Charles Darwin was a British naturalist whose theory or evolution by natural selection became the basis of modern theories of evolution. Darwin shocked the Victorians by suggesting that humans and animals shared the same ancestry. The Origin of Species is his most famous work. Darwin was aboard the Beagle in the Indian Ocean when he formulated his theory about the formation of coral reefs. Darwin theorized that coral reefs grew on sinking mountain rims. The delicate coral built up, compensating for the drowning land, so as to remain within optimal heat and lighting conditions.

This document presents the results of the first three monitoring events to track the recovery of a repaired coral reef injured by the M/V Elpis vessel grounding incident of November 11, 1989. This grounding occurred within the boundaries of what at the time was designated the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary (NMS), now designated the Key Largo NMS Existing Management Area within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). The restoration monitoring program tracks patterns of biological recovery, determines the success of restoration measures, and assesses the resiliency to environmental and anthropogenic disturbances of the site over time. To evaluate restoration success, reference habitats adjacent to the restoration site are concurrently monitored to compare the condition of restored reef areas with "natural" coral reef areas unimpacted by the vessel grounding or other injury. The monitoring program at the Elpis site includes an assessment of the structural stability of installed limestone restoration boulders, and comparison of the recovery of coral populations, to be performed on the following schedule: nine, ten, twelve, and fifteen years after restoration. Restoration of this site was completed in the summer of 1995 with monitoring planned to begin in following years. However, due to staffing and other logistical constraints, the first biological monitoring event for this site, used as a "pilot project" to establish data collection methods, was delayed until August 2004. In June and July 2005, the second monitoring event took place, and in August 2007, the third. This report presents the quantitative results of the latter two monitoring events.

"Lake Powell Tales"-an engaging and entertaining collection of personal stories that span the decades about exploring and enjoying America's most scenic lake, in the heart of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Boaters and hikers far and wide will relate to these adventures and discoveries. Share with the authors the serenity of a calm summer day. Come along on epic outings. Visit remote and amazing places. Learn of new possibilities for your next vacation. Dive down to see one of the world's largest natural bridges. Discover ancient ruins. Mingle with the wildlife. Survive a flood. Fish for lunkers. Hunt for that "perfect" boat. All this and more, as you read along and find out why Lake Powell is such an amazing place. Set amidst the sandstone in the heart of the Colorado Plateau, Lake Powell and the surrounding area contain endless adventure opportunities. Three million visitors per year all have one thing in common-their love for Lake Powell. So come with the authors, as they take you there. Experience Lake Powell, and enjoy your trip.

The Oceanic Hydrozoa is a seminal piece of marked distinction by Huxley, the eminent biologist, nicknamed Darwin's bulldog for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. This monograph, first published by the Ray Society in 1859, is a description of the Calycophoridae and Physophoridae observed whilst Huxley served as Assistant-Surgeon on the survey vessel HMS Rattlesnake in the years 1846-50. The twelve plates at the back of the book have become an invaluable record of the study of the Oceanic Hydrozoa.

The largest creatures to inhabit the Earth, whales have long inspired awe in human beings. Because they spend almost 95 percent of their time beneath the ocean surface, however, little has been known about their lives--until recently. With advances in technology and more intense study, fresh facts are coming to light about these magnificent mammals, and to be a whale watcher now, says acclaimed author and wildlife biologist Douglas Chadwick, is to have a front-row seat to stunning discoveries.
Chadwick has followed and reported on whales for more than a decade, and in "The Grandest of Lives" he offers a fascinating insider's view of modern-day scientific whale observation--from data gathering to spirited scientific debate to expedition storytelling. In detailed portraits of five whale species that represent a cross-section of the forms and lifestyles of cetaceans worldwide--the humpback, northern bottlenose, blue whale, minke whale, and orca--Chadwick moves deftly from natural history to more personal observations, clearly communicating his fondness and admiration for these mammoth masters of the sea, as well as the sheer joy of being among them.

The primary purpose of this book is to provide for identification of estuarine and coastal fishes that may be encountered by angling, seining, or trawling on the Georgia coast. Sport and commercial species are emphasized, but all groups occurring on the Continental Shelf are discussed. This book will be especially useful to ecologists who need to identify species in order to study community structure within the estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Information on habitats and seasonality will also aid scientists in collecting certain species for research projects.

Twelve months of visits to a mountain lake tells more than twelve tales. The solitude found during a Wednesday in the winter is completely different from the chaos found on a Saturday in the summer. The seasons make one set of changes. We make the other. The combination produces a much more interesting set of experiences that can't be revealed in one visit or in a page of some guidebook.

