The landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region varies dramatically from parched desert lowlands to semiarid tropical forests and frigid subalpine meadows. Covering south easternmost California, much of southern and central Arizona, most of Baja California, and much of the state of Sonora, Mexico, it is home to an extraordinary variety of plants and animals. With a Natural History of the Sonoran Desert, this book takes readers deep into its vast expanse, looking closely at the relationships of plants and animals with the land and people, through time and across landscapes. In accessible language, more than forty scientists and/or naturalists examine the region's biodiversity, geology, weather, plants, and animals (from invertebrates to fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals), as well as potential threats to the species and habitats. The text is supplemented throughout with anecdotes, essays, photographs, maps, diagrams, and 450 finely rendered drawings. This new edition adds chapters on the Sky Islands, Sea of Cortez, desert pollinators, and conservation issues. Taxonomic nomenclature has been updated and new color plates and figures have been added. This comprehensive natural history, like the original edition, will surely become an invaluable companion for nature enthusiasts, birdwatchers, hikers, students, naturalists, and anyone interested in the desert Southwest. Published in association with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

For most of us the word "desert" conjures up images of barren wasteland, vast, dry stretches inimical to life. But for a great array of creatures, perhaps even more plentiful than those who inhabit tropical rainforests, the desert is a haven and a home. Travel with Michael Mares into the deserts of Argentina, Iran, Egypt, and the American Southwest and you will encounter a rich and memorable variety of these small, tenacious animals, many of them first discovered by Mares in areas never before studied. Accompanying Mares on his forays into these hostile habitats, we observe the remarkable behavioral, physiological, and ecological adaptations that have allowed such little-known species of rodents, bats, and other small mammals to persist in an arid world. At the same time, we see firsthand the perils and pitfalls that await biologists who venture into the field to investigate new habitats, discover new species, and add to our knowledge of the diversity of life.

Filled with the seductions and trials that such adventures entail, "A Desert Calling" affords an intimate understanding of the biologist's vocation. As he astonishes us with the range and variety of knowledge to be acquired through the determined investigation of little-known habitats, Mares opens a window on his own uncommon life, as well as on the uncommon life of the remote and mysterious corners of our planet.

Encyclopedia of Deserts represents a milestone: it is the first comprehensive reference to the first comprehensive reference to deserts and semideserts of the world. Approximately seven hundred entries treat subjects ranging from desert survival to the way deserts are formed. Topics include biology (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, bacteria, physiology, evolution), geography, climatology, geology, hydrology, anthropology, and history. The thirty-seven contributors, including volume editor Michael A. Mares, have had extensive careers in deserts research, encompassing all of the world's arid and semiarid regions. The Encyclopedia opens with a subject list by topic, an organizational guide that helps the reader grasp interrelationships and complexities in desert systems. Each entry concludes with cross-references to other entries in the volume, inviting the reader to embark on a personal expedition into fascinating, previously unknown terrain. In addition a list of important readings facilitates in-depth study of each topic. An exhaustive index permits quick access to places, topics, and taxonomic listings of all plants and animals discussed. More than one hundred photographs, drawings, and maps enhance our appreciation of the remarkable life, landforms, history, and challenges of the world's arid land.

Tales of the Sonoran Desert These fourteen tales give voice to the plants and animals of the unique desert that lies in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. Regularly shared in storytelling venues by the author, the tales have proven to intrigue audiences with their vibrant characters, spellbinding narratives, and unexpected twists. A sense of both wonder and humor accompanies listeners and readers as they journey through a land of such marvels as an ocotillo whose flowers of flame are a tribute to its compassion, a guilt-stricken coyote who pleads for forgiveness with the moon, and an ironwood tree whose acceptance of the whole of life brings with it with the gift of tears. The subtle lessons to be learned and the factual information to be enjoyed are an added plus in these imaginative stories that enhance understanding and respect for the Sonoran Desert and its inhabitants. (Ages 10 to adult; younger children will enjoy having the stories read to them).

