Download or read book The Natural History of Texas written by Brian R. Chapman and published by Integrative Natural History Se. This book was released on 2018-03 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From two veteran ecologists comes a new and sweeping exploration of the natural history of Texas in all its biological diversity and geological variation. Few states, if any, can match Texas for its myriad species, past and present, and its many distinctive landscapes, from prairie grasslands and hardwood forests to coastal lagoons and desert mountains. Beginning with the stories of how biologists and naturalists have over time defined the ecological areas of this very big state, the authors visit each of the eleven regions, including the Texas coast. They describe the dominant flora and fauna of each, explain the defining geologic features, and highlight each region's unique characteristics, such as carnivorous plants in the Piney Woods and returning black bears in the Trans-Pecos. Throughout, the authors remain especially conscious of the conservation and management issues affecting the natural resources of each region, revealing their deep affection for and knowledge about the state. Bolstered by a glossary, further reading suggestions, a description of state symbols, and an appendix of scientific names, this is an educational and essential volume for all Texans. ECOREGIONS Piney Woods Post Oak Savanna Blackland Prairies Cross Timbers and Prairies Rolling Plains Edwards Plateau High Plains Trans-Pecos South Texas Brushland Coastal Prairies Texas Gulf Coast

Download or read book Hill Country Landowner s Guide written by James P. Stanley and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this invaluable new book, Jim Stanley charts a practical course for understanding and handling a variety of problems that both new and established landowners in the Texas Hill Country will confront--from brush control, grazing, and overpopulation of deer to erosion, fire, and management of exotic animals and plants.

Download or read book Wanted Mountain Cedars written by Elizabeth McGreevy and published by . This book was released on 2021-04-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This controversial, eye-opening book by Elizabeth McGreevy suggests a different perception of Mountain Cedars (also called Ashe Junipers). It digs into the politics, history, economics, culture, and ecology surrounding these trees in the Hill Country of Texas from the 1700s to the present. Since the 1920s, reporters, writers, scientists, landowners, politicians, and cedar fever victims have characterized the trees as a non-native, water-hogging, grass-killing, toxic, useless species to justify its removal. The result has been a glut of Mountain Cedar tall tales. Yet before the 1890s, people highly respected Mountain Cedars. The Mountain Cedars they reported were large timber trees with strong, decay-resistant heartwood. Most were cut down and sold to boost the young Hill Country economy. The clearcutting of old-growth forests and dense woodlands and the continuous overgrazing of prairies that followed led to mass soil degradation and erosion. Acting as nature's bandage, Mountain Cedars morphed into pioneering bushes and spread across degraded soils. This book tracks down the origins of the tall tales to determine what is true, what is false, and what is somewhere in between. Through a series of revelations, the author replaces anti-cedar sentiments with a more constructive, less emotional approach to Hill Country land management.

Download or read book Springs of Texas written by Gunnar M. Brune and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text explores the natural history of Texas and more than 2900 springs in 183 Texas counties. It also includes an in-depth discussion of the general characteristics of springs - their physical and prehistoric settings, their historical significance, and their associated flora and fauna.

Download or read book Common Rangeland Plants of West Central Texas written by George Clendenin and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2016-10-28 with total page 604 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Well-managed ranch lands or rangeland in Texas capture the rain that permeates our soils, sustains creeks and rivers, and replenishes aquifers, which, in turn, water our cities. The stewardship of the region is the focus of this book—the largest contributing watershed in the Colorado River Basin—viewed through the lens of its plant communities. This field guide and management reference to four million acres of rangeland in the Concho River watershed of west central Texas offers general descriptions of more than 200 plant species, including information about the plant’s growing period, growth form, livestock and wildlife value, and special management issues. Accompanying photographs give the reader an idea of not only what the plant looks like on the range but also which identifiable features, such as flowers, fruit, or leaf shape, are most important to that particular plant. In addition, several experts cover the use of fire and the management of deer, turkey, dove, and other wildlife in this region. A discussion of noxious, invasive, and toxic plants; historical accounts of the region; four useful appendixes; a glossary; and a plant list complete the impressive content of this comprehensive volume.

Download or read book The Texas Landscape Project written by David A. Todd and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2016-06-14 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Texas Landscape Project explores conservation and ecology in Texas by presenting a highly visual and deeply researched view of the widespread changes that have affected the state as its population and economy have boomed and as Texans have worked ever harder to safeguard its bountiful but limited natural resources. Covering the entire state, from Pineywoods bottomlands and Panhandle playas to Hill Country springs and Big Bend canyons, the project examines a host of familiar and not so familiar environmental issues. A companion volume to The Texas Legacy Project, this book tracks specific environmental changes that have occurred in Texas using more than 300 color maps, expertly crafted by cartographer Jonathan Ogren, and over 100 photographs that coalesce to fashion a broad portrait of the modern Texas landscape. The rich data, compiled by author David Todd, are presented in clearly written yet marvelously detailed text that gives historical context and contemporary statistics for environmental trends connected to the land, water, air, energy, and built world of the second-largest and second-most populated state in the nation. An engaging read for any environmentalist or conscientious citizen, The Texas Landscape Project provides a true sense of the grand scope of the Lone Star State and the high stakes of protecting it. 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 Lone Star Wildflowers written by LaShara J. Nieland and published by Grover E. Murray Studies in th. This book was released on 2009 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In photographs and text, describes hundreds of Texas wildflowers. The 400 photographs are arranged by color to aid identification. The book describes past and present uses of the plants, the stories behind their scientific and common names, their medicinal and toxic properties, Native American lore, and other interesting facts and stories"--Provided by publisher.

