Booming from the Mists of Nowhere

Download Booming from the Mists of Nowhere PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609383877
Total Pages : 145 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Booming from the Mists of Nowhere by : Greg Hoch

Download or read book Booming from the Mists of Nowhere written by Greg Hoch and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2015-12 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For ten months of the year, the prairie-chicken’s drab colors allow it to disappear into the landscape. However, in April and May this grouse is one of the most outrageously flamboyant birds in North America. Competing with each other for the attention of females, males gather before dawn in an explosion of sights and sounds—“booming from the mists of nowhere,” as Aldo Leopold wrote decades ago. There’s nothing else like it, and it is perilously close to being lost. In this book, ecologist Greg Hoch shows that we can ensure that this iconic bird flourishes once again. Skillfully interweaving lyrical accounts from early settlers, hunters, and pioneer naturalists with recent scientific research on the grouse and its favored grasslands, Hoch reveals that the prairie-chicken played a key role in the American settlement of the Midwest. Many hungry pioneers regularly shot and ate the bird, as well as trapping hundreds of thousands, shipping them eastward by the trainload for coastal suppers. As a result of both hunting and habitat loss, the bird’s numbers plummeted to extinction across 90 percent of its original habitat. Iowa, whose tallgrass prairies formed the very center of the greater prairie-chicken’s range, no longer supports a native population of the bird most symbolic of prairie habitat. The steep decline in the prairie-chicken population is one of the great tragedies of twentieth-century wildlife management and agricultural practices. However, Hoch gives us reason for optimism. These birds can thrive in agriculturally productive grasslands. Careful grazing, reduced use of pesticides, well-placed wildlife corridors, planned burning, higher plant, animal, and insect diversity: these are the keys. If enough blocks of healthy grasslands are scattered over the midwestern landscape, there will be prairie-chickens—and many of their fellow creatures of the tall grasses. Farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and citizens can reverse the decline of grassland birds and insure that future generations will hear the booming of the prairie-chicken.

Booming from the Mists of Nowhere

Download Booming from the Mists of Nowhere PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609383885
Total Pages : 145 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Booming from the Mists of Nowhere by : Greg Hoch

Download or read book Booming from the Mists of Nowhere written by Greg Hoch and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For ten months of the year, the prairie-chicken’s drab colors allow it to disappear into the landscape. However, in April and May this grouse is one of the most outrageously flamboyant birds in North America. Competing with each other for the attention of females, males gather before dawn in an explosion of sights and sounds—“booming from the mists of nowhere,” as Aldo Leopold wrote decades ago. There’s nothing else like it, and it is perilously close to being lost. In this book, ecologist Greg Hoch shows that we can ensure that this iconic bird flourishes once again. Skillfully interweaving lyrical accounts from early settlers, hunters, and pioneer naturalists with recent scientific research on the grouse and its favored grasslands, Hoch reveals that the prairie-chicken played a key role in the American settlement of the Midwest. Many hungry pioneers regularly shot and ate the bird, as well as trapping hundreds of thousands, shipping them eastward by the trainload for coastal suppers. As a result of both hunting and habitat loss, the bird’s numbers plummeted to extinction across 90 percent of its original habitat. Iowa, whose tallgrass prairies formed the very center of the greater prairie-chicken’s range, no longer supports a native population of the bird most symbolic of prairie habitat. The steep decline in the prairie-chicken population is one of the great tragedies of twentieth-century wildlife management and agricultural practices. However, Hoch gives us reason for optimism. These birds can thrive in agriculturally productive grasslands. Careful grazing, reduced use of pesticides, well-placed wildlife corridors, planned burning, higher plant, animal, and insect diversity: these are the keys. If enough blocks of healthy grasslands are scattered over the midwestern landscape, there will be prairie-chickens—and many of their fellow creatures of the tall grasses. Farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and citizens can reverse the decline of grassland birds and insure that future generations will hear the booming of the prairie-chicken.

