Delphus E. Carpenter (1877-1951) was Colorado's commissioner of interstate streams during a time when water rights were a legal battleground for western states. A complex, unassuming man as rare and cunning in politics and law as the elusive silver fox of the Rocky Mountain West, Carpenter boldly relied on negotiation instead of endless litigation to forge agreements among states first, before federal intervention. In Silver Fox of the Rockies, Daniel Tyler tells Carpenter's story and that of the great interstate water compacts he helped create. Those compacts, produced in the early twentieth century, have guided not only agricultural use but urban growth and development throughout much of the American West to this day. In Carpenter's time, most western states relied on the doctrine of prior appropriation--first in time, first in right--which granted exclusive use of resources to those who claimed them first, regardless of common needs. Carpenter feared that population growth and rapid agricultural development in states sharing the same river basins would rob Colorado of its right to a fair share of water. To avoid that eventuality, Carpenter invoked the compact clause of the U.S. Constitution, a clause previously used to settle boundary disputes, and applied it to interstate water rights. The result was a mechanism by which complex issues involving interstate water rights could be settled through negotiation without litigating them before the U.S. Supreme Court. Carpenter believed in the preservation of states' rights in order to preserve the constitutionally mandated balance between state and federal authority. Today, water remains critically important to the American West, and thegreat interstate water compacts Carpenter helped engineer constitute his most enduring legacy. Of particular significance is the Colorado River Compact of 1922, without which Hoover Dam could never have been built.

A photographic guide to the common plants and animals that inhabit the intertidal zone--the area covered by water at high tide and exposed during low tide--on the Atlantic coast from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to Cape Breton, Canada.* Includes color photos, descriptions, and details for crabs, crustaceans, mollusks and their shells, jellies, barnacles, shrimp, worms, squid, mosses, seaweeds, and lichens* Learn how to identify over 500 of the most common intertidal species* Covers all different types of intertidal habitats, whether rocky, sandy, or muddy

Chesapeake Bay supports more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals, including 348 species of fin fish and 173 species of shellfish. The familiar blue crab is one of thousands of species of animals inhabiting the diverse ecosystems found throughout the region. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and butterflies/insects, seashore creatures, trees, shrubs and wildflowers. Also includes a regional map, information on the history of the region and how to protect and restore the bay habitats. It was developed in collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Gateways & Water Trails Network. A portion of the proceeds are returned to the Network to further its important activities. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use by visitors and residents alike. Made in the USA.

From the jungles of South America to the deserts of Arizona, one thing remains consistent: bees are disappearing. A world without bees would be much less colourful, with fewer flowers. But that's not all-bees are responsible for up to one-third of our food supply, and the consequences of not taking action to protect them are frightening. While the media focuses on colony-collapse disorder and the threats to honey bees specifically, the real danger is much greater: all bees are at risk, whether it be from loss of habitat, pesticide use or disease, among other factors. And because of the integral role these insects play in the ecology of our planet, we may be at risk as well.

In Keeping the Bees, Laurence Packer, a melittologist whose life revolves around bees, debunks many myths about these creatures and takes us behind the scenes with scientists around the world who are working to save these fascinating creatures before it's too late.

Natural history narratives for more than 300 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians found in Pennsylvania and throughout the northeastern United States-written in an engaging, straightforward style.

An invaluable addition to any nature-lover's library. Each narrative offers a species description as well as up-to-date information on habitat, breeding behavior, feeding habits, biology, migration, and current population status, as well as the author's personal observations of the animal's life in the wild. Includes game and nongame mammals, birds of prey, songbirds, waterfowl, snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, and more.

Die bekende dierkundige Fritz Eloff se bemoeienis met die Kalaharileeu het reeds in 1958 begin toe hy een aand teen sononder die koninklike brul van ’n leeu tussen die rooi duine hoor opklink het. In toeganklike taal word die Kalaharileeu se fisieke eienskappe, sy habitat, sy plek in die ekosisteem en sy interaksie met die mens dan bespreek. Ten slotte kom ook ’n paar legendariese leeumannetjies en –wyfies aan die bod en besin die skrywer oor die oorlewingskanse van die Kalaharileeu in ’n veranderende wereld.

Brazil has one of the richest bird diversities in the world, with a total of 1,901 species, 270 of which are endemic. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species and includes a map featuring prominent bird-viewing areas. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use by visitors and residents alike.

