Island Press E-ssentials

With their elusive and solitary nature, tigers and snow leopards are a challenge for even the most seasoned field biologists to track and study. Yet scientist and conservation leader Eric Dinerstein began his career in the heart of Nepal's tiger country and the perilous Himalayan slopes of the snow leopard, where he discovered the joys-and frustrations-of studying wildlife in some of the most unpredictable and remote places on Earth. In Discovering Big Cat Country, Dinerstein tells the story of two formative journeys from his early days as a biologist: two and a half years as a young Peace Corps Volunteer in the jungles of Nepal and later, as a newly-minted Ph.D., an arduous trek to search for snow leopards in the Kashmir region of India. In these chapters, excerpted from Tigerland and other Unintended Destinations, Dinerstein paints an evocative picture of the homelands and habits of two fascinating predators, and recalls local partners and fellow conservationists who inspired him with their passion for wild places.

This E-ssential is a three-part series that covers John Davis's epic journey from Florida to Maine. In 2011, with support from the Wildlands Network, Davis traveled 7,600 miles in 10 months from Florida to Maine by foot, bicycle, skis, and canoe/kayak. His extensive traveles were motivated by wanting to answer the question "Is it possible in the twenty-first century to identify and protect a continental-long wildlife corridor that could help to protect eastern nature into the future?" John paints a vivid picture of the physical challenges of the trek, such as climbing the highest point in South Carolina with a heavily loaded bike and trying to consume the 8,000 calories per day he needed to fuel himself for the journey. As readers adventure with Davis, they will also share his evolving understanding of what it would take to implement an Eastern Wildway. Eastern wildlife, both seen and unseen, from Florida panthers to North Carolina's red wolves to the ghosts of cougars farther north, are the real focus of this adventure as John explores how such wildness can coexist with human development in the most populated regions of the United States. The science and conservation of large-scale connectivity are brought to life by his travels-offering unique insights into the challenges and opportunities for creating an Eastern Wildway. This is a must-read for enthusiasts of hiking narratives, as well as professionals and students interested in issues related to large-scale connectivity. Compelling photographs and other graphics complement John's fascinating story.

In this provocative collection of essays, renowned architect Daniel Solomon delves into the complexities of what makes a city vibrant. Acknowledging that a city is not a static thing, he argues we need to pay more attention to nurturing what he calls "continuous cities." In such a city, he says, "new buildings, new institutions, and new technologies don't rip apart the old and wreck it. They accommodate, they act with respect, and they add vibrant new chapters to history without eradicating it." Continuity, he explains, is the way to promote sustainability- and contrary to what the advocates of "modern architecture" claim, he insists that honoring the traditional ways of city building still provides a solid foundation for places to grow, evolve, be modern. However fond you are of your city, or however much you feel it needs improvement, this short collection of essays offers an enticing vision of the future. All of our cities have a past worth examining, a richness of experience that can shape the future in wonderful, surprising ways. Solomon's prose is thought-provoking and inspiring, well worth keeping close by wherever you do your reading-be it your bedside, couch, a park, or on the metro. "Daniel Solomon…is a wonderful writer, with a quirky, far-ranging mind that can find a metaphor for city planning in the contrasting careers of Alice Waters and Julia Child." "[Bedside Essays for Lovers (of Cities)] is really a masterpiece of great clarity, power, passion, and wit… [It was] like catnip to me, repelling the mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites that invade the finest of houses."---Jonathan Cott, prolific author of "Pipers at the Gates of Dawn" "If only all architects could write as engagingly as Daniel Solomon!" "Dan Solomon is the most entertaining and literate of the ever-growing body of people who think the modernist city was a bad idea. This wise, readable book, filled with poignant anecdotes and memorable insights, illumines the way to a saner future."---Robert Campbell, architect and Pultizer Prize-winning critic

In Thinking Like a Mountain, we have excerpted a clear and inviting introduction to the science of conservation biology from Ed Grumbine's previous book, Ghost Bears. Grumbine offers a succinct and evocative description of why we should all care about biodiversity, protected lands, connectivity, and extinction rates, and the advantages to be gained by attempting to 'think like a mountain', as so eloquently phrased by Aldo Leopold. "A story that is rigorous, inspiring, and fun to read.I have seen no better rendering of modern conservation science into readable prose."---Reed Noss "For those who dream of reforging human bonds with the wilds, Grumbine's work offers a timely invocation"