Speaking for Nature

Download Speaking for Nature PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Courier Corporation
ISBN 13 : 0486781437
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (867 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Speaking for Nature by : Paul Brooks

Download or read book Speaking for Nature written by Paul Brooks and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2014-07-16 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Narrative portraits of America's great literary naturalists offer a 200-year history of wildlife conservation: Thoreau, Burroughs, Muir, Beebe, Carson, and many others. "Brisk and illuminating." — The New York Times Book Review.

A Sand County Almanac

Download A Sand County Almanac PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0195146174
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (951 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Sand County Almanac by : Aldo Leopold

Download or read book A Sand County Almanac written by Aldo Leopold and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2001-11-15 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of nature writings by American conservationist Aldo Leopold based on his experiences and feelings while at his weekend farm along the Wisconsin River, illustrated with photographs taken at the farm over the course of a year.

The Essential Aldo Leopold

Download The Essential Aldo Leopold PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN 13 : 9780299165543
Total Pages : 390 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (655 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Essential Aldo Leopold by : Curt D. Meine

Download or read book The Essential Aldo Leopold written by Curt D. Meine and published by Univ of Wisconsin Press. This book was released on 2006-03-03 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time, the most important quotations of the great conservationist Aldo Leopold, author of A Sand County Almanac, are gathered in one volume. From conservation education to wildlife ecology, from wilderness protection to soil and water conservation, the writings of Aldo Leopold continue to have profound influence on those seeking to understand the earth and its care. Leopold biographer Curt Meine and noted conservation biologist Richard Knight have assembled this comprehensive collection of quotations from Leopold’s extensive and diverse writings, selected and organized to capture the richness and depth of the North American conservation movement. Prominent biologists, conservationists, historians, and philosophers provide introductory commentaries describing Leopold’s contributions in varied fields and reflecting upon the significance of his work today. Contributors: J. Baird Callicott David Ehrenfeld Susan L. Flader Eric T. Freyfogle Wes Jackson Paul W. Johnson Joni L. Kinsey Richard L. Knight Gary K. Meffe Curt Meine Gary Paul Nabhan Richard Nelson Bryan G. Norton David W. Orr Edwin P. Pister Donald Snow Stanley A. Temple Jack Ward Thomas Charles Wilkinson Terry Tempest Williams Donald Worster Joy B. Zedler

Ecological Restoration in the Midwest

Download Ecological Restoration in the Midwest PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 160938573X
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Ecological Restoration in the Midwest by : Christian Lenhart

Download or read book Ecological Restoration in the Midwest written by Christian Lenhart and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2018-06 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction / Christian Lenhart and Peter C. Smiley, Jr. -- Discovering the roots of ecology and ecological restoration in the Midwest /Peter C. Smiley Jr., David P. Benson, and John A. Harrington -- Midwestern theory and practices that have shaped the field of ecological restoration / Christian Lenhart, Peter C. Smiley Jr., and John Shuey -- Historical and current prairie restoration in the Midwest / Steve Glass and Daryl Smith -- Floodplain wetland restoration along the Illinois River / Michael J. Lemke, Heath M. Hagy, Andrew F. Casper, and Hua Chen -- Restoring stream ecosystems in the Midwest / Luther Aadland, Neil Haugerud, and Christian Lenhart -- Restoration of urban ecosystems / Jen Lyndall, Joe Dimisa, and Constance Hausman -- The role of restoration in a changing world : increasing ecosystem resilience and response in the face of climate change / John Shuey and Hua Chen -- Invasive species management : developing a common vision for Midwestern landscapes / Dan Shaw -- The emerging role of ecological restoration in agricultural watershed management in the Midwest / Christian Lenhart and Peter C. Smiley, Jr. -- Building on dual legacies of ecological restoration and ecosystem degradation / Peter C. Smiley Jr., Christian Lenhart, and John Shuey

With Wings Extended

Download With Wings Extended PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609386957
Total Pages : 185 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis With Wings Extended by : Greg Hoch

Download or read book With Wings Extended written by Greg Hoch and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2020-05-04 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A century ago, many people had given up on the wood duck, dooming it to extinction along with the passenger pigeon and Carolina parakeet. Today, it’s one of the most familiar and most harvested ducks in the eastern half of the country, and one of America’s great conservation success stories. In With Wings Extended, Minnesota conservationist Greg Hoch introduces readers to a duck they probably recognize but may not know well. This book shows how almost anyone can get involved in conservation and do something for wildlife beyond writing checks to conservation organizations. Hoch illustrates the complexities of wildlife and habitat management that landowners as well as state and federal wildlife agencies deal with on a daily basis, and takes readers through the life stages of what is largely considered the most beautiful duck in the world. In this fascinating and practical read, Hoch blends the historical literature about the species with modern science, and also shows how our views of conservation have changed over the last century.

A Sugar Creek Chronicle

Download A Sugar Creek Chronicle PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609383966
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Sugar Creek Chronicle by : Cornelia F. Mutel

Download or read book A Sugar Creek Chronicle written by Cornelia F. Mutel and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2010, while editing a report on the effects of climate change in Iowa, ecologist Cornelia Mutel came to grips with the magnitude and urgency of the problem. She already knew the basics: greenhouse gas emissions and global average temperatures are rising on a trajectory that could, within decades, propel us beyond far-reaching, irreversible atmospheric changes; the results could devastate the environment that enables humans to thrive. The more details she learned, the more she felt compelled to address this emerging crisis. The result is this book, an artful weaving together of the science behind rising temperatures, tumultuous weather events, and a lifetime devoted to the natural world. Climate change isn’t just about melting Arctic ice and starving polar bears. It’s weakening the web of life in our own backyards. Moving between two timelines, Mutel pairs chapters about a single year in her Iowa woodland with chapters about her life as a fledgling and then professional student of nature. Stories of her childhood ramblings in Wisconsin and the solace she found in the Colorado mountains during early adulthood are merged with accounts of global environmental dilemmas that have redefined nature during her lifespan. Interwoven chapters bring us into her woodland home to watch nature’s cycles of life during a single year, 2012, when weather records were broken time and time again. Throughout, in a straightforward manner for a concerned general audience, Mutel integrates information about the science of climate change and its dramatic alteration of the planet in ways that clarify its broad reach, profound impact, and seemingly relentless pace. It is not too late, she informs us: we can still prevent the most catastrophic changes. We can preserve a world full of biodiversity, one that supports human lives as well as those of our myriad companions on this planet. In the end, Mutel offers advice about steps we can all take to curb our own carbon emissions and strategies we can suggest to our policy-makers.

Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac & Other Writings on Conservation and Ecology

Download Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac & Other Writings on Conservation and Ecology PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Library of America
ISBN 13 : 1598532677
Total Pages : 832 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (985 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac & Other Writings on Conservation and Ecology by : Aldo Leopold

Download or read book Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac & Other Writings on Conservation and Ecology written by Aldo Leopold and published by Library of America. This book was released on 2013-03-21 with total page 832 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since his death in 1948, Aldo Leopold has been increasingly recognized as one of the indispensable figures of American environmentalism. A pioneering forester, sportsman, wildlife manager, and ecologist, he was also a gifted writer whose farsighted land ethic is proving increasingly relevant in our own time. Now, Leopold’s essential contributions to our literature––some hard-to-find or previously unpublished––are gathered in a single volume for the first time. Here is his classic A Sand County Almanac, hailed––with Thoreau’s Walden and Carson’s Silent Spring––as one of the main literary influences on the modern environmental movement. Published in 1949, it is still astonishing today: a vivid, firsthand, philosophical tour de force. Along with Sand County are more than fifty articles, essays, and lectures exploring the new complexities of ecological science and what we would now call environmental ethics. Leopold’s sharp-eyed, often humorous journals are illustrated here for the first time with his original photographs, drawings, and maps. Also unique to this collection is a selection of over 100 letters, most of them never before published, tracing his personal and professional evolution and his efforts to foster in others the love and sense of responsibility he felt for the land.

