Kirjahaku

Carefully woven, Netting the Sun offers a diversity of natural and human stories from a landscape seemingly empty and forlorn to passing casual travelers. This surprising interpretation of south central Oregon's botany, geology, climate, wildlife, ethnography, and history reveals what a truly special place the high desert is. Born in the sagebrush community of Lakeview in 1941, the author moved on following high school graduation. But as with many native sons and daughters from America's out-of-the-way places, the urge to return to his roots proved irresistible in middle age. "I endeavored to write this collection about the Oregon desert because of my childhood there," Adams writes, "but also because it is a place of startling mystery, subdued danger, and beauty.

At first glance the landscape looks desolate-a barren realm of basalt rims, high cold deserts, dry lakes, and vast expanses of grass and sage. In fact, it is a place where petite flowers bloom on rock shelves. Tiny organisms thrive in hot springs and water saltier than any ocean. Even some of the soil is unique--a special combination that collects and retains water and allows ancient pine stands to survive. The diminutive pika harvests meadow grass, building miniature haystacks to store food for the winter. When the time is right, thousands of tiny green and black frogs emerge from mud cracks along a lake perimeter. There is also human history, evidenced by petroglyphs and remnants of ranches, mills, and mines. Indeed, remote southeast Oregon is a rich wonderland of mountains, forests, creatures, and more--one well worth exploring.Designed as a road tour guide, Remote Wonders is an ideal introduction to Oregon's magnificent corner. Individual chapters highlight notable natural and historical features. The book includes essays, numerous photos, and a pull-out map keyed to selected sites. Supplemental information includes side trip recommendations, potential hazards, when to travel, and what to bring.Born and raised in Oregon's Outback, the author's affection for the region shines through. Ultimately, Melvin Adams hopes his book will entice readers to visit and delight in this wild steppe country.

I have spent a career sifting through the rubble, the abandoned documents, the factories and tools, with the thought of saving what remains of water, land, and animals. But water, wind, and root have their way."--Melvin R. AdamsPerhaps the first environmental engineer at Hanford, Adams spent twenty-four years on its 586 square miles. His thoughtful vignettes recall challenges and sites he worked on or found personally intriguing, like the 216-U-pond. Nestled among the trees, the pond looks like a pleasant place to go fishing. In reality, it has been contaminated with plutonium longer than any other place on earth.In what Adams considers his most successful project, he helped determine the initial scope of the soil and solid waste cleanup. The Environmental Restoration and Disposal Facility today covers 107 acres and has a capacity of 18 million tons.His group also designed and tested a marked, maintenance-free disposal barrier. It uses natural materials that will remain stable for thousands of years. They expanded a network of groundwater monitoring wells to define contaminated plumes, assess treatment effectiveness, and provide relevant data to hydrologists. They also developed a pilot scale pump and treatment plant for use on a four-square-mile carbon tetrachloride plume. His environmental and engineering unit included a biological control group fondly dubbed "The Weeds." They controlled tumbleweeds, tracked and collected plants and animals found growing or digging in contaminated sites, and caught stray wildlife discovered in Hanford offices.In Atomic Geography, Adams presents some surprising revelations. He shares his perspective on leaking high-level waste storage tanks, dosimeters, and Hanford's obsession with safety. He answers the question he is asked most, insisting he does not glow in the dark. He leaves that to spent fuel rods in water storage basins--a phenomenon known as Cherenkov radiation.