations by Keith Hansen.

In addition to characterizing individual species, Birds of the Sierra Nevada also describes ecological zones and bird habitats, recent trends in populations and ranges, conservation efforts, and more than 160 rare species. It also includes a glossary of terms, detailed maps, and an extensive bibliography with over 500 citations.

Cover image for Birds of the Sierra Nevada, isbn: 9780520954472

Michael McLeod

Anatomy of a Beast

$14.95

Part history, part road trip, and part biography, this is the true story of a remarkable group of men whose obsession with Bigfoot turned the giant hominid into an American icon. Award-winning journalist Michael McLeod tells of Bigfoot's rise to tabloid stardom in a fast-paced account that begins with his own journey to investigate a famous 1967 film clip of a Bigfoot in a California forest. McLeod proceeds to uncover a trail of clues reaching from the late nineteenth century, when a few ambitious, imaginative naturalists and explorers synthesized historical and indigenous folklore with Darwinian ideas and speculated that a proto-hominid "missing link" might still be alive in remote areas. That speculation would eventually inspire a colorful cast of loggers, hunters, con artists, and businessmen in the twentieth century to create the modern myth of Bigfoot, all of them angling for a piece of a monster that the media and the public still can't get enough of. Told through vividly narrated interviews and anecdotes, Anatomy of a Beast offers a unique perspective on the deep roots of counterfactual thinking—and how obsession and myth are created out of it.

Cover image for Anatomy of a Beast, isbn: 9780520943162

Jonathan Peter Balcombe

The Exultant Ark

$38.95

Nature documentaries often depict animal life as a grim struggle for survival, but this visually stunning book opens our eyes to a different, more scientifically up-to-date way of looking at the animal kingdom. In more than one hundred thirty striking images, The Exultant Ark celebrates the full range of animal experience with dramatic portraits of animal pleasure ranging from the charismatic and familiar to the obscure and bizarre. These photographs, windows onto the inner lives of pleasure seekers, show two polar bears engaged in a bout of wrestling, hoary marmots taking time for a friendly chase, Japanese macaques enjoying a soak in a hot spring, a young bull elk sticking out his tongue to catch snowflakes, and many other rewarding moments. Biologist and best-selling author Jonathan Balcombe is our guide, interpreting the images within the scientific context of what is known about animal behavior. In the end, old attitudes fall away as we gain a heightened sense of animal individuality and of the pleasures that make life worth living for all sentient beings.

Cover image for The Exultant Ark, isbn: 9780520948648

Dale Peterson

Eating Apes

$28.95

Eating Apes is an eloquent book about a disturbing secret: the looming extinction of humanity's closest relatives, the African great apes—chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas. Dale Peterson's impassioned exposé details how, with the unprecedented opening of African forests by European and Asian logging companies, the traditional consumption of wild animal meat in Central Africa has suddenly exploded in scope and impact, moving from what was recently a subsistence activity to an enormous and completely unsustainable commercial enterprise. Although the three African great apes account for only about one percent of the commercial bush meat trade, today's rate of slaughter could bring about their extinction in the next few decades. Supported by compelling color photographs by award-winning photographer Karl Ammann, Eating Apes documents the when, where, how, and why of this rapidly accelerating disaster.

Eating Apes persuasively argues that the American conservation media have failed to report the ongoing collapse of the ape population. In bringing the facts of this crisis and these impending extinctions into a single, accessible book, Peterson takes us one step closer to averting one of the most disturbing threats to our closest relatives.

Cover image for Eating Apes, isbn: 9780520938427

Rosemary Drisdelle

Parasites

$34.95

Hidden away within living tissues, parasites are all around us—and inside us. Yet, despite their unsavory characteristics, as we find in this compulsively readable book, parasites have played an enormous role in civilizations through time and around the globe. Parasites: Tales of Humanity’s Most Unwelcome Guests puts amoebae, roundworms, tapeworms, mites, and others at the center of the action as human cultures have evolved and declined. It shows their role in exploration, war, and even terrorist plots, often through an unpredictable ripple effect. It reveals them as invisible threats in our food, water, and luggage; as invaders that have shaped behaviors and taboos; and as unexpected partners in such venues as crime scene investigations. Parasites also describes their evolution and life histories and considers their significant benefits. Deftly blending the sociological with the scientific, this natural and social history of parasites looks closely at a fascinating, often disgusting group of organisms and discovers that they are in fact an integral thread in the web of life.