Monitoring changes in landbird population and community parameters can be an important element of a comprehensive, long-term monitoring program. In 2010, landbirds were surveyed within six of seven Chihuahuan Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network (CHDN) parks.

Rising at 11,750 feet in the Sangre de Cristo range and snaking 926 miles through New Mexico and Texas to the Rio Grande, the Pecos River is one of the most storied waterways in the American West. It is also one of the most troubled. In 1942, the National Resources Planning Board observed that the Pecos River basin ""probably presents a greater aggregation of problems associated with land and water use than any other irrigated basin in the Western U.S."" In the twenty-first century, the river's problems have only multiplied. Bitter Waters, the first book-length study of the entire Pecos, traces the river's environmental history from the arrival of the first Europeans in the sixteenth century to today. Running clear at its source and turning salty in its middle reach, the Pecos River has served as both a magnet of veneration and an object of scorn. Patrick Dearen, who has written about the Pecos since the 1980s, draws on more than 150 interviews and a wealth of primary sources to trace the river's natural evolution and man's interaction with it. Irrigation projects, dams, invasive saltcedar, forest proliferation, fires, floods, flow decline, usage conflicts, water quality deterioration - Dearen offers a thorough and clearly written account of what each factor has meant to the river and its prospects. As fine-grained in detail as it is sweeping in breadth, the picture Bitter Waters presents is sobering but not without hope, as it also extends to potential solutions to the Pecos River's problems and the current efforts to undo decades of damage. Combining the research skills of an accomplished historian, the investigative techniques of a veteran journalist, and the engaging style of an award-winning novelist, this powerful and accessible work of environmental history may well mark a turning point in the Pecos's fortunes.

Aridtopia: Essays on Art & Culture from Deserts in the Southwest United States is a literary mirage that fuses present day reality and a future imaginary which repositions our view of the world from that of the desert. Aridtopia explores utopian communities, water rights, the L.A. Aqueduct, and even the desert as a stand-in for the terrain of would-be astronauts to Mars.

This book, in both English and Spanish, will introduce readers to a unique region that has been hidden in plain sight for far too long. Of the four deserts found in North America, the Chihuahuan Desert is the largest. Located in both the United States and Mexico, it is not the desolate place most people think of when they hear "desert." Eight ecosystems, resulting from basin and range landforms, have created an area teeming with extremely diverse plant and animal life. It is a place that deserves our attention and respect.

A Giant Is Born/Nace un gigante is the story of the Saguaro Cactus and its interaction with various desert neighbors. Maria Luisa Retana presents the story in both English and Spanish and illustrates it with real photos which includes many of the ones she took while researching the topic at the Saguaro National Park in Arizona. A Giant Is Born/Nace un gigante es la historia del Cactus Saguaro y su accion reciproca con los diversos vecinos del desierto. Maria Luisa Retana presenta la historia en ingles y en espanol y la ilustra con fotos de las muchas que tomo mientras hacia investigacion sobre el tema en el Saguaro National Park en Arizona.

Are you curious? Are you an explorer? Beware In Maria Luisa Retana's imaginative wilderness tale, The Mystic Call /La Llamada Mistica, Spotty the fawn and his heedless young pals... a coatimundi, a javelina, a skunk, a coyote, and a mountain lion... are tempted to seek out unsuspected depths where danger lurks for the unwary. With the help of their newfound friends, the adventurous young animals narrowly escape disaster. Steve Bovee's glorious watercolor illustrations are a feast for the eyes, delighting young and old readers alike. Be careful where you go exploring

This book presents current research from across the globe in the study of the fauna, flora and environmental characteristics of desert life. Topics discussed include the conservation status and diversity of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and bird populations in the Thar Desert of India; desert pupfish in Death Valley; floral diversity, threats and conservation in the Nara Desert of Pakistan; mollusc fauna and its ecology in the Indian desert and sustainable beef cattle production in the desert environment of Mendoza, Argentina.