Download or read book Official Guide to Texas State Parks and Historic Sites written by Laurence Parent and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2009-02-17 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since it was first published in 1996, Official Guide to Texas State Parks and Historic Sites has become Texans' one-stop source for information on great places to view scenic landscapes, tour historical sites, camp, fish, hike, backpack, swim, ride horseback, go rock climbing, and enjoy almost any other outdoor recreation. This revised edition includes five new state parks and historical sites, completely updated information for every park, and many beautiful new photographs. The book is organized by geographical regions to help you plan your trips around the state. For every park, Laurence Parent provides all of the essential information: The natural or historical attractions of the park Types of recreation offered Camping and lodging facilities Addresses and phone numbers A locator map Magnificent color photographs So if you want to watch the sun set over Enchanted Rock, fish in the surf on the beach at Galveston, or listen for a ghostly bugle among the ruins of Fort Lancaster, let this book be your complete guide. Don't take a trip in Texas without it.

Download or read book Goodbye to a River written by John Graves and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2010-11-10 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 1950s, a series of dams was proposed along the Brazos River in north-central Texas. For John Graves, this project meant that if the stream’s regimen was thus changed, the beautiful and sometimes brutal surrounding countryside would also change, as would the lives of the people whose rugged ancestors had eked out an existence there. Graves therefore decided to visit that stretch of the river, which he had known intimately as a youth. Goodbye to a River is his account of that farewell canoe voyage. As he braves rapids and fatigue and the fickle autumn weather, he muses upon old blood feuds of the region and violent skirmishes with native tribes, and retells wild stories of courage and cowardice and deceit that shaped both the river’s people and the land during frontier times and later. Nearly half a century after its initial publication, Goodbye to a River is a true American classic, a vivid narrative about an exciting journey and a powerful tribute to a vanishing way of life and its ever-changing natural environment.

Download or read book Paddling the Guadalupe written by Wayne H. McAlister and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2008-05-27 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than forty years, Wayne H. McAlister has canoed the Guadalupe River, sometimes called the “top recreational river in Texas.” In Paddling the Guadalupe, he guides readers down this 400-mile river whose waters spring from the limestone of the Hill Country in Kerr County, meander across the broad Coastal Plain, and finally empty into the Gulf of Mexico at San Antonio Bay. With the expertise of a life and career immersed in nature, he introduces readers to the places, people, plants, and animals—large and small, aquatic and terrestrial—that depend on the Guadalupe for either their livelihoods or their existence. With affection and humor (and sometimes aggravation), he wryly comments on the development and human activity along the river’s course, from the headwaters west of Kerrville to its mouth near Tivoli, just east of Refugio. For the traveler, either on the river or along its course, McAlister’s knowledge of the grists, sawmills, dams, bridges, swimming holes, and reservoirs bring the history of familiar towns—Comfort, Canyon Lake, New Braunfels, Seguin, Gonzales, Cuero, and Victoria among them—to life. His love of the natural world, which shares the river’s bounty, will inspire and enhance anyone’s experience of the Guadalupe, from the serious canoer to the family vacationer. Photographs taken over many years provide an intimate perspective, and sixteen maps help orient those interested in getting to know the river on a more personal basis. 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 Mammals of Texas written by David J. Schmidly and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2016-08-09 with total page 737 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From reviews of previous editions: “This is the standard reference about Texas mammals.” —Wildlife Activist “A must for anyone seriously interested in the wildlife of Texas.” —Texas Outdoor Writers Association News “[This book] easily fills the role of both a field guide and a desk reference, and is written in a style that appeals to the professional biologist and amateur naturalist alike. . . . [It] should prove useful to anyone with an interest in the mammal fauna of Texas or the southern Great Plains.” —Prairie Naturalist The Mammals of Texas has been the standard reference since the first edition was coauthored by William B. Davis and Walter P. Taylor in 1947. Revised several times over the succeeding decades, it remains the most authoritative source of information on the mammalian wildlife of Texas, with physical descriptions and life histories for 202 species, abundant photographs and drawings, and distribution maps. In this new edition, David J. Schmidly is joined by one of the most active researchers on Texas mammals, Robert D. Bradley, to provide a thorough update of the taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of all species of wild mammals that inhabit Texas today. Using the most recent advances in molecular biology and in wildlife ecology and management, the authors include the most current information about the scientific nomenclature, taxonomy, and identification of species, while also covering significant advances in natural history and conservation.

