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).

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.

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.

Inspired by his ranger days in Rocky Mountain National Park more than forty-five years ago as well as more recent rambles, Richard Fleck has created these descriptive essays that take readers from shimmering desert heat to snowy summits. Fleck has expanded his acclaimed book Breaking Through the Clouds (2004) to create a new book that concentrates on the intermountain American West. This edition includes counterpoint experiences in the desert, canyon lands, and dry prairie far below the summits of the lofty peaks, such as Death Valley, Grand Gulch, Grand Canyon, and the Great Sand Dunes. His literary model was Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire and his intent is to involve readers with an equally potent but different kind of natural reality. Fleck says, "After all, do not mountains rise out of deserts and dry lands? Mountains and surrounding deserts should not be separated." The mountains are a constant source of spiritual renewal for this author, enabling him to become more aware and whole.

The inaction of nation states and international bodies has posed significant risks to the environment. By contrast, cities are sites of action and innovation. In Sustainability, Citizen Participation, and City Governance, contributors researching in the areas of law, urban planning, geography, and philosophy identify approaches for tackling many of the most challenging environmental problems facing cities today. Sustainability, Citizen Participation, and City Governance facilitates two strands of dialogue about climate change. First, it integrates legal perspectives into policy debates about urban sustainability and governance, from which law has typically stood apart. Second, it brings case studies from Quebec into a rare conversation with examples drawn from elsewhere in Canada. The collection proposes humane and inclusive processes for arriving at effective policy outcomes. Some chapters examine governance mechanisms that reconcile clashes of incommensurable values and resolve conflicts about collective interests. Other chapters provide platforms for social movements that have faced obstacles to communicating to a broad public. The collection's proposals respond to drastic changes in urban environments. Some changes are imminent. Others are upon us already. All threaten the present and future well-being of urban communities.

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.

At the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico the Red-tailed Hawk is at the top of the food chain. My Baby Is Hungry/Mi polluelo tiene hambre, signed by the author and narrated by the author's husband, will take the reader on an interesting journey of daily survival in the animal kingdom within its setting. The story is bilingual (English/Spanish) and enhanced with real photos and is recommended for anyone with a curiosity about nature and its wonders. En el White Sands National Monument en Nuevo Mexico el Halcon de Cola Roja es el primero en la cadena alimenticia. My Baby Is Hungry/Mi polluelo tiene hambre, firmado por la autora y narrado por su esposo, llevara al lector a un interesante viaje de sobrevivencia cotidiana en el reino animal dentro de su entorno. El cuento es bilingue (ingles y espanol) y realzado con fotos y es recomendado para cualquier persona que tenga curiosidad por saber sobre la naturaleza y sus maravillas.

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.

Over the last century, the scale of Canada's domestic disaster response system has grown significantly due to the country's increased capacity for emergency management and the rise in natural hazards. However, there has been no systematic assessment of how effectively this multilevel system, which includes all levels of government and the military, has been integrated, and how efficient this system actually is at responding to high-level disasters. Using in-depth archival analysis and interviews with senior military and civilian officials on the inside, Boots on the Ground provides a detailed examination of Canada's disaster response system. Including policy recommendations focused on the expansion of emergency management networks, the maintenance of Canada's decentralized emergency management system, and disaster response resources for First Nations communities, Boots on the Ground aims to highlight opportunities to improve Canada's urgent disaster response. Boots on the Ground offers helpful lessons for students, policy makers, emergency management practitioners, and military officers, ensuring that readers gain concrete insights into the strategic and efficient implementation of disaster response initiatives.

Two new chapters will be added to the Second Edition of this successful text, one on debris flow in the Canyon and the other on impact of water flow releases from the Glen Canyon Dam. The rest of the chapters will be updated where necessary and photographs will be replaced or re-screened for better resolution.

Illustrated with breathtaking pictures, this book records the history, people and culture of the Thar, a land of sand, hot winds and treacherous droughts.

The countries that make up the MENA region display wide diversity. One of the poorest countries in the world sits alongside two of the wealthiest, whilst the region's natural resources range from immeasurable oil and gas reserves to some of the scantiest natural endowments anywhere in the world. Yet through this diversity runs a common thread: water scarcity. Now, through the impact of human development and climate change, the water resource itself is changing,bringing new risks and increasing the vulnerability of all those dependent on water. Chris Ward and Sandra Ruckstuhl assess the increased challenges now facing the countries of the region, placing particular emphasis on water scarcity and the resultant risks to livelihoods, food security and the environment. They evaluate the risks and reality of climate change in the region, and offer an assessment of the vulnerability of agriculture and livelihoods. In a final section, they explore the options for responding to the new challenges, including policy, institutional, economic and technical measures.

Mountains rise like islands from deserts and grasslands along the U.S.-Mexican border. The stunningly varied borderlands offer a laboratory for studying historical trends and ecological cycles, as well as a refuge in which to experience natural history firsthand. In this engaging personal narrative, biologist Fred Gehlbach describes the stability and changes of the past century in the Borderlands' climate, landforms, and natural communities and in its distinctive plants and vertebrates. Historical sketches, maps, and striking photographs richly amplify the text, and a preface updates developments in the region since the book's original publication in 1981.