Download or read book Discovering Westcave written by S. Christopher Caran and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2016-10-07 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the heart of the Texas Hill Country lies an astonishing place called Westcave Preserve, a 76-acre nature preserve and environmental education facility in western Travis County, near Austin, that provides a sanctuary for the flora and fauna of surprisingly diverse ecosystems. Westcave has been connecting children and families to nature since 1976, when the nonprofit Westcave Preserve Corporation was established to restore and protect a popular but rapidly deteriorating picnic spot that encompassed a fern-covered grotto, an ancient rock shelter, and a spectacular forty-foot waterfall. In Discovering Westcave, Chris Caran and Elaine Davenport take readers on a walk through the beautiful preserve, which includes a 3,000-square-foot learning center, unveiling the evolutionary past of its stunning natural features and acknowledging the many people who have been a part of Westcave’s long history. The aim of this guidebook is not only to share the natural and human history of this refuge, soon to be surrounded by one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the country, but also to inspire through environmental learning a continued respect and appreciation for the natural world. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.
Download or read book The Other Side of Nowhere written by Roy Morey and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2024-06-18 with total page 1134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Acquired by the State of Texas in 1988 and first opened to the public as Big Bend State Natural Area in 1991, Big Bend Ranch State Park (BBR) lies within the southern Big Bend of the Trans-Pecos, encompassing some 492 square miles of the Chihuahuan Desert and representing nearly half the total acreage of the Texas state park system. Unlike nearby Big Bend National Park—BBR is relatively undiscovered, wild, challenging, and slightly intimidating. BBR is the “Other” Big Bend, christened the “Other Side of Nowhere,” a rugged wilderness outback for the adventuresome with 238 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding and 70 miles of challenging four-wheel drive roads where visitors can explore stunning geological features, remnants of the area’s 11,000-year human history, and a diversity of flora and fauna that rivals any area in the state. In this guidebook, photographer and naturalist Roy Morey walks visitors through the wild landscape, sharing what he has learned during eleven years of studying and photographing Big Bend Ranch State Park. Organized around the six physiographic regions of the park as outlined by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, The Other Side of Nowhere guides readers through the features and locations of the park and includes a field guide section with informative profiles and vivid imagery of 281 plant species. This definitive guide to Big Bend Ranch State Park is a must-have for visitors and an important botanical resource for the greater Big Bend and Trans-Pecos areas.
Download or read book Wild Focus written by Earl Nottingham and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2022-01-18 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Wild Focus, Earl Nottingham, chief photographer for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and its magazine, provides a unique perspective on Texas featuring images of the woods, waters, and wildlife of the Lone Star landscape. Nottingham’s engaging photography—landscape, nature, and wildlife; environmental portraiture of people; photojournalistic coverage of events, including natural disasters—provides a cohesive overview of biodiversity and the state of conservation in Texas. The nearly 200 stunning photographs collected here encompass the expansive mission of TPWD, presenting traditional landscape images from state and national parks as well as from vast private lands. Cultural and historic sites are included along with environmental portraits of the people associated with those sites. From the state’s wildlife, both great and small, to nature shown in not only its beauty but also its fury—wildfires, hurricanes, and floods—Earl Nottingham offers a visual compendium of events, people, places, and things that have shaped the face of natural Texas. The author logged untold miles and wore through many sets of tires to offer timely stories that would “inform, educate, entertain, and empower” readers about the outdoors. These images that capture the richness and diversity of wild Texas inspire a greater appreciation for the state’s beauty and promote a sense of stewardship for its natural treasures.
Download or read book The Rise of Climate Science written by Gerald R. North and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2020-10-21 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a career spanning four decades, Gerald R. North contributed groundbreaking research that continues to shape the modern field of climate science. However, the route he has taken was full of surprising twists and turns that included hate mail, eavesdropping by the KGB, and sometimes acrimonious debate with climate-change deniers. North’s significant contributions to the field include his innovative “toy model” analysis of climate change based on ingeniously simplified models and his lead proposal for and successful approval of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. Launched in 1997, the TRMM’s purpose was to collect data on the global climate system. The TRMM operated successfully for 17 years before it was deactivated in 2015. In The Rise of Climate Science, North recounts in detail his life in the vanguard of modern climate science. He offers an insider look at the academic research and government initiatives around global warming and what that means for the planet. He includes stories of conversations with top Soviet climate scientists at the height of the Cold War in the late 1970s—complete with clandestine electronic surveillance. He also describes the experience of testifying before Congress and engaging in public exchanges with those who doubted the reality of the phenomenon his research field described. Climatology today has advanced into a mature phase. This book is an important contribution to understanding its development in the twentieth century and adds a distinctly human face and sensibility to the ongoing societal conversation around climate change and its implications for our future.
