From a Cocoon of Love and Poverty


Book Description

This book describes Thad Box's four-part journey from sharecropping through a career as aspiring rancher, educator, resource ecologist and environmentalist. The Cocoon of Love and Poverty, explores the influence of family, traditions, the Great Depression and rocky Texas hills on his basic values. Breaking from the Cocoon, discusses the broadening world opened by military service and college education. Spreading My Wings, examines development of philosophies of learning and service. Flying Like a Butterfly, demonstrates application of those philosophies. Written primarily for family, this gripping memoir should be read by anyone concerned with the environment and social justice.







Range Research Methods


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Library Bulletin


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31-year Results in Growing Shelterbelts on the Northern Great Plains


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An Agriculture Department circular presents solutions on dealing with the proliferation of mesquite on southern Arizona range lands.




Library Bulletin


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Ecology of North America


Book Description

North America contains an incredibly diverse array of naturalenvironments, each supporting unique systems of plant and animallife. These systems, the largest of which are biomes, formintricate webs of life that have taken millennia to evolve. Thisrichly illustrated book introduces readers to this extraordinaryarray of natural communities and their subtle biological andgeological interactions. Completely revised and updated throughout, the second edition ofthis successful text takes a qualitative, intuitive approach to thesubject, beginning with an overview of essential ecological termsand concepts, such as competitive exclusion, taxa, niches, andsuccession. It then goes on to describe the major biomes andcommunities that characterize the rich biota of the continent,starting with the Tundra and continuing with Boreal Forest,Deciduous Forest, Grasslands, Deserts, Montane Forests, andTemperature Rain Forest, among others. Coastal environments,including the Laguna Madre, seagrasses, Chesapeake Bay, and barrierislands appear in a new chapter. Additionally, the book covers manyunique features such as pitcher plant bogs, muskeg, the polar icecap, the cloud forests of Mexico, and the LaBrea tar pits.“Infoboxes” have been added; these include biographiesof historical figures who provided significant contributions to thedevelopment of ecology, unique circumstances such as frogs andinsects that survive freezing, and conservation issues such asthose concerning puffins and island foxes. Throughout the text,ecological concepts are worked into the text; these includebiogeography, competitive exclusion, succession, soil formation,and the mechanics of natural selection. Ecology of North America 2e is an ideal first text forstudents interested in natural resources, environmental science,and biology, and it is a useful and attractive addition to thelibrary of anyone interested in understanding and protecting thenatural environment.




Proceedings


Book Description

The 26 papers in these proceedings are divided into five sections. The first two sections are an introduction and a plenary session that introduce the principles and role the shrub life-form in the High Plains, including the changing dynamics of shrublands and grasslands during the last four plus centuries. The remaining three sections are devoted to: fire, both prescribed fire and wildfire, in shrublands and grassland-shrubland interfaces; water and ecophysiology shrubland ecosystems; and the ecology and population biology of several shrub species.