This E-ssential is a three-part series that covers John Davis's epic journey from Florida to Maine. In 2011, with support from the Wildlands Network, Davis traveled 7,600 miles in 10 months from Florida to Maine by foot, bicycle, skis, and canoe/kayak. His extensive travels were motivated by wanting to answer the question "Is it possible in the twenty-first century to identify and protect a continental-long wildlife corridor that could help to protect eastern nature into the future?" John paints a vivid picture of the physical challenges of the trek, such as climbing the highest point in South Carolina with a heavily loaded bike and trying to consume the 8,000 calories per day he needed to fuel himself for the journey. As readers adventure with Davis, they will also share his evolving understanding of what it would take to implement an Eastern Wildway. Eastern wildlife, both seen and unseen, from Florida panthers to North Carolina's red wolves to the ghosts of cougars farther north, are the real focus of this adventure as John explores how such wildness can coexist with human development in the most populated regions of the United States. The science and conservation of large-scale connectivity are brought to life by his travels-offering unique insights into the challenges and opportunities for creating an Eastern Wildway. This is a must-read for enthusiasts of hiking narratives, as well as professionals and students interested in issues related to large-scale connectivity. Compelling photographs and other graphics complement John's fascinating story. "Following in the footsteps of other conservationists such as J. Michael Fay and his legendary megatransect across the Congo Basin, John Davis brings to life the plight of large predators on the Eastern Seaboard, caught in an increasingly fragmented landscape. He proposes a visionary solution that offers new hope for wildlife and humans alike. Davis, like Fay, knows what he is talking about since he was right there."---Douglas Tompkins, Conservationist, and President of Foundation for Deep Ecology "Inspired by John Muir's A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, John Davis walks, bikes, and kayaks on a 'voyage of recovery' from the Florida Keys to southeastern Canada. He bears witness not only to wilderness that still sustains bears, panthers, and bobcats but also to the possibilities for connecting further wildways in the eastern United States. His inspiring journey reminds us all that we must rediscover the wildness we still have before we lose it forever."---Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club "Davis's honest recounting of his adventures, and short interviews with folks along the way make the reader feel like they too are walking, cycling, and paddling along with him. . . . Big, Wild and Connected will appeal to hikers, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts as well as students, professors, or practicing conservationists who wish to know what needs to happen to foster a North American East which can once again sustain widely roaming predators like panthers."

Why do people in Stockholm prefer to take the stairs over the escalator? Why do Londoners enjoy hanging out at bus stops? How do carmakers convince us to buy gas-guzzling, environmentally damaging, and wallet-draining machines? It's called the fun theory. What Darrin Nordahl illustrates in this delightful book is that transit can be just as inviting, exciting, and even seductive as the automobile, if designed with the passenger experience in mind. In Making Transit Fun!, Nordahl shows that with the help of architects, urban designers, graphic artists, industrial engineers, marketing experts-and even fashion designers-we can lure people out of their automobiles and toward healthier, more sustainable methods of transportation. This accessible E-ssential focuses on the possibilities for making public transit, cycling, and walking more appealing to the motorist. In each section, Nordahl demonstrates how the transit stigma can be overcome with innovative design. From the aesthetics of buses to segregated bike lanes and pedestrian-priority streets, Nordahl showcases examples from around the world that excite the heart and bring an easy smile. "[Nordahl's] potent new e-book, Making Transit Fun!, has all the enthusiasm for buses, trains, and bike lanes that its title's exclamation point implies. Can transit incorporate art? Yes! How about playground equipment? You bet. Even … sex? Oh yeah, baby." "In a new e-book from Island Press called Making Transit Fun!: How to Entice Motorists from Their Cars (and onto Their Feet, a Bike, or Bus), urban designer and writer Darrin Nordahl writes that advocates for non-car transportation need to stop trying to appeal to reason and go for the gut instead…Nordahl's book is a reminder that transit has only lost when it aims low. We should always be looking for joy, even on the bus." "It's a quick two-hour read full of well-researched examples and compelling arguments on the power of fun to affect our transportation experience." "This book is very well written with plenty of examples (mostly from North America and Europe) and photos showing what he's talking about. It's divided into seven chapters with bouncy titles such as Seductive Transit, the Joy of Cycling, and Walker's Paradise." "...worth checking out in its entirety."