Tending Iowa’s Land

Download Tending Iowa’s Land PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609388739
Total Pages : 302 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Tending Iowa’s Land by : Cornelia F. Mutel

Download or read book Tending Iowa’s Land written by Cornelia F. Mutel and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2022-12-28 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An Introduction to Iowa's Environmental Problems is an edited volume with 17 contributors besides Connie Mutel herself-all Iowa authors who are scientific experts in the field. Geared toward course adoption in Iowa and Midwest classrooms, it will fill a need for a comprehensive, but accessible and brief overview of the environmental issues Iowa faces, and what we can do about them. Specifically, the volume breaks down the issues surrounding Iowa's land and soils, water, atmosphere, and loss of biological diversity. Teachers lack a go-to resource for explaining this topic to their students, and many Iowans remain unaware of the environmental impacts of farming. And with the new administration's focus on environmental concerns, including climate change, the timing is right to change that. At this point, Iowa can choose a route toward becoming an agricultural factory that disregards nature's sustainability and resilience, or we can steer toward a saner future that recognizes and honors our soils, climate, water, and native species. With this book, Mutel will help guide future Iowa leaders toward the latter"--

The Prairie in Seed

Download The Prairie in Seed PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609384091
Total Pages : 138 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Prairie in Seed by : Dave Williams

Download or read book The Prairie in Seed written by Dave Williams and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2016-04 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Prairie in Seed, Dave Williams shows us how to identify wildflowers when they are out of bloom and, in particular, how to harvest their seeds. Without the flower color and shape as guides, it can be difficult to identify prairie plants. Imagine trying to distinguish between a simple prairie sunflower and an ox-eye sunflower with no flowers to look at! In this richly illustrated guide, Williams offers dormant plant identification information, seed descriptions, and advice on seed harvesting and cleaning for seventy-three of the most common wildflowers found in the tallgrass prairie. He includes photographs and descriptions of the plants in bloom and in seed to assist in finding them when you are ready to harvest. Each species description explains where the seeds are located on the plant, when seed ripening begins, and how many seeds each species produces, along with a photograph and approximate measurements of the actual seed. Finally, this guide provides assistance on how and when to hand-harvest seeds for each species, as well as some simple tips on seed cleaning.

Iowa's Changing Wildlife

Download Iowa's Changing Wildlife PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609389263
Total Pages : 295 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Iowa's Changing Wildlife by : James J. Dinsmore

Download or read book Iowa's Changing Wildlife written by James J. Dinsmore and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2023-12-05 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much has changed with Iowa’s wildlife in the years 1990 to 2020. Some species such as Canada goose, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer that once were rare in Iowa are now common, and others like sandhill crane, river otter, and trumpeter swan are becoming increasingly abundant. Iowa’s Changing Wildlife provides an up-to-date, scientifically based summary of changes in the distribution, status, conservation needs, and future prospects of about sixty species of Iowa’s birds and mammals whose populations have increased or decreased in the past three decades. Readers will learn more about familiar species, become acquainted with the status of less familiar species, and find out how many of the species around them have fared during this era of transformation.

Sky Dance of the Woodcock

Download Sky Dance of the Woodcock PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609386280
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sky Dance of the Woodcock by : Greg Hoch

Download or read book Sky Dance of the Woodcock written by Greg Hoch and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2019-03-15 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Woodcock are one of the oddest birds in North America. They are a shorebird that got lost and ended up in the scrubby parts of the forest, and look like they were put together with the leftover parts of other birds. Oddities aside, each spring they rise to great beauty with their sky dance at dusk. Greg Hoch combines natural history, land management, scientific knowledge, and personal observation to examine this little game bird. Woodcock have a complex life history and the management of their habitat is also complex. The health of this bird can be considered a key indicator of what good forests look like.