Download or read book The Edwards Aquifer written by John M. Sharp Jr. and published by Geological Society of America. This book was released on 2019-11-04 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "One of the world's great karstic aquifer systems, the Edwards aquifer system supplies water for more than 2 million people and for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and recreational uses. This volume reviews the current state of knowledge, current and emerging challenges to wise use of the aquifer system, and some technologies that must be adopted to address these challenges"--

Download or read book Violence in the Hill Country written by Nicholas Keefauver Roland and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2021-02-09 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the nineteenth century, Texas’s advancing western frontier was the site of one of America’s longest conflicts between white settlers and native peoples. The Texas Hill Country functioned as a kind of borderland within the larger borderland of Texas itself, a vast and fluid area where, during the Civil War, the slaveholding South and the nominally free-labor West collided. As in many borderlands, Nicholas Roland argues, the Hill Country was marked by violence, as one set of peoples, states, and systems eventually displaced others. In this painstakingly researched book, Roland analyzes patterns of violence in the Texas Hill Country to examine the cultural and political priorities of white settlers and their interaction with the century-defining process of national integration and state-building in the Civil War era. He traces the role of violence in the region from the eve of the Civil War, through secession and the Indian wars, and into Reconstruction. Revealing a bitter history of warfare, criminality, divided communities, political violence, vengeance killings, and economic struggle, Roland positions the Texas Hill Country as emblematic of the Southwest of its time.

Download or read book The Natural History of Texas written by Brian R. Chapman and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2018-04-12 with total page 752 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From two veteran ecologists comes a new and sweeping exploration of the natural history of Texas in all its biological diversity and geological variation. Few states, if any, can match Texas for its myriad species, past and present, and its many distinctive landscapes, from prairie grasslands and hardwood forests to coastal lagoons and desert mountains. Beginning with the stories of how biologists and naturalists have over time defined the ecological areas of this very big state, the authors visit each of the eleven regions, including the Texas coast. They describe the dominant flora and fauna of each, explain the defining geologic features, and highlight each region’s unique characteristics, such as carnivorous plants in the Piney Woods and returning black bears in the Trans-Pecos. Throughout, the authors remain especially conscious of the conservation and management issues affecting the natural resources of each region, revealing their deep affection for and knowledge about the state. Bolstered by a glossary, further reading suggestions, a description of state symbols, and an appendix of scientific names, this is an educational and essential volume for all Texans. ECOREGIONS Piney Woods Post Oak Savanna Blackland Prairies Cross Timbers and Prairies Rolling Plains Edwards Plateau High Plains Trans-Pecos South Texas Brushland Coastal Prairies Texas Gulf Coast

Download or read book Attracting Birds in the Texas Hill Country written by W. Rufus Stephens and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2016-12-22 with total page 842 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After years of working with landowners, land managers, naturalists, county officials, and others about wildlife management and land stewardship for birds in the Texas Hill Country, biologist Rufus Stephens and educator Jan Wrede teamed up to write a practical guidebook on how to improve habitat for birds on both small and large properties throughout the Hill Country. Because each bird species has specific needs for cover, food, water, nesting, and rearing their young, the book is organized by Hill Country habitat types: wooded slopes and savannahs; grasslands; rivers and creeks; canyons, seeps, and springs; tanks and ponds; plus residential backyards. Each chapter contains an in-depth discussion of common problems and possible solutions for developing optimum habitat. The book showcases 107 species in their habitats with color photographs and a short descriptive account of how to know the bird and care for its habitat. Three additional chapters on predator control, deer management, and cedar management offer detailed information on these special issues that impact the presence of birds throughout the region. As a comprehensive guide to habitat assessment, identification of birds and the habitats they use, plus stewardship practices that will benefit these birds, Attracting Birds in the Texas Hill Country offers landowners the ideal “how to manual” for writing an effective Wildlife Tax Valuation plan. By helping readers recognize and evaluate habitat health and then use appropriate habitat enhancement practices, the authors hope to inspire and enable widespread and effective bird conservation in the Texas Hill Country. And as bird populations flourish, so do the populations of other wildlife.

Download or read book Texas Quails written by Leonard A. Brennan and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2006-11-27 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nothing is more evocative of the Texas outdoors than the whistled call of the bobwhite. While the familiar two-note greeting is now just a memory for most of us who live in the state’s growing urban sprawl, this bird is an economic commodity on par with crops and livestock in some regions of Texas. Three other native species of quail also inhabit Texas. Like the northern bobwhite, the scaled quail is significant as a game bird. The other two species, Gambel’s quail and Montezuma quail, are found in limited areas of southwestern Texas and represent an important indicator of forest, rangeland, and habitat conditions. Texas Quails presents the first complete assessment of the four species of quail found in this vast state. Experts describe each of them and examine all geographic regions of the state for historical and current population trends, habitat status, and research needs. These experts also discuss management practices, hunting issues, economics, and diseases. With the recent creation of the Texas Quail Conservation Initiative, this volume provides a timely and comprehensive view of quail science and stewardship.

Download or read book The State Water Plan written by Pennsylvania. Department of Environmental Resources. Bureau of Resources Programming and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: