The 'Grossglockner', Austria's highest mountain at 3,789m, is one of the most important summits of the Eastern Alps - and not only because it is so important for alpine tourism. At the end of the 18th Century, it had been explored and nobody less than Arch Bishop Salm-Reiffenscheidt-Krautheim was the first to ascend in 1800. Today, with more than 5000 ascents per year, it is a very popular destination for climbers. But even for those who do not want to climb, the fascination of this mountain is hard to escape. There is no better way to investigate than from the 'Grossglockner' High Alpine roads. The road leads across both mountain passes Fuscher Toerl and Hochtor, crossing the main Alpes from Salzburg to Carinthia, with turnoffs to the Edelweiss peak and the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-height. The road as an adventure trip and its 12% ascent has to be well managed. Who would be more capable to report about all this than Stefan Bogner, the master of the automobile photo books? With fuel in his blood and a sensitive feel for history, but also with accelerator and brake, he provides a portrait of one of the most exciting and most visited Alpine roads. Text in English and German.

The purpose of this report is to (1) compare the extent and duration of the flooded area in isolated wetlands located in three regional well fields operated by Tampa Bay Water in the northern Tampa Bay region during a period before and a period after reductions in the rate of groundwater withdrawals; (2) evaluate the ability of the flooded area duration integrated over the two periods to provide evidence of the change in wetland hydrologic conditions; and (3) discuss the potential use of wetland flooded-area data to interpret long-term wetland vegetation monitoring data.

The U.S. Geological Survey Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model is a decisions-support tool that uses scenarios to evaluate where, when, and to what extend future population growth, urban growth, and shoreline development may threaten the Puget Sound nearshore environment.

Threshold concepts are used in research and management of ecological systems to describe and interpret abrupt and persistent reorganization of ecosystem properties (Walker and Meyers, 2004; Groffman and others, 2006). Abrupt change, referred to as a threshold crossing, and the progression of reorganization can be triggered by one or more interactive disturbances such as land-use activities and climatic events (Paine and others, 1998). Threshold crossings occur when feedback mechanisms that typically absorb forces of change are replaced with those that promote development of alternative equilibria or states (Suding and others, 2004; Walker and Meyers, 2004; Briske and others, 2008). The alternative states that emerge from a threshold crossing vary and often exhibit reduced ecological integrity and value in terms of management goals relative to the original or reference system. Alternative stable states with some limited residual properties of the original system may develop along the progression after a crossing; an eventual outcome may be the complete loss of pre-threshold properties of the original ecosystem.

This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive report on the soils of Wisconsin, a state that offers a rich tapestry of soils. It discusses the relevant soil forming factors and soil processes in detail and subsequently reviews the main soil regions and dominant soil orders, including paleosols and endemic and endangered soils. The last chapters address soils in a changing climate and provide an evaluation of their monetary value and crop yield potential. Richly illustrated, the book offers both a valuable teaching resource and essential guide for policymakers, land users, and all those interested in the soils of Wisconsin.

In 2012, the FAA and USDA continued to make great progress with its multifaceted approach for mitigating wildlife strikes. The FAA ensured that 100 percent of Part 139 airports have completed a Wildlife Hazard Assessment (WHA), are in the process of conducting a WHA, or have taken a Federal grant to conduct a WHA. Strike reporting continued to increase, especially with General Aviation (GA) aircraft, which increased strike reporting by 11 percent between 2011 and 2012. The FAA implemented three performance metrics to monitor strike reporting trends and GA wildlife mitigation. The performance metrics include percentage of damaging strikes, strike reporting rates, and tracking of General Aviation (GA) airports that conduct WHAs and site visits. We also issued a final Advisory Circular (AC) on strike reporting and draft ACs on WHA methodology and requirements for federally obligated public airports to conduct WHAs.

The myriad definitions of soil/ecosystem quality or health are often driven by ecosystem and management concerns, and they typically focus on the ability of the soil to provide functions relating to biological productivity and/or environmental quality (Doran and Parkin, 1994; Karlen and others, 1997). A variety of attempts have been made to create indices that quantify the complexities of soil quality and provide a means of evaluating the impact of various natural and anthropogenic disturbances.

A Kind of Magic is a three-volume novel of eco-magical realism. It's a book about transition: from childhood to adolescence; from isolation to community; from passivity to action. From fantasy to the real world. It is deliberately aimed at 4th - 6th graders, and can be read as a whole or as three short school library books. A Trick of the Light/Turtle Crossing/ThunderHawk: A Trilogy of short books for middle-grade readers; following a boy's awakening to the beauties and needs of the natural world around him, with the help of his friends, his family, his community and the mysterious spirit of the forest.

This document describes a protocol to monitor five terrestrial plant communities in seven national parks within the Pacific Island Network (PACN).