Merritt Lake hides on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, between the crest of the range that partly protects it from Pacific storms, and halfway to the deserts and cities of Central Washington. The lake is protected by Nature more than legislation, within a land that is punctuated by avalanches and forest fires. Luckily, it is even better at producing quiet, serene moments.

Nature's residents range from rodents to raptors, and from delicate flowers to massive pine forests. Most of us drop by for peacefulness, exercise, fishing, or adventure, but some build campfires while forests burn, or fire guns during busy weekends.

Get to know the fuller, richer story that so few of us take the opportunity to experience.

Collected here in this omnibus edition are Henry David Thoreau's most important works including A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers; The Selected Essays of Henry David Thoreau, including Civil Disobedience; and of course, Walden. A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers is both a remembrance of an intensely spiritual moment in Henry David Thoreau's life and a memoriam to his older brother who accompanied him on the trip shortly before his death. Full of fascinating literary musings and philosophical speculations, this book is a true precursor to Walden. The Selected Essays contains nineteen essays (including Civil Disobedience). Thoreau was one of America's best known and most influential writers. His work has helped shape the American Discourse and had a lasting effect on the environmental movement in America. Walden is one of the best-known non-fiction books ever written by an American. It details Thoreau's sojourn in a cabin near Walden Pond, amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson. Walden was written with expressed seasonal divisions. Thoreau hoped to isolate himself from society in order to gain a more objective understanding of it. Simplicity and self-reliance were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by Transcendentalist philosophy. This book is full of fascinating musings and reflections. As pertinent and relevant today as it was when it was first written.

Pete the green sea turtle begins his morning floating in the endless, blue ocean. But this day in the warm, life-giving heat of the Florida sun will end in crippling tragedy. A passing boat strikes Pete, and his days of swimming free in the open ocean now appear to be over forever. How will Pete survive the life-threatening injuries he has sustained?

"A Home for Nickel" is the true story of a lovable green sea turtle's struggle for survival and the people who make it happen. After Pete is rescued from impending death, his story stretches across the continent from the Florida Keys to Hawaii, Canada, and Chicago, Illinois. Throughout Pete's journey, Jim Gamlin shares fascinating tidbits about turtles and the people who love them. This rich text is a moving tribute to those who care for nature, and how nature cares for them in return.

Join Pete as he begins his life buried under the sand, rushes to the ocean, and launches into his incredible journey. The chain of events that happen next are serendipitous and miraculous. Get ready to be inspired by this amazing shelled survivor.

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Philip Henry Gosse (1810-1888) was an early naturalist and popular writer, bringing creation to life, whether a large creature or small. A Christian, he pointed to characters that reflected the Creator's guiding hand, and as naturalist, he described these organisms in accurate detail. Thirty-six full color plates, illustrated by Gosse himself, are included in this reprint of British marine life.

Self-described as half-teacher, half-naturalist, Dr. Kenneth S. Norris is one of the world s foremost authorities on whales and dolphins, those most appealing creatures with whom we share the planet. Focusing on the spinner dolphins off Hawaii, Norris carries us through his earliest contacts with these graceful animals (including work with Gregory Bateson), his attempts with teams of students to learn about their complex lives in the sea, and finally to the tragic dolphin kill in the yellowfin tuna industry."

On a hot summer's day there could be no quicker transport to the seaside than Trevor Norton's cool and entrancing account of a lifetime's adventures under or near the water. Norton's eye for the bizarre, amazing, and beautiful inhabitants of the oceans, and the eccentric characters who work, study, and live by the shore make his book a wonder-filled experience. An intrepid diver and distinguished scientist, Norton's writing is self-deprecating, very funny, and full of wry and intriguing anecdotes; he is an unfailingly delightful companion. Whether his setting is a bed of jewel anemones in an Irish lough, a giant California cavern shared with sea lions, a mildewed research station, or the glittering coral gardens of Sharm el Sheikh, his captivating prose always finds the mark. Sometimes following the shoreline with earlier beachcombers such as Darwin, John Steinbeck, and George Orwell, Norton also takes the reader to depths where the shapes of creatures living without sunlight defy imagination. Admirers of the gorgeous detail of Rachel Carson's "The Sea Around Us" will revel in Norton's writing, his observations, and irreverent wit.

Through quiet meadows, rolling hills, leafy suburbia, industrial sites, and a changing London riverside, Mick Sinclair tracks the Thames from source to sea, documenting internationally-known landmarks such as Tower Bridge and Windsor Castle and revealing lesser known features such as Godstow Abbey, Canvey Island, the Sanford Lasher, and George Orwell's tranquil grave.

