Kirjahaku

No natural resource issue has greater significance for the future of Texas than water. The state's demand for water for municipal, industrial, agricultural, and recreational uses continues to grow exponentially, while the supply from rivers, lakes, aquifers, and reservoirs is limited. To help Texans manage their water resources today and plan for future needs, one of Texas's top water experts has compiled this authoritative overview of water issues in Texas.Water in Texas covers all the major themes in water management and conservation:Living with a Limited ResourceThe Molecule that Moves MountainsA Texas Water JourneyThe Gulf Shores of TexasWho's Who in WaterTexas Water Law: A Blend of Two CulturesDoes Texas Have Enough Water?Planning for the FutureWhat's in Your Water?How Much is Water Worth?Water is Our LegacyIllustrated with color photographs and maps, Water in Texas will be the essential resource for landowners, citizen activists, policymakers, and city planners.

For everyone who loves the bird we call roadrunner, camino corres, paisano, chaparral...Southwesterners are well accustomed to this sleek, mostly brown and white, long-tailed nemesis of coyote as it darts across roads or perches on a post or branch never too far from the ground. Equally familiar is the stylized image of the roadrunner, which adorns everything from Native American pottery and jewelry to clothing and logos. Clearly the roadrunner continues to thrive as a cultural icon. Yet no other study comes close to equaling Wyman Meinzers stunning classic, now available in this tenth anniversary edition. Meinzers photo study is his personal account of the years he has spent observing and recording the daily routine of several roadrunner families. Through his lens, Meinzer chronicled roadrunners courting, mating, nesting, hunting, and rearing their young. Punctuated by humor and poignancy, his story possesses an unmatched connectedness and insights afforded only those who develop a longstanding relationship with their subjects of study. Many of the roadrunners that Meinzer recorded became comfortable with his presenceone even permitted his assistance in catching a lizard. Though it is hard to improve upon a classic, this new edition, celebrating the books tenth year of publication, includes a new preface from Meinzer and several new photographs, including that of a rare white roadrunner.

In December 2004, an aging black Labrador retriever on the first hunting trip of her long, good life spooked at the sound of gunshot and was lost amid the frigid rice fields of the Texas coastal prairie. For a week her owner searched for his old companion, knowing that her age and inexperience were stacked against her survival. When family obligations pulled him halfway across the country, sadness and gloom pervaded the approaching holiday. Then a freak snowstorm, a distant phone call, and a friend's lucky timing brought an unexpected reminder of the magic of Christmas. The regular feature ""Scout"" in ""Texas Parks and Wildlife"" magazine is named after this remarkable dog. Here is the true story of her winter adventure.

In 1969, J. David Bamberger bought what he described as “the sorriest piece of land” in the Texas Hill Country for the specific purpose of restoring the degraded landscape. Today, Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve is one of the largest habitat restoration projects in the state—5,500 acres—and serves as a model for land conservation and environmental education. The ranch has earned numerous awards, including the coveted Leopold Conservation Award, the Texas Environmental Excellence Award in Education, the National Private Lands Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Award, and most recently, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas International Award of Excellence in Conservation, just to name a few.Seasons at Selah: The Legacy of Bamberger Ranch Preserve chronicles Bamberger’s dedication to ethical land stewardship and conservation education through stunning photographs of the land, plants, and wildlife he has devoted his time and resources to protect. Photographers Rusty Yates and David K. Langford capture each season at Selah and offer an intimate glimpse into the day-to-day management and operations of the ranch as well as some of the challenges it faces. In the accompanying text, Andrew Sansom shares his own stories from his decades-long friendship with Bamberger.Readers will gain a deeper appreciation for what conservation means for Texas: clean and abundant water, wildlife, healthy land, and an inspiring place to learn about and enjoy nature. Above all, Selah has given Texans a special opportunity to stop, pause, and reflect on the importance of good stewardship of the earth.

More than the lifeblood of our natural world, Texas rivers have nourished the human spirit for as long as people have gathered on their banks. A living bond has flowed between Texas writers and rivers ever since the 1960 publication of John Graves’s classic journey along the Brazos, Goodbye to a River.Many of Texas’ leading writers have had their hearts captured by a river, and they have created sparkling accounts of the waterways they love. Now, editors Steven L. Davis and Sam L. Pfiester have assembled the best of those works into a revelatory collection of diverse literary voices.Ranging from the desert canyonlands of the Rio Grande to the swampy Big Thicket, from crystal clear Hill Country streams to the Red River’s treacherous quicksand, Viva Texas Rivers! showcases many classic writings along with brand new essays written for this volume. The literary nonfiction is complemented by flashes of poetry that brilliantly reflect these curving ribbons of light.Authoritative and expertly edited, Viva Texas Rivers! offers shimmering accounts of hidden paradises, as well as searing exposÉs of abuse and despoliation. Yet even in the bleakest times, as these writers have found, Texas rivers can bestow a sacred grace —and unexpected redemption.Viva Texas Rivers! brings you as close to the living nirvana of a Texas River as you can get without launching yourself into a canoe and following a great blue heron as it glides just above the breaking rapids, leading you around the bend as the river flows onward toward the best places in our hearts.