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A naturist and historian for the National Parks Service offers a lively history of the giant sequoias of California and the love of nature they inspired. Former park ranger William C. Tweed takes readers on a tour of some of the world’s largest and oldest trees in a narrative that travels deep into the Sierra Nevada mountains, across the American West, and all the way to New Zealand. Along the way, he explores the American public's evolving relationship with sequoias, also known simply and affectionately as Big Trees. It’s no surprise that the sequoia groves of Yosemite and Calaveras were early tourist destinations. The species was the embodiment of California's superlative appeal. These giant redwoods were so beloved that special protections efforts sprang up to protect them from logging interests—and so began the notion of National Parks. Later, as science evolved to consider landscapes more holistically, sequoias once again played a major role in shaping this new perspective. Featuring a fascinating cast of adventurers, researchers, politicians, and environmentalists, King Sequoia reveals how one tree species transformed Americans' connection to the natural world.
"Uncertain Path is a must read for wilderness and parks lovers who also know that climate change must be addressed if we are to be good stewards of our natural heritage. Bill Tweed is leading us down the right trail just in time." —Carl Pope, Chairman, Sierra Club "Author and naturalist Bill Tweed, like Muir, assumed that large, wild parks and wilderness areas could protect themselves, if we just let nature run its course. But on a hike along the John Muir Trail Tweed comes to the realization that, 'Natural' processes cannot lead reliably to 'natural' results in a world where climate change, global population, and habitat fragmentation have changed the operating rules...' It is a vital les...
Beginning in 1872 with the establishment of Yellowstone, national parks were set aside to preserve for future generations the most spectacular and inspirational features of the country. The best representative examples were sought out of major ecosystems, such as Yosemite, geologic forms, such as the Grand Canyon, archaeological sites, such as Mesa Verde, and scenes of human events, such as Gettysburg. But one type of habitat--the desert--was overlooked until travel writers and the Automobile Age began to change Americans' perceptions about desert landscapes. As the National Park Service began to explore the better-known Mojave and Colorado Deserts of southern California during the 1920s for...
Granite Pathways lays out the fascinating history of the trails in the backcountry regions of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks - the twin High Sierra parks at the southern end of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. The book seeks answers to the questions of who built the trails and why.The story begins with the contributions of the Native American peoples of the region - particularly the Mono and Paiutes - and then shifts its gaze to the stories left behind by the late nineteenth century shepherds, miners, scientists, and recreationists who first explored the range and brought it to the attention of the world - individuals like Theodore Solomons, Bolton Coit Brown, and Joseph N...
"William Lilly's History of His Life and Times, from 1602 to 1681" is an autobiography of William Lilly, a seventeenth-century English astrologer. He developed the reputation of the most important astrologer in England through his social and political connections. In the book, Lilly, who predicted the Great Plague and the Great Fire, tells about his triumphs and adversities. He pays spacial attention to lawsuits and disputes, questioning the godliness of his art and the contents of his predictions, which sometimes offended or worried the publics.
In this book a team of expert academics trained in mathematics, engineering, philosophy, physical anthropology, physics, astrophysics, biology and more investigate the prospects for intelligent design. Edited by William Dembski.
Professor Leo Hershkowitz (History Department, Queens College - CUNY) does away with all of the rumor, mirrors and smoke about Boss Tweed with his fantastic research and easy-to-read text. Any student of New York City history must have this book in their collection.
In this provocative walking meditation, writer and former park ranger William Tweed takes us to California’s spectacular High Sierra to discover a new vision for our national parks as they approach their 100th anniversary. Tweed, who worked among the Sierra Nevada’s big peaks and big trees for more than thirty years, has now hiked more than 200 miles along California’s John Muir Trail in a personal search for answers: How do we address the climate change we are seeing even now—in melting glaciers in Glacier National Park, changing rainy seasons on Mt Rainer, and more fire in the West’s iconic parks. Should we intervene where we can to preserve biodiversity? Should the parks merely become ecosystem museums that exhibit famous landscapes and species? Asking how we can make these magnificent parks relevant for the next generation, Tweed, through his journey, ultimately shows why we must do just that.