This E-ssential is a three-part series that covers John Davis's epic journey from Florida to Maine. In 2011, with support from the Wildlands Network, Davis traveled 7,600 miles in 10 months from Florida to Maine by foot, bicycle, skis, and canoe/kayak. His extensive travels were motivated by wanting to answer the question "Is it possible in the twenty-first century to identify and protect a continental-long wildlife corridor that could help to protect eastern nature into the future?" John paints a vivid picture of the physical challenges of the trek, such as climbing the highest point in South Carolina with a heavily loaded bike and trying to consume the 8,000 calories per day he needed to fuel himself for the journey. As readers adventure with Davis, they will also share his evolving understanding of what it would take to implement an Eastern Wildway. Eastern wildlife, both seen and unseen, from Florida panthers to North Carolina's red wolves to the ghosts of cougars farther north, are the real focus of this adventure as John explores how such wildness can coexist with human development in the most populated regions of the United States. The science and conservation of large-scale connectivity are brought to life by his travels-offering unique insights into the challenges and opportunities for creating an Eastern Wildway. This is a must-read for enthusiasts of hiking narratives, as well as professionals and students interested in issues related to large-scale connectivity. Compelling photographs and other graphics complement John's fascinating story. "John Davis is a traveler of another order. Davis undertakes the discovery of this continent's great wild places not to prove himself, but to ground-truth the admonition that nature is fraying at the seams. With the soul of a poet, and in the tone of a close friend, Davis defines a collective imperative: heal nature now. You will see why and how when you read his work."---Mary Ellen Hannibal, author of "The Spine of the Continent" "We have an Appalachian Trail for hikers, a Blue Ridge Parkway for drivers, and an interstate highway system for commerce, so why not an Eastern Conservation Corridor for wildlife? If you like big ideas and especially those that call for restoring missing predators like cougar and wolves, then you will thoroughly enjoy this journey with John Davis as he seeks out the remaining wild places from Kentucky to New York in part 2 of the three-part Big, Wild, and Connected trek."---David Govatski, author of "Forests for the People"

Trash Backwards: Innovating Our Way to Zero Waste examines the various kinds of trash Americans are producing in staggering quantities, and profiles a range of innovative processes, people, and companies who are thinking creatively about how to not just reduce pressure on landfills, but redefine what's possible in the realm of recycling. This E-ssential offers insights into the motivations and inspirations of people working on cutting edge processes of waste management and land reclamation in America-from household trash to biowaste processing to reclaiming brownfields. We're at a critical juncture with our waste production- and among all of the other problems on Earth (climate change, war, stagnant economies), this is the one that ingenuity, as well as a little old-fashioned conservation, can put a big dent in, if not solve. "In Trash Backwards David Naylor raises essential and provocative questions about the need to entirely rethink the whole concept of garbage-and how important it is to move toward a future where is no such thing as waste."---Elizabeth Grossman, author of "High Tech Trash"

In Simple Pleasures: Thoughts on Food, Friendship, and Life we have highlighted two chapters from Stephanie Mill's reflection the pleasures, as well as the virtues and difficulties, of a perhaps simpler than average North American life. It is a thoughtful paean to living, like Thoreau, a deliberate life. Mill's writing is beautifully crafted, fluid, inspiring, and enlightening, and these chapters encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your own life. It celebrates the pleasures, beauty, and fulfillment of a simple life, a goal well worth striving for. "Stephanie Mills is a woman I listen to with great respect. Her life is her art. Her words are a courageous offering of love gleaned through a personal commitment toward social change."---Terry Tempest Williams "...a welcome antidote, an eloquent tale of one woman's quest for a simple existence." "...clear and simple language, along with much beautifully phrased wisdom."