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Savannas are ecosytems with a continuous grass layer and scattered trees or shrubs. These lands occupy nearly a third of the earth's land surface and are an important resource not only in world economies but also as repositories of biodiversity. Because savannas are generally thought of as tropical ecosystems, most reviews of the literature have tended to disregard savannas found in temperate zones. Yet these ecosystems are both extensive and diverse in North America, ranging from longleaf pine...

An environmental history of the red rolling plains of Wichita Falls, Texas, detailing the region's past Progressive Era land ethics, water management, boom and bust oil towns, and natural resource allocation.

In a little-known area of South Texas, extending across the Rio Grande into Mexico, a mysterious, lush land once harbored mighty trees, bushes, and grasses--brushland home to a plethora of wildlife. In Adios to the Brushlands native son Arturo Longoria remembers this chapparal land of his childhood: hot summer days and frigid winter mornings walking with his grandfather or his best friend through the dense underbrush, watching birds, studying reptiles, identifying plants. Boyhood hunting and var...

A comprehensive and up-to-date overview of climate change in the Prairie provinces, along with strategies for adapting to the "new normal." The present climate crisis shows no sign of abatement. On the contrary, it is becoming more intense, and there are increasing uncertainties and fears about the outcome of the process of climate transformation. The complexity of this transformation is, to a large extent, a product of the intricate relationships between natural and social systems, both of them...

With its high plains, rolling hills, and river valleys, Kansas is home to a surprisingly diverse flora, and among these riches are the 166 species of trees, shrubs, and woody vines identified, described, and pictured in this handy guide. Expanding and updating H. A. Stephens's 1969 classic, this handbook offers full descriptions of woody plant species found in the wild in Kansas, 138 of them native. County-level distribution maps show where species have been documented, and nearly 1,000 color ph...

Restoration ecology is a vital tool to mitigate the crisis caused by the global destruction of biodiversity, one of the most powerful existential threats to future generations. Johnny Armstrong's Rescuing Biodiversity tells the story of one man's attempts to preserve a vanishing Louisiana ecosystem and restore the animal and plant species that once lived there. As a grandfather and perpetual student, Armstrong witnessed the speed at which the timber industry pillaged local landscapes, and he re...

The ubiquitous ground squirrel is one of thousands of species of animals inhabiting the diverse ecosystems found throughout the grasslands region. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies/insects and includes a map featuring prominent wildlife-viewing areas. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use b...

'Useful, practical and non-preachy' Financial Times Gender balance is first and foremost a business issue. McKinsey estimates we could add 28 trillion to global GDP if we achieved gender equality everywhere - that is more than the GDPs of the US and China combined. But it is so much more than that. Gender balance is one of the best levers we can pull to build better managers and leaders at every level, improve team performance and create better cultures where everyone can thrive.In the Penguin...

A striking and famous feature of the English landscape, Dartmoor is a beautiful place, with a sense of wildness and mystery. This book provides a new perspective on an important aspect of Dartmoor's past. Its focus is transhumance: the seasonal transfer of grazing animals to different pastures. In the Middle Ages, intensive practical use was made of Dartmoor's resources. Its extensive moorlands provided summer pasture for thousands of cattle from the Devon lowlands, which flowed in a seasonal...

More than a region on a map, North America's vast grasslands are an enduring place in the American heart. Unfolding along and beyond the Mississippi River, the tallgrass prairie has entranced and inspired its natives and newcomers as well as American artists and writers from Willa Cather to Mark Twain. The Tallgrass Prairie is a new introduction to the astonishing beauty and biodiversity of these iconic American spaces. Like a walking tour with a literate friend and expert, Cindy Crosby's Tallg...

The Greater Plains tells a new story of a region, stretching from the state of Texas to the province of Alberta, where the environments are as varied as the myriad ways people have inhabited them. These innovative essays document a complicated history of human interactions with a sometimes plentiful and sometimes foreboding landscape, from the Native Americans who first shaped the prairies with fire to twentieth-century oil regimes whose pipelines linked the region to the world. The Greater Pla...

Landscaping with native plants has encouraged gardeners from the Midwest and beyond to embark on a profound scientific, ecological, and emotional partnership with nature. Benjamin Vogt shares his expertise with prairie plants in a richly photographed guide aimed at gardeners and homeowners, making big ideas about design approachable and actionable. Step-by-step blueprints point readers to plant communities that not only support wildlife and please the eye but that rethink traditional planting an...