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In America’s Midwest, where “wilderness” is in short supply, working to defend what’s left of Iowa’s natural resources can be both a daunting and an entertaining task. In Wildland Sentinel, Erika Billerbeck takes readers along for the ride as she and her colleagues sift through poaching investigations, chase down sex offenders in state parks, search for fugitives in wildlife areas, haul drunk boaters to jail, perform body recoveries, and face the chaos that comes with disaster response. Using an introspective personal voice, this narrative nonfiction work weaves stories of Iowa’s natural history with a cast of unforgettable characters. Wildland Sentinel touches on what it means to be a woman working in the male-dominated field of conservation law enforcement.
Assesses the health of the United States plants, animals, and ecosystems.
Lake Okoboji in northwest Iowa is the jewel of the Iowa Great Lakes. A region of wetlands formed by prairie potholes, the area is rich with lakes, sloughs, fens, creeks, prairies, and kettleholes. In this readable and beautifully illustrated volume, Michael Lannoo presents an extensive natural history of Okoboji and its cherished wetlands that examines that world of our grandparents, compares it to today's world, and extrapolates to the world of our grandchildren.
The kingsnakes and milksnakes of the Lampropeltis genus have been among the most popular snakes in terrariums for many years. Their manageable body size, bright colors and comparatively uncomplicated husbandry requirements make most species of non-venomous snakes suitable for beginners in the terrarium hobby. In the past decade, new studies have led to extensive changes in the taxonomic systematics of the king snakes. This book summarizes the currently valid taxonomy of the entire genus Lampropeltis for the first time and thus pursues the approach of promoting the hitherto reluctant acceptance of the use of the valid nomenclature. The author has kept various species of kingsnakes and milksnakes for around 30 years and provides an insight into his husbandry and breeding methods.
Lists the contents of the full two-volume report, and gives the text of the chapter on the Mississippi River from vol. 1.
This long-awaited collection of James Landenberger’s paintings of Iowa birds of prey presents thirty-two full-page, full-color species, from the common turkey vulture to the red-shouldered hawk of Mississippi River woodlands to the little northern saw-whet owl. Four naturalists who have devoted their lives to conserving wilderness habitats and species have written essays to complement the paintings. Thanks to state and federal laws and a shift in public attitude, birds of prey are no longer seen as incarnations of ferocity but as creatures superbly attuned to their lives and surroundings. Although Iowa unfortunately leads the way in the amount of wildlife habitat that has been destroyed, c...
By many accounts, the Western Flyer is the world's most famous fishing vessel. It acquired its literary and scientific reputation in 1940 when John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts chartered the vessel for a six-week expedition to Mexico s Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez. Ricketts a pioneer in the study of diverse sea life of the West Coast Steinbeck and the crew spent those weeks collecting specimens along the margins of the sea. The Western Flyer hadn't been their first choice, but the local fisherman that dominated the sardine fisheries in Monterey at the time considered Steinbeck an activist in the labor movement who wanted to unionize their boat crews. The boat itself has b...
Lost Frogs and Hot Snakes reveals the thrills and travails that herpetologists experience when working with amphibians and reptiles in the wild. With essays from fifty field biologists, this volume, edited by Martha L. Crump, presents a multifaceted yet intimate look at life in pursuit of knowledge about the natural world. From the beaches of Peru to the mountains of China, the stories in this collection place readers in the boots of field biologists as they watch, count, experiment, and survey. Some recall mishaps and misadventures—contending with leeches, dangling off a precipice while in a truck. Others tell of once-in-a-lifetime encounters—discovering a new frog species, spotting a rare snake. Together, these stories offer an understanding of what field biology is, what field biologists do, and how they go about doing it. Written with candor, warmth, and a dash of humor, the stories in Lost Frogs and Hot Snakes will encourage readers to appreciate the value of engaging with nature and of the amphibians and reptiles so critical to the vitality of our planet.
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