Download or read book Duck Walk written by Margie Crisp and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2023-01-22 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In fall 2016, lifelong birdwatcher, naturalist, and esteemed Texas artist Margie Crisp decided to take up a shotgun and start hunting ducks. Few nature enthusiasts understand the role that the hunting industry plays in the conservation of wildlands and wildlife—protecting far more critical habitat than birdwatchers do. With many bird species in a precipitous decline, duck and geese populations continue to rise steadily year after year. Why? Because of the money waterfowl hunters spend on licenses, firearms, and ammunition, or donate to nonprofit conservation organizations. Here, Crisp goes beyond birdwatching to challenge her notions about hunting. Could duck hunters be considered conservationists? Could she overcome a life-long aversion to guns and learn to shoot birds? And could doing so help conservation of habitats for ducks and other migratory bird species? In writing her experiences, Crisp explores these questions and illustrates to both communities—hunters and naturalists—that one woman can be a birdwatcher, a bird hunter, and above all, a conservationist devoted to preserving habitat for birds and other wildlife. Readers journey with the author as she learns to hunt—to experience the emotional impacts of killing, cleaning, cooking and eating birds. First-hand accounts are seamlessly integrated with information about conservation history as well as interviews with hunters, biologists, and birdwatchers. Along the Central Flyway from the Texas coast to Canada, this revealing personal narrative traces hunting and birdwatching trips, and even a solo road trip following the birds’ migration, all through the eye of an artist whose words and drawings bring her journey to life.
Download or read book Texas Parks Wildlife written by and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 636 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Explore Texas written by Mary O. Parker and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2016-06-14 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you are interested in birdwatching, wildlife viewing, or stargazing; flowers, geology, or water; nature centers, festivals, or photography, a destination in Texas awaits you. From the desert gardens of Big Bend to hawk watching on the Gulf Coast to caving and bat watching in the Hill Country, nature-oriented travel in Texas also includes lesser known getaways. Organized by the seven official state travel regions, Explore Texas features descriptions of almost one hundred nature-oriented sites, including information about the best time to visit and why it’s worth going; location, and other logistics; and a “learn” section on the observations and natural phenomena a visitor might expect to experience. Photographs by professional photographer Jeff Parker accompany the accounts, and handy color-coded icons help guide readers to the activities of their choice. Perfect for planning the family’s next outing or vacation, this book also contains a message of how nature tourism helps to protect biodiversity, promote conservation, and sustain the state’s tourism economy.
Download or read book Replenishing Our Hills written by Brent Evans and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2024-09-02 with total page 633 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hill Country, “sweet spot of Texas,” is in danger of being loved to death, or so it seems. The good news is that all the growth and development has triggered some serious conservation efforts. Folks are joining forces to protect the lands and waters of this extraordinary region—families have been partnering with land trusts to save their legacies; citizens have been creating parks, greenways, trails, natural areas, wildlife refuges, and nature centers, thoughtful stewardship is helping damaged lands recover; a network of conservationists has been hard at work; and Texas voters have been supporting conservation measures. Featuring photography by John Freud and a compelling narrative by longtime conservationist Brent Evans, this unique book on the Texas Hill Country includes inspiring images of conserved land, provides a history of conservation efforts, and highlights the contributions of regional land trusts, county programs, community projects, a community-based nature center and farm, and private landowners. With a goal of celebrating and inspiring grass-roots conservation, Freud and Evans showcase, through words and imagery, places that have been cared for and preserved by a generation of local landowners, local governments, and local nonprofits. As Evans writes in the preface, “the Hill Country is saving some of itself, and this is our story.” As a record of the many conservation efforts in the Texas Hill Country, Replenishing Our Hills serves as an invaluable and inspiring resource for those new or familiar to land stewardship.
Download or read book Vacation Goose Travel Guide Austin Texas USA written by Francis Morgan and published by Soffer Publishing. This book was released on 2017-06-11 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vacation Goose Travel Guide Austin Texas, USA is an easy to use small pocket book filled with all you need for your stay in the big city. Top 50 city attractions, top 50 nightlife adventures, top 50 city restaurants, top 50 shopping centers, top 50 hotels, and more than a dozen monthly weather statistics. This travel guide is up to date with the latest developments of the city as of 2017. We hope you let this pocket book be part of yet another fun Austin adventure :)
Download or read book Discovering a Welsh Landscape written by Ian Brown and published by Windgather Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the far north-east corner of Wales, a line of hills looks east across the plain into England, guarding the way towards Snowdonia. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Clwydian Range has a very rich archaeology. This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of this landscape: a history of Wales in microcosm. At the northern end of the Welsh March, the Clwydian Range is a crossroads, a place where outside influences have always been profound. The book consequently places the Range's archaeology in the context of the broader themes in Welsh and British history. We learn of: the mammoth bones left in the area's caves by Paleaeolithic hunters; the great chain of Iron Age hillforts that crown the Range; the bronze brooches in Romano-British burials; from the medieval period, motte and bailey castles and Gothic churches; the watercourses, mines and engine houses of the industrial era; the Range's links with the great poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. Throughout, the photographs capture the spirit of Hopkins' original 'landscape plotted and pieced'. The Clwydian Range is perhaps typical of Britain, where places have a great depth of historical connections. This book shows how much there is to be discovered. Ian Brown, formerly County Heritage Officer for Clwyd, managed the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Mick Sharp and Jean Williamson are two of Britain's leading archaeological and landscape photographers.
