Best of
Earth

2011

Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast


Michael Wojtech - 2011
    Chapters on the structure and ecology of tree bark, descriptions of bark appearance, an easy-to-use identification key, and supplemental information on non-bark characteristics—all enhanced by over 450 photographs, illustrations, and maps—will show you how to distinguish the textures, shapes, and colors of bark to recognize various tree species, and also understand why these traits evolved. Whether you’re a professional naturalist or a parent leading a family hike, Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast is your essential guide to the region’s 67 native and naturalized tree species.

Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes


Rebecca Burgess - 2011
    As more and more crafters are discovering, dyeing your own fabric can yield gorgeous colors. Now master dyer Rebecca Burgess identifies 36 plants that will yield beautiful natural shades and shows how easy it is to make the dyes. Pokeweed creates a vibrant magenta, while a range of soft lavender shades is created from elderberries; indigo yields a bright blue, and coyote brush creates stunning sunny yellows.Gathering Color explains where to find these plants in the wild (and for those that can be grown in your backyard, how to nurture them) and the best time and way to harvest them; maps show the range of each plant in the United States and Canada. For the dyeing itself, Burgess describes the simple equipment needed and provides a master dye recipe. The book is organized seasonally; as an added bonus, each section contains a knitting project using wools colored with dyes from plants harvested during that time of the year. With breathtaking color photographs by Paige Green throughout, Gathering Color is an essential guide to this growing field, for crafters and DIYers; for ecologists and botanists; and for artists, textile designers, and art students.

Legacy of the Gods: The Origin of Places of Power and the Quest to Transform the Human Soul


Freddy Silva - 2011
    NOTE: This title is now replaced by the author's version, The Divine Blueprint: Temples, Power Places, and the Global Plan to Shape the Human Soul.Can a temple transform a person into an extraordinary being?In this ground-breaking book, researcher and best-selling author Freddy Silva explores the origin of sacred sites and discovers that behind ancient temples lies a secret, spiritual technology whose roots lie with a race that survived a global flood in 9703 BC.According to surviving texts, groups of sages set out to “rebuild the former mansions of the gods” by creating a vast, interconnected network of power places on the Earth’s hotspots of energy — temples that would serve as self-help centers for future generations.Based on solid evidence, this original work reveals how a measurable energy in these sacred sites is capable of inducing altered states, essentially validating ancient accounts which describe such portals as living intermediaries between matter and spirit that serve to “transform men into gods.”And what’s more, these portals are still working.From Stonehenge and the sacred places of Egypt, to India, the Americas, Pacific islands and the Far East, it is a 17,000-year journey of levitating stones, underwater “cities of knowledge,” 15-foot tall gods, and the secret esoteric groups who’ve kept their single-minded vision alive throughout recent history. The aim? The spiritual transformation of every person on Earth.

Before We Leave You: Messages from the Great Whales and the Dolphin Beings


Patricia Cori - 2011
    A community of Cetaceans—“a choir of whales and dolphins,” as she describes it—interrupted her talk with a frantic plea for help. Cori was suddenly witness to a devastating scene of suffering, a communal grieving of scores of whales and dolphins “frenzied, lost, and dying.” This was the first of several terrifying calls for help, all of which were immediately followed by mass suicide events as these majestic creatures collectively chose to leave us and our planet.   These troubling incidents evolved into the stream of messages for humanity that Cori reveals in this extremely timely work. The whales and dolphins present their deep understanding of our urgent global situation, calling for the human race to restore balance to our ecosystems—especially our dying oceans. For the first time, we read the communications of the Cetaceans and their story of devotion and celebration of life on the Great Planet Earth. We are also given a glimpse of their role in the unfolding of galactic events throughout our solar system, and the message is clear: We must wake up and realize that our continued abuse of the environment is altering the course of Gaia’s progression to the next dimension. Without the whale and dolphin song—without these musicians who hold the oceans in balance—we risk our advancement through the ascension process for which our entire solar system is destined. Before We Leave You is a roadmap to that higher future and a pathway to global transformation.   As a special gift, eighteen full-color, detachable Cetacean meditation cards, formed from wavelet graphs of whale and dolphin sounds and encoded with messages of love and visions for peace, are included.

Ocean Drifters: A Secret World Beneath the Waves


Richard R. Kirby - 2011
    These microscopic algae and the tiny animals that eat them float freely in the sunlit surface of the sea, where they underpin the whole marine food chain, provide the world with oxygen, and play an essential role in the global carbon cycle. Richard Kirby's high-magnification photographs and informative text bring out the beauty and variety of forms in the plankton, and explain how global change and rising sea temperatures are affecting this complex world with ramifications for the ecology of our entire planet.

