Best of
Wilderness

2005

Being Caribou


Karsten Heuer - 2005
    In April 2003, wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer and filmmaker Leanne Allison embarked on a five-month research journey to follow the 2,000-mile migration of a herd of 120,000 Porcupine Caribou, from their winter range to their calving grounds in Alaska, and back again. From Old Crow, Yukon, the Heuers followed ancient paths and the primordial rhythms of the herd through Canada and over the border to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the United States. The couple travelled on foot and by ski through unforgiving landscapes; fording swift, deadly cold rivers, as well as encountering ravenous grizzlies who tracked them as prey. Having began the expedition as seasoned outdoor adventurers, Karsten and Leanne soon learned they would only be able to find and discern the intent of the herd by adopting the ancient ways of the area's indigenous people. Advised by a Gwich'in native in Old Crow at the start of their trip to "listen to dreams", Karsten and Leanne find they must shed the many insulating layers of pragmatism that distance them from the natural world. They discover a transformational truth in listening to the music of the earth, paying attention to the urgings within dreams, and in truly, beyond their expectations, being caribou.

Pocket First Aid and Wilderness Medicine


Jim Duff - 2005
    Deals with fundamentals such as preparation, prevention, first aid kits and the use of medications and painkillers; and provides details on how to deal with a variety of accidents and illnesses. Venturing into remote areas involves a degree of risk. Minimizing these risks, while feeling confident in your ability to deal with any potential injury or illness, is part of the challenge and satisfaction of wilderness travel. This book is divided into 3 parts: Part 1. THE FUNDAMENTALS - preparation, prevention, first aid kits and the use of medications and painkillers. Part 2. ACCIDENT AND ILLNESS PROCEDURE - how to deal with any accident and illness, including emergency treatment for life-threatening situations. Part 3. PROBLEMS AND THEIR TREATMENT - specific accidents and illnesses. The authors' wilderness experience was gained as mountaineers in Scotland, Norway, the European Alps, New Zealand, the Himalayas and Antarctica.

Predatory Bureaucracy: The Extermination of Wolves and the Transformation of the West


Michael J. Robinson - 2005
    Tracking wolves from the days of the conquistadors to the present, author Michael Robinson shows that their story merges with that of the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey. This federal agency was chartered to research insects and birds but - because of various pressures - morphed into a political powerhouse dedicated to killing wolves and other wildlife.Robinson follows wolves' successful adaptation to the arrival of explorers, mountain men, and bounty hunters, through their disastrous century-long entanglement with the federal government. He shares the parallel story of the Biological Survey's rise, detailing the personal, social, geographic, and political forces that allowed it to thrive despite opposition from hunters, animal lovers, scientists, environmentalists, and presidents.Federal predator control nearly eliminated wolves throughout the United States and Mexico and radically changed American lands and wildlife populations. It undercut the livelihoods of countless homestead families in order to benefit an emerging western elite of livestock owners. The extermination of predators led to problems associated with prey overpopulation, but, as Robinson reveals, extermination and control programs still continue. Predatory Bureaucracy will fascinate readers interested in wildlife, ecosystems, agriculture, and environmental politics.