Best of
Ecology

1998

Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas


Carl Safina - 1998
    Scientist and fisherman Carl Safina takes readers on a global journey of discovery, probing for truth about the world's changing seas, deftly weaving adventure, science, and political analysis.

The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late


Thom Hartmann - 1998
    The inspiration for Leonardo DiCaprio’s web movie Global Warning, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight details what is happening to our planet, the reasons for our culture’s blind behavior, and how we can fix the problem. Thom Hartmann’s comprehensive book, originally published in 1998, has become one of the fundamental handbooks of the environmental activist movement. Now, with fresh, updated material and a focus on political activism and its effect on corporate behavior, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight helps us understand--and heal--our relationship to the world, to each other, and to our natural resources.

Medicine Stories: History, Culture and the Politics of Integrity


Aurora Levins Morales - 1998
    Drawing vibrant connections between the colonization of whole nations, the health of the mountainsides and the abuse of individual women, children and men, Medicine Stories offers the paradigm of integrity as a political model to people who hunger for a world of justice, health and love.

Alaska's Wolf Man: The 1915-55 Wilderness Adventures of Frank Glaser


Jim Rearden - 1998
    In his career he was a market hunter, trapper, roadhouse owner, professional dog team musher, and a federal predator agent. He was a legend in his own time, respected and admired for his sill as a woodsman and hunter by fellow sourdoughs and by his many Eskimo friends.

Birds of Minnesota Field Guide


Stan Tekiela - 1998
    There's no need to look through dozens of photos of birds that don't live in Minnesota. This book features 111 species of Minnesota birds, organized by color for ease of use. Do you see a yellow bird and don't know what it is? Go to the yellow section to find out. Fact-filled information, a compare feature, range maps and detailed photographs help to ensure that you positively identify the birds that you see.

Lost Woods: The Discovered Writing of Rachel Carson


Rachel Carson - 1998
    This trove of previously uncollected writings is a priceless addition to our knowledge of Rachel Carson, her affinity with the natural world, and her life.

Songs for Relinquishing the Earth


Jan Zwicky - 1998
    Winner of the 1999 Governor General's Award for Poetry and shortlisted for the 1999 Pat Lowther Award and the 1999 Dorothy Livesay Award for Poetry (BC Book Prize). SONGS FOR RELINQUISHING THE EARTH contains many poems of praise and grief for the imperiled earth drawing frequently on Jan Zwicky's experience as a musician and philosopher and on the landscapes of the prairies and rural Ontario.SONGS FOR RELINQUISHING THE EARTH was first published by the author in 1996 as a handmade book, each copy individually sewn for its reader in response to a request. It appeared between plain covers on recycled stock, with a small photo (of lavender fields) pasted into each copy. The only publicity was word of mouth.Part of Jan Zwicky's reason for having the author be the maker and distributor of the book was a desire to connect the acts of publication and publicity with the initial act of composition, to have a book whose public gestures were in keeping with the intimacy of the art. She also believed the potential audience was small enough that she could easily sew enough copies to fill requests as they came in. While succeeding in recalling poetry's public life to its roots, she was wrong about the size of that audience and her ability to keep up with demand as word spread, Hence, this facsimile edition. In publishing it, Brick Books has attempted to remain as faithful as possible to the spirit of those original gestures, while making it possible for more readers to have access to this remarkable book.

Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World


Joanna Macy - 1998
    Noted spiritual and environmental thinkers Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown contend that this crippling response to world crisis is a psychological defense mechanism that has been endemic since the years of the Cold War arms race, when we had to adapt within a single generation to the horrific possibility of nuclear holocaust.Since its publication in 1983, Joanna Macy's book, Despair and Personal Power in the Nuclear Age has sold nearly 30,000 copies and has been the primary resource for groups of men and women confronting the challenging realities of our time without succumbing to paralysis or panic. Coming Back to Life provides a much needed update and expansion of this pioneering work. At the interface between spiritual breakthrough and social action, Coming Back to Life is eloquent and compelling as well as being an inspiring and practical guide. The first third of the book discusses with extraordinary insight the angst of our era, and the pain, fear, guilt and inaction it has engendered; it then points forward to the way out of apathy, tio "the work that reconnects". The rest of the book offers both personal counsel and easy-to-use methods for working with groups in a number of ways to profoundly affect peoples' outlook and ability to act in the world.Table of ContentsForeword by Mathew Fox1. To Choose Life2. The Greatest Danger: Apatheia, The Deadening of Mind & Heart3. The Basic Miracle: Our True Nature & Power4. The Work that Reconnects5. Guiding Group Work6. Affirmation: Coming from Gratitude7. Despair Work: Owning & Honoring Our Pain for the World8. The Shift: Seeing with New Eyes9. Deep Time: Drawing on Past & Future Generations10. The Council of All Beings: Rejoining the Natural World11. Going Forth12. Meditations for Coming Back to LifeJoanna Macy has developed an international following over the course of 40 years as a speaker and workshop leader on Buddhist philosophy and the deep ecology movement