Cover image for Parasites, isbn: 9780520945784

Jules Evens

Introduction to California Birdlife

$15.95

In almost every location and every season, California is a birdwatchers' paradise. One can search Sierra meadows for a Great Gray Owl, the autumn estuary for a Black-bellied Plover, or spring willow thickets for the effervescent song of the Yellow Warbler. Closer to home, backyards, neighborhood parks, and cities abound with many of the state's 600-plus bird species. This beautifully illustrated book, the first based on the relationship between birds and their habitats, is the definitive introduction to California's varied birds and the lives they lead.

Introduction to California Birdlife describes the representative birds in California's seven major bioregions: ocean, seashore, coastal ranges, Central Valley, mountains and foothills, Great Basin, and deserts. It explains key relationships among weather patterns, plant communities, and the ecological rhythms of these habitats and shows how these factors relate to the distribution, behavioral adaptations, and environmental challenges of its birds.

* The perfect book for beginning and intermediate naturalists, and in-depth enough for experienced naturalists who would like to learn more about the habitat affinities, ecological niches, and seasonal cycles of California birds

* 150 color photographs bring to life many of the birds described

* Introduces the basics of avian biology

* Includes a list of all California's known bird species and a glossary of birding terms

Cover image for Introduction to California Birdlife, isbn: 9780520938175

Patrick Trotter

Cutthroat

$55.00

Cutthroat tells the full story of the genuine native trout of the American West. This new edition, thoroughly revised and updated after 20 years, synthesizes what is currently known about one of our most interesting and colorful fishes, includes much new information on its biology and ecology, asks how it has fared in the last century, and looks toward its future. In a passionate and accessibly written narrative, Patrick Trotter, fly fisher, environmental advocate, and science consultant, details the evolution, natural history, and conservation of each of the cutthroat's races and incorporates more personal reflections on the ecology and environmental history of the West's river ecosystems. The bibliography now includes what may be the most comprehensive and complete set of references available anywhere on the cutthroat trout. Written for anglers, nature lovers, environmentalists, and students, and featuring vibrant original illustrations by Joseph Tomelleri, this is an essential reference for anyone who wants to learn more about this remarkable, beautiful, and fragile western native.

Cover image for Cutthroat, isbn: 9780520934627

Elin Kelsey

Watching Giants

$29.95

Personal, anecdotal, and highly engaging, Watching Giants opens a window on a world that seems quite like our own, yet is so different that understanding it pushes the very limits of our senses. Elin Kelsey's colorful first-person account, drawing from her rich, often humorous, everyday experiences as a mother, a woman, and a scientist, takes us to the incredibly productive waters of the Gulf of California and beyond, to oceans around the world. Kelsey brings us along as she talks to leading cetacean researchers and marine ecologists about their intriguing discoveries. We encounter humpback whales that build nets from bubbles, gain a disturbing maternal perspective on the dolphin-tuna issue, uncover intimate details about whale sex, and contemplate the meaning of the complex social networks that exist in the seas. What emerges alongside these fascinating snapshots of whale culture is a dizzying sense of the tremendous speed with which we are changing the oceans' ecosystems—through overfishing, noise pollution, even real estate development. Watching Giants introduces a world of immense interconnectivity and beauty—one that is now facing imminent peril.

Cover image for Watching Giants, isbn: 9780520942219

Richard J. Adams

Field Guide to the Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States

$26.95

With over 40,000 described species, spiders have adapted to nearly every terrestrial environment across the globe. Over half of the world’s spider families live within the three contiguous Pacific Coast states—not surprising considering the wide variety of habitats, from mountain meadows and desert dunes to redwood forests and massive urban centers. This beautifully illustrated, accessible guide covers all of the families and many of the genera found along the Pacific Coast, including introduced species and common garden spiders. The author provides readers with tools for identifying many of the region’s spiders to family, and when possible, genus and species. He discusses taxonomy, distribution, and natural history as well as what is known of the habits of the spiders, the characters of families, and references to taxonomic revisions of the pertinent genera. Full-color plates for each family bring to life the incredible diversity of this ancient arachnid order.