At the beginning of the 20th century, scientists and laymen alike appear to have been peculiarly confident that the world had been thoroughly explored and most of its creatures named and documented. Few, if any, large animals still awaited discovery. The scientific unveiling of the giraffe-like okapi in 1901 was one of the earliest of this century's discoveries to shake this belief. But many consider it to be the last great find, and view the rediscovery of extinct animals to be as likely as the alchemic conversion of iron into gold. Since 1901, however, a whole host of new and rediscovered creatures has turned up to contradict these views-including a giant 7-ft-long forest hog from Africa, a colossal Indonesian monitor lizard called the Komodo dragon, the lobe-finned coelacanth fish resurrected from 64 million years of supposed extinction, the incredible megamouth shark, deep-sea tube-dwelling worms over 8 ft tall with huge red tentacles resembling strange alien flowers, plus the extraordinary Vu Quang ox and giant barking deer both discovered in Vietnam during the 1990s. And discoveries continue to be made today, in the 21st century-ranging diversely and dramatically from giant peccaries and zombie worms to an entire new suborder of insects known as the gladiators, a veritable jungle of new monkeys, and an extraordinary chameleonesque snake. And nor can we possibly forget the sensational rediscovery in North America of the near-legendary, supposedly long-extinct ivory-billed woodpecker. The Encyclopaedia of New and Rediscovered Animals is the third, wholly-updated edition of the very first-and still the definitive-book to be devoted to the spectacular zoological discoveries and equally amazing rediscoveries of the 20th century, which attracted international acclaim and exemplary reviews following its original publication in 1993 (when it was entitled The Lost Ark), and its subsequent republication in 2002 as an updated, greatly-expanded second edition (entitled The New Zoo). This latest edition also contains an in-depth survey of the 21st century's most celebrated discoveries and rediscoveries made during its first decade, plus an exhaustive, significantly-increased bibliography, as well as the only comprehensive collection of colour and b/w illustrations of these spectacular animal species ever published (including new, previously-unpublished photographs, and several exclusive, specially-commissioned full-colour paintings). Unquestionably, The Encyclopaedia of New and Rediscovered Animals provides good reason indeed for believing that our world continues to holds many more animal surprises in store for future revelation.

Conservation classic Hawks Aloft chronicles the founding of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the world's first refuge for birds of prey. This personal account by the Sanctuary, the world's first refuge for birds of prey. This personal account by the sanctuary's first curator, shares the difficulties and discoveries he and his wife encountered during their first years on the Mountain. Filled with information for the flora, fauna, people, and other natural phenomena of the Hawk Mountain region, this is a lively and sometimes funny account of the sanctuary's early years. Published in co-operation with the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association.

Mountain Lions presents readers with substantive yet easily digestible information on these mysterious big cats. Where do mountain lions live? What enemies do they have? How do they communicate? What issues exist in the sometimes controversial relationship between mountain lions and humans? This book contains all the information you need to know to become familiar with these fascinating animals. Accompanied by numerous full-color photos of mountain lions in their habitat, this handy field guide makes an excellent take-home souvenir and reference for anybody interested in these big cats.

This Naturalists' Handbook aims to attract more people to the study of solitary wasps by describing the ecology, distribution and natural history of these insects, including all relevant research in one convenient volume. Contents include an overview of the natural history of the solitary wasp, guidelines on identification, and advice on techniques and approaches to study. Further reading, a systematic checklist of genera and an alphabetical checklist of species and their distributions are included. Detailed keys to the identification of the species form the centre of the book and the text is accompanied by clear illustrations throughout, making this an invaluable practical guide for anyone seeking to broaden their knowledge of these fascinating, diverse creatures. Smaller, gentler and less intimidating than the black and yellow social wasps, the solitary wasps are attractive because of their bright colours and their fascinating behaviour. A female wasp will construct a nest, excavating it from wood or sand or building it from mud. She provisions the nest with prey, hunting down a suitable creature, perhaps a caterpillar or a fly, which she will paralyse before dragging it home to the nest. She lays her egg on the paralysed prey, and the larva when it hatches feeds on the prey. On a sunny day it is easy to observe the apparently purposeful behaviour of female wasps as they prepare their nests and stock them with food for the next generation. This book is a digital reprint of ISBN 0-85546-295-7 (1995). Naturalists' Handbooks encourage and enable those interested in natural history to undertake field study, make accurate identifications and to make original contributions to research.

Here are 239 trail-tested, hunter-proven tips from people who really know elk hunting, the 100,000 members of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. This is a book by men and women who are passionate about elk and hunting elk. Any hunter will find a useful idea in this book--in fact, a hunter probably will find dozens of ideas that will make hunting better, safer, and more successful. Short, easy-to-read, and immensely entertaining, these tips cover 14 subjects: scouting, closing in, scents, tracking, rifles, muzzleloaders, bowhunting, calling, optics, camps, horses and mules, meat and trophy care, outfitters and guides, and hunting safe and smart.

Classified into more than 45 families, this guide describes the fascinating spiders and other arachnids of Texas. You'll find all the facts for spiders most commonly encountered, spiders with potentially hazardous venom, unusual spiders, and large conspicious spiders. Other Texas arachnids, such as harvestmen, ticks, scorpions, whipscorpions, windscorpions, and pseudoscorpions, are also described