The Six-Minute Memoir

Download The Six-Minute Memoir PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609388526
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Six-Minute Memoir by : Mary Helen Stefaniak

Download or read book The Six-Minute Memoir written by Mary Helen Stefaniak and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2022-10-25 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of short essays delivers more joy than many books twice its size. Culled from two decades’ worth of Mary Helen Stefaniak’s “Alive and Well” column in the Iowa Source, each essay invites readers into the ordinary life of a woman “with a family and friends and a job . . . and a series of cats and a history living in one old house after another at the turn of the twenty-first century in the middle of the Middle West.” One great aunt presides over nineteen acres of pecan grove profitably strewn with junk. A borrowed hammer rings with the sound of immortality. Famous poets pipe up where you least expect them. Living and dying are found to be two sides of the same remarkable coin. What’s more, writing prompts at the end of the book invite readers to search their own lives for such moments—the kind that could be forgotten but instead are turned, by the gift of perspective and perfectly chosen detail, into treasure. The Six-Minute Memoir encourages people to tell their own stories even if they think they don’t have the kind of story that belongs in a memoir.

To Find a Pasqueflower

Download To Find a Pasqueflower PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609388267
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis To Find a Pasqueflower by : Greg Hoch

Download or read book To Find a Pasqueflower written by Greg Hoch and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2022-05-25 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tallgrass prairie once stretched from Indiana to Kansas to Minnesota. Most of this land is now growing corn and soybeans. In To Find a Pasqueflower, Greg Hoch shows us that the tallgrass prairie is the most endangered ecosystem on the continent, but it’s also an ecosystem that people can play an active role in restoring. Hoch blends history, culture, and science into a unified narrative of the tallgrass prairie, with an emphasis on humans’ participation in its development and destruction. Hoch also demonstrates how variable and dynamic the prairie is, creating both challenges and opportunities for those who manage and restore and appreciate it.

Wildland Sentinel

Download Wildland Sentinel PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609387155
Total Pages : 230 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Wildland Sentinel by : Erika Billerbeck

Download or read book Wildland Sentinel written by Erika Billerbeck and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In America’s Midwest, where “wilderness” is in short supply, working to defend what’s left of Iowa’s natural resources can be both a daunting and an entertaining task. In Wildland Sentinel, Erika Billerbeck takes readers along for the ride as she and her colleagues sift through poaching investigations, chase down sex offenders in state parks, search for fugitives in wildlife areas, haul drunk boaters to jail, perform body recoveries, and face the chaos that comes with disaster response. Using an introspective personal voice, this narrative nonfiction work weaves stories of Iowa’s natural history with a cast of unforgettable characters. Wildland Sentinel touches on what it means to be a woman working in the male-dominated field of conservation law enforcement.

Hidden Prairie

Download Hidden Prairie PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609386949
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hidden Prairie by : Chris Helzer

Download or read book Hidden Prairie written by Chris Helzer and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2020-05-01 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chris Helzer illustrates the beauty and diversity of prairie through an impressive series of photographs, all taken within the same square meter of prairie. During his year-long project, he photographed 113 plant and animal species within a tiny plot, and captured numerous other images that document the splendor of diverse grasslands. Even readers familiar with prairies will be fascinated by the varied subject matter Helzer captured with his camera. In addition, his captivating and accessible natural history writing tells the story of his personal journey during the project and the stories of the characters he found within his chosen square meter of prairie. This book is packed with gorgeous full-page close-up photos of prairie plants and animals, interspersed with a dozen short essays that include both ecology and natural history tidbits and enthralling and gently humorous anecdotes about Helzer’s experience staring into a tiny bit of prairie for one year. Helzer writes eloquently about the conservation value of prairies and uses his photos and stories to reinforce a conservation ethic among his readers.