Cover image for Field Guide to the Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States, isbn: 9780520957046

Robert C. Stebbins

Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California

$34.95

". . . encourage[s] hope and resilience in times of devastating damage."—New York Review of Books

This user-friendly guide is the only complete resource that identifies and describes all the amphibians and reptiles—salamanders, frogs and toads, lizards, snakes, and tortoises and turtles—that live in California. The species are described in richly detailed accounts that include range maps, lifelike color paintings by Robert C. Stebbins, clear drawings of various life stages including eggs, notes on natural history, and conservation status. Easy-to-use keys for every order help identify species, and informative chapters cover more general topics including evolution, habitat loss, and photography. Throughout, anecdotes and observations reveal new insights into the lives of California’s abundant but often hidden amphibians and reptiles.

Cover image for Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California, isbn: 9780520949973

John G. T. Anderson

Deep Things out of Darkness

$85.00

Natural history, the deliberate observation of the environment, is arguably the oldest science. From purely practical beginnings as a way of finding food and shelter, natural history evolved into the holistic, systematic study of plants, animals, and the landscape. Deep Things out of Darkness chronicles the rise, decline, and ultimate revival of natural history within the realms of science and public discourse. Ecologist John G. T. Anderson focuses his account on the lives and contributions of an eclectic group of men and women, from John Ray, John Muir, Charles Darwin, and Rachel Carson, who endured remarkable hardships and privations in order to learn more about their surroundings. Written in an engaging narrative style and with an extensive bibliography of primary sources, the book charts the journey of the naturalist’s endeavor from prehistory to the present, underscoring the need for natural history in an era of dynamic environmental change.

Cover image for Deep Things out of Darkness, isbn: 9780520954458

Jerry Emory

The Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide

$26.95

This is an indispensable reference to one of the most spectacular stretches of California's coastline. Beginning in the north with Point Año Nuevo and ending some 120 miles to the south at Point Sur, Jerry Emory provides a comprehensive guide to the natural, cultural, and historical riches of the greater Monterey Bay shore.

Six regional maps provide detailed information for visitors exploring by car, bike, public transportation, or on foot. Highlights of the area include the elephant seals of Año Nuevo; surfing in Santa Cruz; the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, largest marine sanctuary in the U.S.; the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium; and the breathtaking coastal mountains of Big Sur.

The coast offers beautiful beaches and dunes, excellent tidepooling and birding, glimpses of sea otters, monarch butterflies, and gray whales on their migrating paths, redwood forests and agricultural landscapes, vineyards, parklands, literary landmarks, and towns and cities to explore. Monterey Bay's human history is equally captivating and includes coastal Indians, Spanish missionaries, and Mexican rancheros.

Richly illustrated with 181 color photos, The Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide has helpful "Getting Around" sections providing public access directions and mileage and "Information" sections with useful phone numbers and website addresses.

Cover image for The Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide, isbn: 9780520922334

Dale Peterson

Giraffe Reflections

$39.95

The most comprehensive book on giraffes to appear in the last fifty years, this volume presents a magnificent portrait of a group of animals who, in spite of their legendary elegance and astonishing gentleness, may not entirely survive this century.

Dale Peterson’s text provides a natural and cultural history of the world’s tallest and second-biggest land animals, describing in detail their biology and behavior. He offers a new perspective on the giraffes’ place in our world, and argues for the stronger protection of these imposing yet endangered creatures and their elusive forest relatives, the okapis.

Some 120 stunning photographs by award-winning wildlife photographer Karl Ammann capture the grace and elegance of Giraffa camelopardalis. Both beautiful and informative, the images document giraffes’ complex interactions with each other and their environment.

Cover image for Giraffe Reflections, isbn: 9780520956964

E. W.

Mammals of California

$26.95

From river otters and minks to bobcats, pikas, and flying squirrels, California boasts a diverse and intriguing fauna. But many of these animals can be secretive, shy, and nocturnal and observing them in the wild can be difficult. During the past two decades, the first edition of this popular guide introduced thousands to California's mammals by describing techniques for recognizing their presence, and when possible, methods for watching them in their natural habitats. Mammals of California is now completely revised and updated throughout, making it an ideal companion in the field or classroom.

* Includes 144 line drawings, 143 range maps, and 18 illustrated color plates

* Gives valuable overviews of mammal evolution, biology and anatomy, natural history, and conservation

* Features an expanded and updated section on diseases harbored by wild mammals that can affect humans—including Lyme disease and Hanta virus

Cover image for Mammals of California, isbn: 9780520936737

Hans J. Peeters

Raptors of California

$16.95

Raptors—the charismatic group of birds that includes hawks, eagles, and falcons—evoke power, swiftness, and grace. Raptors, or birds of prey, gaze calmly about while at rest, exuding confidence and nobility, and, while soaring aloft, they are absolute icons of the California landscape. Featuring descriptions of every diurnal California raptor, this state-of-the-art, beautifully illustrated guide is the first to combine identification of these important birds with a comprehensive discussion of their natural history.

Raptors of California notes well-established field marks in addition to introducing several new pointers that help distinguish especially difficult species. More than a field guide, the book also includes information on raptor anatomy, foraging, reproduction, movement, where and how to observe raptors, human-raptor interactions, raptor conservation, endangered species, caring for injured hawks, falconry, and more. Of special interest is the inclusion of previously unpublished descriptions of raptor behavior and many fascinating anecdotes and vivid observations from the field that provide new insights into the lives of these captivating birds.

* Covers 27 species, with range maps for the 18 species regularly occurring in California

* 104 color figures include photographs and wash drawings illustrating habitats, anatomy, field marks, and behavior

* 12 full-page color plates show the various plumages of each species—including rarities—as well as their appearance in flight

* Highly readable and accessible, even when covering complicated topics such as flight and evolutionary adaptations

Cover image for Raptors of California, isbn: 9780520938021

Noel Snyder

Introduction to the California Condor

$23.95

The story of the California Condor—an awe-inspiring symbol of wilderness—is one of the most dramatic and contentious in conservation biology. Huge scavengers with wingspans reaching more than nine feet, Condors declined by 1985 to just nine individuals left in the wild. At that point, under a highly controversial program, the last birds were brought into captivity to create a population that could eventually be reestablished in nature. This engaging book, written by two scientists who were intimately involved with the Condor conservation effort, tells the full story of the California Condor, from the bird's evolution and biology to its captive breeding and subsequent releases, and its uncertain future. It introduces the largest soaring bird in the continental United States to a broad audience and at the same time presents an important case study of a critically endangered species.

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Condors suffered from a variety of stresses—from shooting to strychnine poisoning that was an inadvertent side effect of campaigns to exterminate wolves and grizzly bears from California. Condors also faced dramatic declines in their food supply and progressively smaller foraging habitats. But as we are now coming to understand, the most important cause of their decline was lead poisoning caused by the ingestion of the ammunition fragments often present in its carrion food supply, especially in deer that were killed, but not recovered, by hunters. Noel and Helen Snyder delineate in clear fashion the myriad issues facing the Condor today and, looking to the future, convey a measure of hope that we may still achieve viable wild populations of this magnificent denizen of the California landscape.

Cover image for Introduction to the California Condor, isbn: 9780520938182

Dale Peterson

Giraffe Reflections

$39.95

The most comprehensive book on giraffes to appear in the last fifty years, this volume presents a magnificent portrait of a group of animals who, in spite of their legendary elegance and astonishing gentleness, may not entirely survive this century.

Dale Peterson’s text provides a natural and cultural history of the world’s tallest and second-biggest land animals, describing in detail their biology and behavior. He offers a new perspective on the giraffes’ place in our world, and argues for the stronger protection of these imposing yet endangered creatures and their elusive forest relatives, the okapis.

Some 120 stunning photographs by award-winning wildlife photographer Karl Ammann capture the grace and elegance of Giraffa camelopardalis. Both beautiful and informative, the images document giraffes’ complex interactions with each other and their environment.

Ted Beedy

Birds of the Sierra Nevada

$75.00

This beautifully illustrated and user-friendly book presents the most up-to-date information available about the natural histories of birds of the Sierra Nevada, the origins of their names, the habitats they prefer, how they communicate and interact with one another, their relative abundance, and where they occur within the region. Each species account features original illustrations by Keith Hansen.

In addition to characterizing individual species, Birds of the Sierra Nevada also describes ecological zones and bird habitats, recent trends in populations and ranges, conservation efforts, and more than 160 rare species. It also includes a glossary of terms, detailed maps, and an extensive bibliography with over 500 citations.

Michael McLeod

Anatomy of a Beast

$24.95

Part history, part road trip, and part biography, this is the true story of a remarkable group of men whose obsession with Bigfoot turned the giant hominid into an American icon. Award-winning journalist Michael McLeod tells of Bigfoot's rise to tabloid stardom in a fast-paced account that begins with his own journey to investigate a famous 1967 film clip of a Bigfoot in a California forest. McLeod proceeds to uncover a trail of clues reaching from the late nineteenth century, when a few ambitious, imaginative naturalists and explorers synthesized historical and indigenous folklore with Darwinian ideas and speculated that a proto-hominid "missing link" might still be alive in remote areas. That speculation would eventually inspire a colorful cast of loggers, hunters, con artists, and businessmen in the twentieth century to create the modern myth of Bigfoot, all of them angling for a piece of a monster that the media and the public still can't get enough of. Told through vividly narrated interviews and anecdotes, Anatomy of a Beast offers a unique perspective on the deep roots of counterfactual thinking—and how obsession and myth are created out of it.

Lowell Sumner

Birds and Mammals of the Sierra Nevada

$32.95

Birds and Mammals of the Sierra Nevada chronicles decades of ecological and zoological research conducted in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, tracing its origins to a 1916 expedition by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California. The book provides an in-depth account of wildlife surveys across varied ecosystems, detailing the collection and identification of specimens including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. From the early "Sequoia Survey" to expanded research conducted by renowned zoologists like Joseph S. Dixon and Adolph Murie, the volume synthesizes a wealth of field data and life-history observations. This work bridges early cross-sectional studies, such as those on Yosemite and Lassen regions, with ecological studies conducted through the mid-20th century, offering a comprehensive view of the Sierra's biodiversity and environmental dynamics.

Prepared under the auspices of the National Park Service and enriched by collaboration with scientists, park staff, and naturalists, this volume goes beyond species descriptions. It incorporates ecological insights, behavioral studies, and critical updates to nomenclature, ensuring accuracy for both professional and casual readers. The publication integrates specimen photographs, detailed accounts of fieldwork, and expertly curated data from museum collections. With contributions from notable figures in vertebrate zoology and botany, and input from dedicated park rangers, the book is an invaluable resource for understanding the rich natural heritage of the Sierra Nevada, aimed at both enhancing public knowledge and supporting future research.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1953.

Lowell Sumner and Joseph S. Dixon

Birds and Mammals of the Sierra Nevada

$55.00

Birds and Mammals of the Sierra Nevada chronicles decades of ecological and zoological research conducted in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, tracing its origins to a 1916 expedition by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California. The book provides an in-depth account of wildlife surveys across varied ecosystems, detailing the collection and identification of specimens including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. From the early "Sequoia Survey" to expanded research conducted by renowned zoologists like Joseph S. Dixon and Adolph Murie, the volume synthesizes a wealth of field data and life-history observations. This work bridges early cross-sectional studies, such as those on Yosemite and Lassen regions, with ecological studies conducted through the mid-20th century, offering a comprehensive view of the Sierra's biodiversity and environmental dynamics.

Prepared under the auspices of the National Park Service and enriched by collaboration with scientists, park staff, and naturalists, this volume goes beyond species descriptions. It incorporates ecological insights, behavioral studies, and critical updates to nomenclature, ensuring accuracy for both professional and casual readers. The publication integrates specimen photographs, detailed accounts of fieldwork, and expertly curated data from museum collections. With contributions from notable figures in vertebrate zoology and botany, and input from dedicated park rangers, the book is an invaluable resource for understanding the rich natural heritage of the Sierra Nevada, aimed at both enhancing public knowledge and supporting future research.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1953.

Lowell Sumner and Joseph S. Dixon

Birds and Mammals of the Sierra Nevada

$95.00

Birds and Mammals of the Sierra Nevada chronicles decades of ecological and zoological research conducted in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, tracing its origins to a 1916 expedition by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California. The book provides an in-depth account of wildlife surveys across varied ecosystems, detailing the collection and identification of specimens including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. From the early "Sequoia Survey" to expanded research conducted by renowned zoologists like Joseph S. Dixon and Adolph Murie, the volume synthesizes a wealth of field data and life-history observations. This work bridges early cross-sectional studies, such as those on Yosemite and Lassen regions, with ecological studies conducted through the mid-20th century, offering a comprehensive view of the Sierra's biodiversity and environmental dynamics.

Prepared under the auspices of the National Park Service and enriched by collaboration with scientists, park staff, and naturalists, this volume goes beyond species descriptions. It incorporates ecological insights, behavioral studies, and critical updates to nomenclature, ensuring accuracy for both professional and casual readers. The publication integrates specimen photographs, detailed accounts of fieldwork, and expertly curated data from museum collections. With contributions from notable figures in vertebrate zoology and botany, and input from dedicated park rangers, the book is an invaluable resource for understanding the rich natural heritage of the Sierra Nevada, aimed at both enhancing public knowledge and supporting future research.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1953.

Richard Mackay

The Atlas of Endangered Species

$29.95

With twenty percent of the earth's species facing extinction by 2030, this striking atlas brings up to date the data on those that have been lost already, those that are threatened, and those that are surviving today. Vividly illustrated with full-color maps and detailed graphics, The Atlas of Endangered Species catalogs the inhabitants of a wide variety of ecosystems, including forests, mangroves, and coral reefs. It examines the major threats to biodiversity, from loss of habitat to hunting, and describes the steps being taken toward conservation.

Copub: Myriad Editions

Karl Ammann

Elephant Reflections

$39.95

Elephant Reflections brings award-winning wildlife photographer Karl Ammann's gorgeous images together with a revelatory text by writer Dale Peterson to illuminate one of nature's greatest and most original works of art: the elephant. The photographs move from the purely aesthetic to the informative, depicting animals who are at once enigmatic, individual, mysterious, elusive, and iconic. In riveting prose, Peterson introduces the work of field scientists in Africa and explains their recent astonishing discoveries. He then explores the natural history and conservation status of African elephants and discusses the politics of ivory. Elephant Reflections is a book that could change the way the world thinks about elephants while we still have some measure of control over their fate.

George McKay, Fred Cooke, Stephen Hutchinson, Richard Vogt, and Hugh Dingle, consulting editors

The Encyclopedia of Animals

$39.95

The Encyclopedia of Animals is a lavishly illustrated, authoritative, and comprehensive exploration of the rich and intriguing world of animals. Written by an international team of specialists, spectacularly adorned with a gallery of more than 2,000 color illustrations, and supplemented with distribution maps, detailed and beautifully rendered diagrams, and some of the world's finest wildlife photographs, this volume will become the standard by which all others are measured. Each page is expertly laid out to enhance either browsing or in-depth study. Readers will find detailed coverage of all sorts of animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and invertebrates.

The Encyclopedia includes an introductory overview of animal evolution, biology, behavior, classification, habitats, and current conservation issues. An extensive encyclopedic survey of the animals follows, with special attention given to endangered and vulnerable species. All information is completely up-to-date, with the most recent scientific and conservation data.

Elegant graphics put a broad selection of information at readers' fingertips, including classification information, scientific and common names, distribution maps for all animal groups, conservation panels that focus on threatened species, accurate and detailed anatomical drawings, and illustrations of multiple species. Each section is color coded for easy identification of animal groups. Feature pages explore topics of particular interest and provide insights into animal behavior. With its expansive scope, richly detailed information, and inviting design, this will be the ideal reference for a broad range of uses.

* Completely up-to-date, with the most recent scientific information and conservation data

* A gallery of more than 2,000 illustrations

* Authoritative text contributed by a team of international specialists

* Lavish color photographs from leading wildlife photographers

* Distribution maps for all animal groups

* Detailed explanatory scientific diagrams

* Feature pages exploring topics of particular interest and providing insights into animal behavior

Rosemary Drisdelle

Parasites

$85.00

Hidden away within living tissues, parasites are all around us—and inside us. Yet, despite their unsavory characteristics, as we find in this compulsively readable book, parasites have played an enormous role in civilizations through time and around the globe. Parasites: Tales of Humanity’s Most Unwelcome Guests puts amoebae, roundworms, tapeworms, mites, and others at the center of the action as human cultures have evolved and declined. It shows their role in exploration, war, and even terrorist plots, often through an unpredictable ripple effect. It reveals them as invisible threats in our food, water, and luggage; as invaders that have shaped behaviors and taboos; and as unexpected partners in such venues as crime scene investigations. Parasites also describes their evolution and life histories and considers their significant benefits. Deftly blending the sociological with the scientific, this natural and social history of parasites looks closely at a fascinating, often disgusting group of organisms and discovers that they are in fact an integral thread in the web of life.

Hans Peeters and Pam Peeters

Raptors of California

$28.95

Raptors—the charismatic group of birds that includes hawks, eagles, and falcons—evoke power, swiftness, and grace. Raptors, or birds of prey, gaze calmly about while at rest, exuding confidence and nobility, and, while soaring aloft, they are absolute icons of the California landscape. Featuring descriptions of every diurnal California raptor, this state-of-the-art, beautifully illustrated guide is the first to combine identification of these important birds with a comprehensive discussion of their natural history.

Raptors of California notes well-established field marks in addition to introducing several new pointers that help distinguish especially difficult species. More than a field guide, the book also includes information on raptor anatomy, foraging, reproduction, movement, where and how to observe raptors, human-raptor interactions, raptor conservation, endangered species, caring for injured hawks, falconry, and more. Of special interest is the inclusion of previously unpublished descriptions of raptor behavior and many fascinating anecdotes and vivid observations from the field that provide new insights into the lives of these captivating birds.

* Covers 27 species, with range maps for the 18 species regularly occurring in California

* 104 color figures include photographs and wash drawings illustrating habitats, anatomy, field marks, and behavior

* 12 full-page color plates show the various plumages of each species—including rarities—as well as their appearance in flight

* Highly readable and accessible, even when covering complicated topics such as flight and evolutionary adaptations

Rosemary Drisdelle

Parasites

$34.95

Hidden away within living tissues, parasites are all around us—and inside us. Yet, despite their unsavory characteristics, as we find in this compulsively readable book, parasites have played an enormous role in civilizations through time and around the globe. Parasites: Tales of Humanity’s Most Unwelcome Guests puts amoebae, roundworms, tapeworms, mites, and others at the center of the action as human cultures have evolved and declined. It shows their role in exploration, war, and even terrorist plots, often through an unpredictable ripple effect. It reveals them as invisible threats in our food, water, and luggage; as invaders that have shaped behaviors and taboos; and as unexpected partners in such venues as crime scene investigations. Parasites also describes their evolution and life histories and considers their significant benefits. Deftly blending the sociological with the scientific, this natural and social history of parasites looks closely at a fascinating, often disgusting group of organisms and discovers that they are in fact an integral thread in the web of life.

Martha Holmes and Michael Gunton

Life

$39.95

Life, the spectacular companion volume to the new Discovery Channel/BBC series, tells a majestic and compelling story of survival and of the amazing behaviors animals and plants adopt to stay alive and pass their genes to a new generation. Beautifully written and illustrated with more than 300 high-definition color photographs, Life focuses on the most exciting examples of the millions of species to demonstrate the harrowing and very different challenges that all living things must overcome to prevail and to procreate. In 60 concise and captivating vignettes, intriguingly grouped in categories like Extraordinary Sea Creatures, Fabulous Fish, Irrepressible Plants, Hot-blooded Hunters, and Intellectual Primates, the authors provide the most up-to-date science. Each chapter parallels an episode of the television series, making the book a must-have addition to any interested viewer’s library. From the familiar to the rare—polar bears, Japanese snow macaques, monarch butterflies, and fish-catching bats, a mega-roost of 10 million fruit bats in Zambia, capuchin monkeys that use stone tools, marine life beneath and upon the ice of Antarctica, and tiny goby fish that climb Hawaiian waterfalls—this sumptuous volume brims with information and unforgettable images of the spectacular, the dangerous, and the bizarre.

Dale Peterson

Eating Apes

$28.95

Eating Apes is an eloquent book about a disturbing secret: the looming extinction of humanity's closest relatives, the African great apes—chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas. Dale Peterson's impassioned exposé details how, with the unprecedented opening of African forests by European and Asian logging companies, the traditional consumption of wild animal meat in Central Africa has suddenly exploded in scope and impact, moving from what was recently a subsistence activity to an enormous and completely unsustainable commercial enterprise. Although the three African great apes account for only about one percent of the commercial bush meat trade, today's rate of slaughter could bring about their extinction in the next few decades. Supported by compelling color photographs by award-winning photographer Karl Ammann, Eating Apes documents the when, where, how, and why of this rapidly accelerating disaster.

Eating Apes persuasively argues that the American conservation media have failed to report the ongoing collapse of the ape population. In bringing the facts of this crisis and these impending extinctions into a single, accessible book, Peterson takes us one step closer to averting one of the most disturbing threats to our closest relatives.

Elin Kelsey

Watching Giants

$29.95

Personal, anecdotal, and highly engaging, Watching Giants opens a window on a world that seems quite like our own, yet is so different that understanding it pushes the very limits of our senses. Elin Kelsey's colorful first-person account, drawing from her rich, often humorous, everyday experiences as a mother, a woman, and a scientist, takes us to the incredibly productive waters of the Gulf of California and beyond, to oceans around the world. Kelsey brings us along as she talks to leading cetacean researchers and marine ecologists about their intriguing discoveries. We encounter humpback whales that build nets from bubbles, gain a disturbing maternal perspective on the dolphin-tuna issue, uncover intimate details about whale sex, and contemplate the meaning of the complex social networks that exist in the seas. What emerges alongside these fascinating snapshots of whale culture is a dizzying sense of the tremendous speed with which we are changing the oceans' ecosystems—through overfishing, noise pollution, even real estate development. Watching Giants introduces a world of immense interconnectivity and beauty—one that is now facing imminent peril.

Text by Jules Evens, Photographs by Ian Tait

Introduction to California Birdlife

$26.95

In almost every location and every season, California is a birdwatchers' paradise. One can search Sierra meadows for a Great Gray Owl, the autumn estuary for a Black-bellied Plover, or spring willow thickets for the effervescent song of the Yellow Warbler. Closer to home, backyards, neighborhood parks, and cities abound with many of the state's 600-plus bird species. This beautifully illustrated book, the first based on the relationship between birds and their habitats, is the definitive introduction to California's varied birds and the lives they lead.

Introduction to California Birdlife describes the representative birds in California's seven major bioregions: ocean, seashore, coastal ranges, Central Valley, mountains and foothills, Great Basin, and deserts. It explains key relationships among weather patterns, plant communities, and the ecological rhythms of these habitats and shows how these factors relate to the distribution, behavioral adaptations, and environmental challenges of its birds.

* The perfect book for beginning and intermediate naturalists, and in-depth enough for experienced naturalists who would like to learn more about the habitat affinities, ecological niches, and seasonal cycles of California birds

* 150 color photographs bring to life many of the birds described

* Introduces the basics of avian biology

* Includes a list of all California's known bird species and a glossary of birding terms