Rivers under Siege is a wrenching firsthand account of how human interventions, often well intentioned, have wreaked havoc on West Tennessee's fragile wetlands. For more than a century, farmers and developers tried to tame the rivers as they became clogged with sand and debris, thereby increasing flooding. Building levees and changing the course of the rivers from meandering streams to straight-line channels, developers only made matters worse. Yet the response to failure was always to try to subdue nature, to dig even bigger channels and construct even more levees-an effort that reached its sorry culmination in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' massive West Tennessee Tributaries Project during the 1960s. As a result, the rivers' natural hydrology descended into chaos, devastating the plant and animal ecology of the region's wetlands. Crops and trees died from summer flooding, as much of the land turned into useless, stagnant swamps. The author was one of a small group of state waterfowl managers who saw it all happen, most sadly within the Obion-Forked Deer river system and at Reelfoot Lake. After much trial and error, Johnson and his colleagues in the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency began by the 1980s to abandon their old methods, resorting to management procedures more in line with the natural contours of the floodplains and the natural behavior of rivers. Preaching their new stewardship philosophy to anyone who might listen-their supervisors, duck hunters, conservationists, politicians, federal agencies-they were often ignored. The campaign dragged on for twenty years before an innovative and rational plan came from the Governor's Office and gained wide support. But then, too, that plan fell prey to politics, legal wrangling, self-interest, hardheadedness, and tradition. Yet, despite such heartbreaking setbacks, the author points to hopeful signs that West Tennessee's historic wetlands might yet be recovered for the benefit of all who use them and recognize their vital importance. Jim W. Johnson, now retired, was for many years a lands management biologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. He was responsible for the overall supervision and coordination of thirteen wildlife management areas and refuges, primarily for waterfowl, in northwest Tennessee.

From vividly colored underwater photographs of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to life-size dioramas re-creating coral reefs and the bounty of life they sustained, the work of early twentieth-century explorers and photographers fed the public's fascination with reefs. In the 1920s John Ernest Williamson in the Bahamas and Frank Hurley in Australia produced mass-circulated and often highly staged photographs and films that cast corals as industrious, colonizing creatures, and the undersea as a virgin, unexplored, and fantastical territory. In Coral Empire Ann Elias traces the visual and social history of Williamson and Hurley and how their modern media spectacles yoked the tropics and coral reefs to colonialism, racism, and the human domination of nature. Using the labor and knowledge of indigenous peoples while exoticizing and racializing them as inferior Others, Williamson and Hurley sustained colonial fantasies about people of color and the environment as endless resources to be plundered. As Elias demonstrates, their reckless treatment of the sea prefigured attitudes that caused the environmental crises that the oceans and reefs now face.

Twelve months of visits to a mountain lake tells more than twelve tales. The solitude found during a Wednesday in the winter is completely different than the chaos found on a Saturday in the summer. The seasons make one set of changes. We make the other. The combination produces a much more interesting set of experiences that can't be revealed in one visit or in a page of some guidebook.Barclay Lake sits about an hour northeast of Seattle on the soggy side of the Cascade Mountains. It is an easy hike within challenging terrain and is one of those rare places where the extremes of hiking can be found. Families can camp with kids and climbers can assault rocky spires.Different experiences give people different points of view. It is no wonder that debates about the environment and land-use are so complex and confusing. Barclay Lake is one place where those various points of view meet and conflict.

There is an increasing awareness that rivers need more room in order to safeguard flood safety under climate change conditions. Contemporary river management is creating room in the floodplains and allowing, within certain bounds, natural processes of sedimentation and erosion. One of the aims is to restore dynamic conditions, so as to get a sustainable and more diverse river ecosystem that can cope with floods. This new approach requires understanding of the interaction between the biotic and abiotic components of river systems. More specifically, it requires a better understanding of the interaction between flora and fauna and geomorphological factors. This is the object of investigation of the interdiscipline of biogeomorphology. Modelling biogeomorphological processes in river floodplains is the topic of this thesis.

The size and form of lakes regulate many general transport processes, such as sedimentation, resuspension, diffusion, mixing, burial and outflow. Lakes: Form and Function discusses how much of the variations among lakes in fundamental ecosystem characteristics may be related to lake morphometry, catchment area features, climatological factors and measurement uncertainties. The transport processes regulate many important variables, such as concentrations of phosphorus, suspended particulate matter, pH and color. These variables, in turn, affect primary production, which regulates secondary production, for example of zooplankton and fish. This book discusses such relationships using both empirical data and statistical analyses, and mechanistic principles and models. Researchers and students in limnology, as well as consultants and administrators interested in management and studies of lake systems, will enjoy reading this book. Lars Hakanson received his PhD in Physical Geography from Uppsala University, Sweden. He has written several papers and books related to recent sedimentological processes in lakes, rivers and coastal areas, to mass-balance modelling of radionuclides, nutrients and metals, to aquatic foodweb models and to water pollution.