Disappearing Wilderness

Living in the U.P. allows us almost unlimited access to nature. The woods and wildlife are never more than 10 minutes away in any direction. PWPL has several new books that focus on humans interacting with the wilderness. All materials, including new books, can be placed on “Hold” through our online catalog (top right of the webpage) at www.pwpl.info. Curbside pickup is still available, or pick them up at the Circulation Desk during open hours.

“VESPER FLIGHTS” by Helen MacDonald (508 MA) is a collection of short stories by a British author who is also a naturalist. She covers diverse topics from the wonders of Peterson’s Field Guides to observations of ants, swans, hares, and ospreys in their habitats. The stories are well-written and mostly short enough to read in 5 minutes.

“A HISTORY OF PLANTS IN FIFTY FOSSILS” by Paul Kenrick (580 KE) chronicles how living things have responded to environmental changes through time. Learn about what has already disappeared from the planet through the study of paleobotany. Published by Smithsonian Books, the book includes large color photos of each fossil in the line-up.

“WORLD OF WONDERS: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments” by Aimee Nezhukamatathil (590 NE) is a collection of short stories that connects the author’s life to a particular plant or animal in the natural world. The author’s astute observations of nature somehow relate to her own past, present, and future in well-turned sentences. Enjoy the unexpected illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.

“AMERICA’S LARGEST CLASSROOM: What We Learn from Our National Parks” by Jessica Thompson and Ana Houseal (371.384 AM) is an academic collection of writings on how people learn about nature by interacting with plants and animals in the National Park System. The book also includes lessons on environmental psychology, climate change, and historic places. The author is an Associate Professor in Public Relations at Northern Michigan University.

“LEAVE IT AS IT IS: A Journey through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness” by David Gessner (333.78 GE) begins with President Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation of wilderness areas, and tracks the legislation needed to expand the national park system. The author retraced some of Roosevelt’s footsteps to America’s national parks while coming to the realization that our wilderness is in imminent danger of being destroyed by private development and questionable politics. Follow up with Gessner’s previous books on the environment, “MY GREEN MANIFESTO: Down the Charles River in Pursuit of a New Environmentalism” (333.72 GE) and “ALL THE WILD THAT REMAINS: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West” (363.7009 GE).

“THE NEW WILDERNESS” by Diane Cook (SCI-FI) takes readers on a journey with Bea and her young daughter, Agnes, as they join a government experiment, developed to see if people could survive a nomadic life in the wilderness, as opposed to a limited existence in overcrowded, polluted cities. When your survival is at stake, there are tough decisions to make.

“MIGRATIONS” by Charlotte McConaghy (AFIC) follows Franny Stone to Greenland where she boards the ship, Saghani (an Inuit word for raven) in order to follow the migration of Arctic terns. She soon assimilates to working with the ship’s crew, but her obsession with the terns and their struggle to survive a changing climate begins to undo her. Eventually, she must make a choice between following the migration or risking the wellbeing of the ship’s crew.

“SQUEEZE ME” by Carl Hiaasen (AFIC) takes a humorous look at the environmental devastation caused by Burmese pythons in Florida. Hiassen’s heroine is Angie Armstrong, an animal removal expert, who is called to a political gathering at the president’s Florida residence, where one of his loyal supporters has gone missing. Spoofs of Secret Service agents and an illegal immigrant labor force emerge from the storyline with hilarious results. Since the publication of “TOURIST SEASON” in 1986, Hiaasen has written 22 books, including “STORMY WEATHER,” “RAZOR GIRL” and “DANCE OF THE REPTILES.” Hiassen always includes environmental issues and loads of satire in his stories.

By Lynette Suckow

Reference Librarian