The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia


David Burnie - 2011
    Written by an award-winning author, The Kingfisher Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia spans the earth from pole to pole, covering 2,000 animals from the tiniest protozoan to the mightiest mammal. Each entry describes the animal's characteristics, behavior and distribution, and gives Latin names. The meticulously researched information is highlighted by clear, authoritative writing and more than 1,000 photographs and illustrations. Throughout the book, special feature panels focus on various aspects of animal behavior such as camouflage, migration, and hibernation. With comprehensive back-matter including a glossary, alternative name index, and general index, this one-stop reference is perfect for research or for browsing by animal-lovers of all ages.

Awakening the Planetary Mind: Beyond the Trauma of the Past to a New Era of Creativity


Barbara Hand Clow - 2011
    Examining legendary cataclysms--such as the fall of Atlantis and the biblical Flood--and the mounting geological and archaeological evidence that many of these mythic catastrophes were actual events, she reveals the existence of a highly advanced global maritime culture that disappeared amid great earth changes and rising seas 14,000 to 11,500 years ago, nearly causing our species’ extinction and leaving humanity’s collective psyche deeply scarred. Tracing humanity’s reemergence after these prehistoric catastrophes, Clow explains how these events in the deep past influence our consciousness today. Guided by Carl Johan Calleman’s analysis of the Mayan Calendar, she reveals that as the Earth’s 26,000-year precessional cycle shifts, our evolution is accelerating to prepare us for a new age of harmony and peace. She explains how we are beginning a collective healing as ancient memories of prehistory awaken in our minds and release our unprocessed fear. Passed from generation to generation, this fear has been responsible for our constant expectations of apocalypse. She shows that by remembering and moving beyond the trauma of our long lost past, we bring the era of cataclysms to an end and cross the threshold into a time of extraordinary creative activity.

Trust in the Land: New Directions in Tribal Conservation


Beth Rose Middleton - 2011
    The Earth says that God tells me to take care of the Indians on this earth; the Earth says to the Indians that stop on the Earth, feed them right. . . . God says feed the Indians upon the earth.” —Cayuse Chief Young Chief, Walla Walla Council of 1855 America has always been Indian land. Historically and culturally, Native Americans have had a strong appreciation for the land and what it offers. After continually struggling to hold on to their land and losing millions of acres, Native Americans still have a strong and ongoing relationship to their homelands. The land holds spiritual value and offers a way of life through fishing, farming, and hunting. It remains essential—not only for subsistence but also for cultural continuity—that Native Americans regain rights to land they were promised. Beth Rose Middleton examines new and innovative ideas concerning Native land conservancies, providing advice on land trusts, collaborations, and conservation groups. Increasingly, tribes are working to protect their access to culturally important lands by collaborating with Native and non- Native conservation movements. By using private conservation partnerships to reacquire lost land, tribes can ensure the health and sustainability of vital natural resources. In particular, tribal governments are using conservation easements and land trusts to reclaim rights to lost acreage. Through the use of these and other private conservation tools, tribes are able to protect or in some cases buy back the land that was never sold but rather was taken from them.Trust in the Land sets into motion a new wave of ideas concerning land conservation. This informative book will appeal to Native and non-Native individuals and organizations interested in protecting the land as well as environmentalists and government agencies.

Earthflight: Breathtaking Photographs from a Bird's-Eye View of the World


John Downer - 2011
    Eagle followed, for which Downer used a smaller video camera with an onboard transmitter to film a raptor's flight over the Alps. Supernatural continued the pioneering work, using a flock of greylag geese. Flock leader Buff was trained to carry a harness holding an even tinier camera, the "Goosecam," which captured amazing views from inside the flock. EarthFlight , Downer's latest film project, is a six-part series. It uses spycams, microlights, hang-gliders, miniature helicopters and wirecams to give viewers a privileged perspective of birds in flight. Whether soaring 10,000 feet high over the Sahara or skimming yards over the Great Wall of China, EarthFlight the film allows viewers to take part in the miracle of flight.Every page shows us what the birds see--winding shorelines, bustling cities, sunsets and storms, mountains, canyons and roiling seas--and the animals they encounter: pelicans diving for fish, a tiger drinking from a stream, migrating reindeer, dolphins playing, and in the desolation of the desert, a nomadic family. The book closes with a "Making of" chapter. EarthFlight truly is a bird's eye view, a pioneering work of genius and a memorable journey around the world like no other.

Mark of the Grizzly


Scott McMillion - 2011
    Sometimes grizzlies kill people, and in exceptionally rare cases they even eat them. Those incidents are the focus of this book because that's what makes bears so interesting, such a huge part of our culture and our collective imagination.