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).

A land of austerity and bounty, the Sonoran Desert is a place that captures imaginations and hearts. It is a place where barbs snag, thorns prick, and claws scratch. A place where lizards scramble and it's a book to walk with, a book to scribble in, and even a book to use as a cushion if the desert rock you tried to sit on was too sharp. A place where lizards scramble and pause, hawks hunt like wolves, and bobcats skulk in creosote. Both literary anthology and hands-on field guide, The Sonoran Desert is a groundbreaking book that melds art and science. It captures the stunning biodiversity of the world's most verdant desert through words and images. More than fifty poets and writers-including Christopher Cokinos, Alison Hawthorne Deming, Ken Lamberton, Eric Magrane, Jane Miller, Gary Paul Nabhan, Alberto Rios, Ofelia Zepeda, and many others-have composed responses to key species of this striking desert. Each creative contribution is joined by an illustration by award-winning artist Paul Mirocha and scientific information about the creature or plant authored by the book's editors. From the saguaro to the mountain lion, from the black-tailed jackrabbit to the mesquite, the species represented here have evoked compelling and creative responses from each contributor. Just as writers such as Edward Abbey and Ellen Meloy have memorialized the desert, this collection is sure to become a new classic, offering up the next generation of voices of this special and beautiful place, the Sonoran Desert.

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.

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.

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.

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

Arid environments are landscapes that receive very little precipitation. Deserts can be described as an arid environment where more water is lost that gained as precipitation. Arid environments have been classified as mega thermal climates; areas of having great heat. This book focuses on regions classified as arid environments and how systematic, evidence-based synthesis may be useful for assessing ecological and cost-effective strategies for assessing revegetation in arid lands. It discusses foundations and main driving forces of socio-economic developments of arid zone and important mechanisms affecting the success of certain species over others. This book brings new research advances from around the world.

Research at Saguaro National Park has provided information on Sonoran Desert tortoise abundance, habitat, distribution, diet, reproduction, genetics, disease, and monitoring strategies. The goal of this short paper is to summarize these studies and their results, and to provide a bibliography of desert tortoise research in the park to date.

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.

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.

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.

Innate Terrain addresses the varied perceptions of Canada's natural terrain, framing the discussion in the context of landscapes designed by Canadian landscape architects. This edited collection draws on contemporary works to theorize a distinct approach practiced by Canadian landscape architects from across the country. The essays - authored by Canadian scholars and practitioners, some of whom are Indigenous or have worked closely with Indigenous communities - are united by the argument that Canadian landscape architecture is intrinsically linked to the innate qualities of the surrounding terrain. Beautifully illustrated, Innate Terrain aims to capture distinct regional qualities that are rooted in the broader context of the Canadian landscape.

Innate Terrain addresses the varied perceptions of Canada’s natural terrain, framing the discussion in the context of landscapes designed by Canadian landscape architects. This edited collection draws on contemporary works to theorize a distinct approach practiced by Canadian landscape architects from across the country. The essays – authored by Canadian scholars and practitioners, some of whom are Indigenous or have worked closely with Indigenous communities – are united by the argument that Canadian landscape architecture is intrinsically linked to the innate qualities of the surrounding terrain. Beautifully illustrated, Innate Terrain aims to capture distinct regional qualities that are rooted in the broader context of the Canadian landscape.