Download or read book Texas Off the Beaten Path written by June Naylor and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-09-01 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tired of the same old tourist traps? Whether you’re a visitor or a local looking for something different, Texas Off the Beaten Path shows you the Lone Start State with new perspectives on timeless destinations and introduces you to those you never knew existed—from the best in local dining to quirky cultural tidbits, hidden attractions, unique finds and unusual locales. So if you’ve “been there, done that” one too many times, get off the main road and venture Off the Beaten Path.
Download or read book Texas Highways written by and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Imagination House written by E. Lee Walker and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2019-06-13 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When twenty-one-year-old Michael Dell asked E. Lee Walker to be the president of his fledgling computer company, PC’s Limited, Walker, in his mid-forties, immediately thought about all the people who had helped him through life—as an undergraduate at Texas A&M (class of ’63), a graduate student at Harvard, and a once-young entrepreneur himself. As he and Dell created the foundation of what would become one of the most successful companies in the world, Walker was guided by the lessons of his past business ventures, by his belief in the power of imagination, and by his relationships with people who had provided encouragement when he most needed it. When he left Dell Computer Corporation to teach, Walker discovered that the stories he took with him—of his aspirations, of his failures and triumphs, and of his friends and mentors—were the key to engaging and inspiring his students. Here, Walker records those stories in a memoir that spans five decades and reveals a man whose curiosity, resourcefulness, and luck led him out of South Texas and into corporate boardrooms, university lecture halls, and community activism. In fast-paced tales about life as a high-tech entrepreneur, adjunct professor, civic leader, and environmental advocate, Walker manages to convey the importance of creative thinking and communal effort in all his endeavors. Originally offered to a small group of college students in Italy for study abroad, this affecting memoir will introduce to a wider audience not only a seasoned executive and philanthropist but also a wise and delightful storyteller.
Download or read book Progress in Geology of China 1993 1996 written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 1130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Palaces and Power in the Americas written by Jessica Joyce Christie and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient American palaces still captivate those who stand before them. Even in their fallen and ruined condition, the palaces project such power that, according to the editors of this new collection, it must have been deliberately drawn into their formal designs, spatial layouts, and choice of locations. Such messages separated palaces from other elite architecture and reinforced the power and privilege of those residing in them. Indeed, as Christie and Sarro write, "the relation between political power and architecture is a pervasive and intriguing theme in the Americas." Given the variety of cultures, time periods, and geographical locations examined within, the editors of this book have grouped the articles into four sections. The first looks at palaces in cultures where they have not previously been identified, including the Huaca of Moche Site, the Wari of Peru, and Chaco Canyon in the U.S. Southwest. The second section discusses palaces as "stage sets" that express power, such as those found among the Maya, among the Coast Salish of the Pacific Northwest, and at El Tajín on the Mexican Gulf Coast. The third part of the volume presents cases in which differences in elite residences imply differences in social status, with examples from Pasado de la Amada, the Valley of Oaxaca, Teotihuacan, and the Aztecs. The final section compares architectural strategies between cultures; the models here are Farfán, Peru, under both the Chimú and the Inka, and the separate states of the Maya and the Inka. Such scope, and the quality of the scholarship, make Palaces and Power in the Americas a must-have work on the subject.
Download or read book Marvels of the New West written by William M. Thayer and published by . This book was released on 1887 with total page 774 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Austin to ATX written by Joe Nick Patoski and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-23 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this gonzo history of the “City of the Violet Crown,” author and journalist Joe Nick Patoski chronicles the modern evolution of the quirky, bustling, funky, self-contradictory place known as Austin, Texas. Patoski describes the series of cosmic accidents that tossed together a mashup of outsiders, free spirits, thinkers, educators, writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, artists, and politicians who would foster the atmosphere, the vibe, the slightly off-kilter zeitgeist that allowed Austin to become the home of both Armadillo World Headquarters and Dell Technologies. Patoski’s raucous, rollicking romp through Austin’s recent past and hipster present connects the dots that lead from places like Scholz Garten—Texas’ oldest continuously operating business—to places like the Armadillo, where Willie Nelson and Darrell Royal brought hippies and rednecks together around music. He shows how misfits like William Sydney Porter—the embezzler who became famous under his pen name, O. Henry—served as precursors for iconoclasts like J. Frank Dobie, Bud Shrake, and Molly Ivins. He describes the journey, beginning with the search for an old girlfriend, that eventually brought Louis Black, Nick Barbaro, and Roland Swenson to the founding of the South by Southwest music, film, and technology festival. As one Austinite, who in typical fashion is simultaneously pursuing degrees in medicine and cinematography, says, “Austin is very different from the rest of Texas.” Many readers of Austin to ATX will have already realized that. Now they will know why.