Survival Strategies: Cooperation and Conflict in Animal Societies


Raghavendra Gadagkar - 1998
    This book presents the choicest of these findings, with a remarkable wealth of insights into the myriad strategies that animals have developed to perpetuate their kind. In an irresistible style, Raghavendra Gadagkar explores the strategies of cooperation and conflict adopted by animals--from the lordly lion to the primitive wasp worker--as they choose mates, raise their young, communicate with others, and establish the division of labor necessary to feed and protect the group and safeguard their territory.Whether focusing on the birds or the bees, this book offers both superb descriptions and lucid explanations of many different behaviors encountered in the animal world: why a ground squirrel will sound an alarm--even risk its own safety--to warn fellow squirrels of impending danger; why weaver ant larvae donate silk for nest building; why house mice raise their offspring in a communal nursery; and how animals can recognize the relatives they want to favor--or avoid.Illustrated with both photographs and explanatory diagrams, this expert and inviting tour of the social world of animals will inform and charm anyone curious about the motivations behind the amazing range of activity in the animal kingdom.

Bees:


Rudolf Steiner - 1998
    He stated that, within fifty to eighty years, we would see the consequences of mechanizing the forces that had previously operated organically in the beehive. Such practices include breeding queen bees artificially.The fact that over sixty percent of the American honeybee population has died during the past ten years, and that this trend is continuing around the world, should make us aware of the importance of the issues discussed in these lectures. Steiner began this series of lectures on bees in response to a question from an audience of workers at the Goetheanum.From physical depictions of the daily activities of bees to the most elevated esoteric insights, these lectures describe the unconscious wisdom of the beehive and its connection to our experience of health, culture, and the cosmos.Bees is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the true nature of the honeybee, as well as those who wish to heal the contemporary crisis of the beehive. Bees includes an essay by David Adams, "From Queen Bee to Social Sculpture: The Artistic Alchemy of Joseph Beuys."The art and social philosophy of Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) is among the most influential of the twentieth century. He was strongly influenced by Rudolf Steiner's lectures on bees. The elemental imagery and its relationship to human society played an important role in Beuys's sculptures, drawings, installations, and performance art. Adams' essay on Beuys adds a whole new dimension to these lectures, generally considered to be directed more specifically to biodynamic methods and beekeeping.C O N T E N T SIntroduction by Gunther HaukEight Lectures by Rudolf SteinerBlackboard DrawingsAppendix" Extracts from Various LecturesAfterword by David Adams: "From Queen Bee to Social Sculpture: The Artistic Alchemy of Joseph Beuys"IndexThis volume consists of 8 lectures (of 15) from Mensch und Welt. Das Wirken des Geistes in der Natur. �ber das Wesen der Bienen (GA 351).

Solviva: How to Grow $500,000 on One Acre and Peace on Earth: Learning the Art of Living with Solar-Dynamic, Bio-Benign Design


Anna Edey - 1998
    Includes 155 color illustrations and detailed instructions to help readers towards a model of sustainability.

Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening: The Total Guide to Growing Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, and Other Edible Plants the Natural Way


J. Howard Garrett - 1998
    It describes more than 100 food plants and gives specific information on the growth habits, culture, harvest, and storage of each.

The Imperative


Alphonso Lingis - 1998
    a more compelling reading of Kant than any I have ever seen." --David Farrell KrellIn this provocative book, Alphonso Lingis argues that not only our thought is governed by an imperative, as Kant had maintained, but, rather, our sensual, sensing, perceiving, and emotional life is continually regulated by imperatives that come to us from the world around us. Through a series of phenomenological sketches drawn from life experiences, Lingis shows that there are directives in the natural world and in our interactions with others that govern our thought and behavior.

Coming Home to the Pleistocene


Paul Shepard - 1998
    Seminal works like The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game, Thinking Animals, and Nature and Madness introduced readers to new and provocative ideas about humanity and its relationship to the natural world. Throughout his long and distinguished career, Paul Shepard returned repeatedly to his guiding theme, the central tenet of his thought: that our essential human nature is a product of our genetic heritage, formed through thousands of years of evolution during the Pleistocene epoch, and that the current subversion of that Pleistocene heritage lies at the heart of today's ecological and social ills.Coming Home to the Pleistocene provides the fullest explanation of that theme. Completed just before his death in the summer of 1996, it represents the culmination of Paul Shepard's life work and constitutes the clearest, most accessible expression of his ideas. Coming Home to the Pleistocene pulls together the threads of his vision, considers new research and thinking that expands his own ideas, and integrates material within a new matrix of scientific thought that both enriches his original insights and allows them to be considered in a broader context of current intellectual controversies. In addition, the book explicitly addresses the fundamental question raised by Paul Shepard's work: What can we do to recreate a life more in tune with our genetic roots? In this book, Paul Shepard presents concrete suggestions for fostering the kinds of ecological settings and cultural practices that are optimal for human health and well-being.Coming Home to the Pleistocene is a valuable book for those familiar with the life and work of Paul Shepard, as well as for new readers seeking an accessible introduction to and overview of his thought.

Model Selection and Multi-Model Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach


Kenneth P. Burnham - 1998
    The book introduces information theoretic approaches and focuses critical attention on a priori modeling and the selection of a good approximating model that best represents the inference supported by the data. It contains several new approaches to estimating model selection uncertainty and incorporating selection uncertainty into estimates of precision. An array of examples is given to illustrate various technical issues. The text has been written for biologists and statisticians using models for making inferences from empirical data.

Salamanders of the United States and Canada


James W. Petranka - 1998
    This comprehensive volume, the first survey published since 1943, describes the ecology, evolution, biodiversity, behavior, and natural history of 127 recognized species of salamanders found in the United States and Canada, from newts and sirens to waterdogs and hellbenders. Drawing on more than 2,100 research publications, the book includes detailed life history accounts, nearly 500 color and black-and-white photographs, identification keys for larvae as well as adults, and up-to-date distribution maps.James W. Petranka presents a wealth of information on each species: identification, systematics, courtship and breeding, diet and predation, and the ecology of larval and adult stages are all described. He summarizes major patterns of geographic variation within species to emphasize differences between local and regional populations and to provide a realistic view of intraspecific life history diversity.With its comprehensive coverage and extensive references, this volume is an indispensable guide not only for herpetologists but also for teachers, naturalists, conservation biologists, environmental planners, and anyone who needs detailed information on the diverse salamander fauna of the United States and Canada.

The Blessing Seed: A Creation Myth for the New Millennium


Caitlín Matthews - 1998
    But what is their task in life? To find out, they decide to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, although God has advised them not to do so before it is ripe. When God sees what they have done, he gently explains to them that it is time for them to explore the four paths: the path of wonder, the path of emptiness, the path of making and the path of coming home. With his guidance, the Man and the Woman begins to understand their place in the world, and they set out to explore it with the song of the blessing seed in their hearts.In this beautiful transformation of the traditional Biblical creation story, Caitlin Matthews has written a modern myth that will inspire both adults and children. Alison Dexter's dramatic and exuberant illustrations celebrate the vitality and optimism of the text.

The DK Science Encyclopedia


Nigel Henbest - 1998
    A milestone in scientific learning, the acclaimed "DK Science Encyclopedia" has been rigorously updated to include new scientific advances, from the internet and CD-ROMs to fresh discoveries in space- Arranged thematically, 2,200 science topics are explained in a lively and exciting way by a brilliant team of award-winning authors- Makes science accessible to children, the book's immense scope demonstrating how science and technology affect our daily lives.

Throwim Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums and Penis Gourds


Tim Flannery - 1998
    He finds many -- from a community of giant cave bats that were supposedly extinct to the elusive black-and-white tree-kangaroo -- and along the way has a wealth of unforgettable adventures. Flannery scales cliffs, descends into caverns, and cheats death, both from disease and at the hands of the local cannibals, who wish to take revenge on his "clan" of wildlife scientists. He eventually befriends the tribespeople, who become companions in his quest and whose contributions to his research prove invaluable. In New Guinea pidgin, throwim way leg means to take the first step of a long journey. The journey in this book is a wild ride full of natural wonders and Flannery's trademark wit, a tour de force of travelogue, anthropology, and natural history.

The People Who Hugged the Trees


Erik Christian Haugaard - 1998
    Beautifully retold, the story of how Amrita saves the village trees from the woodcutters.An Environmental Folk Tale

Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening: The Total Guide to Growing Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, and Other Edible Plants the Natural Way


Howard Garrett - 1998
    You'll get nuts and bolts information on companion planting and the use of beneficial insects.

The Daughters of Development: Women in a Changing Environment


Sinith Sittirak - 1998
    It is also an attempt to rediscover and rehabilitate traditional indigenous knowledge as an important basis for empowering women and re-establishing the foundation of reciprocity in North-South dialogue. The author looks at the wreckage "progress" has wreaked on the lives of Thai sex workers and of indigenous peoples globally and contrasts this with a portrait - in words and pictures - of her own "undeveloped" mother, 'gardener, agriculturalist, cook, entertainer, tool and toy inventor and maker, traditional doctor, resources manager, energy conservationist, food scientist, home economist, sustainable developer, ecologist and environmentalist'. In exploring the possibilities for an appropriate development path, Sinith Sittirak applies the framework of a political economy of development which acknowledges the politics of identity and difference. Central to her framework is the recognition that 'development' is part of that universalizing process which imposes sameness by speaking for or naming the 'Other' and by excluding difference.

Ecological Footprint: Managing Our Biocapacity Budget


Mathis Wackernagel - 1998
    We use future resources to run the present, using more than Earth can replenish. Like any such scheme, this works for a limited time, followed by a crash.Avoiding ecological bankruptcy requires rigorous resource accounting -- a challenging task, but doable with the right tools.Ecological Footprint provides a complete introduction, covering:Footprint and biocapacity accounting Data and key findings for nations Worldwide examples including businesses, cities, and countries Strategies for creating regenerative economies Whether you're a student, business leader, future-oriented city planner, economist, or have an abiding interest in humanity's future, Footprint and biocapacity are key parameters to be reckoned with and Ecological Footprint is your essential guide.

Forest Ecology


Burton V. Barnes - 1998
    This revised edition emphasizes an earth science perspective as well as that of forest biology.

State of the World 1998: A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress Toward a Sustainable Society


Lester R. Brown - 1998
    Brown and the Worldwatch research team look at the environmental effects of continuing economic growth as the economy outgrows the earth's ecosystem. As the global economy has expanded from $5 trillion in 1997, its demands have crossed many of the earth's sustainable yield thresholds.

Trees of the Central Hardwood Forests of North America: An Identification and Cultivation Guide


Donald J. Leopold - 1998
    states and two Canadian provinces, the central hardwood forests cover a wide variety of habitats and include trees adapted to a corresponding broad range of conditions. There are 188 species of native or naturalized trees to be found in these forests. Descriptions are provided for these 188 species, plus 84 trees that are commonly planted in the region. This guide furnishes practical summer and winter keys to the genera and keys to species. Trees are carefully described, including habit, bark, twigs, buds, leaves, flowers, fruit, wood, habitat, and range - and of further help for those who wish to grow them - propagation, value both for wildlife and for landscape use, and distinctive features best for recognizing the trees and appreciating them. More than 1000 photographs are provided, 907 illustrating characteristics for ready identification and 116 in color displaying ornamental attributes. More than 200 maps and other drawings complete the illustrations.

Green Bans, Red Union: Environmental Activism and the New South Wales Builders Labourers' Federation


Meredith Burgmann - 1998
    The engrossing story of the BLF's Green Bans and how Australians were sharply polarised during the 1970s while green bans, builders' labourers and Jack Mundey became household words.

Confucianism and Ecology: The Interrelation of Heaven, Earth, and Humans


Mary Evelyn Tucker - 1998
    This second volume in the series on religions of the world and the environment includes sixteen essays that address the ecological crisis and the question of Confucianism from three perspectives: the historical describes this East Asian tradition's views of nature, social ethics, and cosmology, which may shed light on contemporary problems; a dialogical approach links Confucianism to other philosophic and religious traditions; an examination of engaged Confucianism looks at its involvement in concrete ecological issues.

Iroquois in the War of 1812


Carl Benn - 1998
    The Iroquois in the War of 1812 proves that, in fact, the Six Nations' involvement was 'too significant to ignore.'Benn explores this involvement by focusing on Iroquois diplomatic, military, and cultural history during the conflict. He looks at the Iroquois' attempts to stay out of the war, their entry into hostilities, their modes of warfare, the roles they played in different campaigns, their relationships with their allies, and the effects that the war had on their society. He also details the military and diplomatic strength of the Iroquois during the conflict, despite the serious tensions that plagued their communities.This account reveals how the British benefited more than the Americans from the contributions of their Iroquois allies, and underscores how important the Six Nations were to the successful defence of Canada. It will appeal to general readers in both Canada and the United States and will have relevance for students and scholars of military, colonial, and Native history.