A wealth of information. - Booklist "A nice range of accessible information and activities." - Orion Afield

Where can you find mosses that change landscapes, salamanders with algae in their skin, and carnivorous plants containing whole ecosystems in their furled leaves? Where can you find swamp-trompers, wildlife watchers, marsh managers, and mud-mad scientists? In wetlands, those complex habitats that play such vital ecological roles. In Wading Right In, Catherine Owen Koning and Sharon M. Ashworth take us on a journey into wetlands through stories from the people who wade in the muck. Traveling alongside scientists, explorers, and kids with waders and nets, the authors uncover the inextricably entwined relationships between the water flows, natural chemistry, soils, flora, and fauna of our floodplain forests, fens, bogs, marshes, and mires. Tales of mighty efforts to protect rare orchids, restore salt marshes, and preserve sedge meadows become portals through which we visit major wetland types and discover their secrets, while also learning critical ecological lessons. The United States still loses wetlands at a rate of 13,800 acres per year. Such loss diminishes the water quality of our rivers and lakes, depletes our capacity for flood control, reduces our ability to mitigate climate change, and further impoverishes our biodiversity. Koning and Ashworth’s stories captivate the imagination and inspire the emotional and intellectual connections we need to commit to protecting these magical and mysterious places.

Though we often think of the natural world as lying far from our front door, often the most interesting aspects of nature can be found in the kitchen, basement, or backyard. Discover Nature Around the House explores the properties, processes, and phases of the plant and animal life in our own homes, from ferns and cacti to spiders and dogs. With just a few essentials, such as a field notebook, hand lens, and bug box, readers will find both straightforward information and all kinds of activities to uncover the fascinating, diverse ecosystems that flourish right our noses.

Hiking, trekking, camping, climbing, biking, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, whitewater rafting, and mountaineering with children of all ages 50 family adventure trips--close-to-home, budget-wise, and national parks How to plan, pack, and organize trips, especially tricky with infants and toddlers and extended, mixed, or blended families A helpful guide for parents who want to keep traveling, remain active in the outdoors, and get their kids interested in nature and the environment. Blends interactive parenting and coaching skills with outdoor sports, adventure, and travel. Taking children on camping trips or rafting trips can be a challenge, but by balancing safety and adventure, independence for older children, and family participation, everyone can have fun. A section on safety includes basic first aid and what to put in emergency kits.

An environmental engineer turned ecology writer relates the history of our waterways and her own growing understanding of what needs to be done to save this essential natural resource. Water: A Natural History takes us back to the diaries of the first Western explorers; it moves from the reservoir to the modern toilet, from the grasslands of the Midwest to the Everglades of Florida, through the guts of a wastewater treatment plant and out to the waterways again. It shows how human-engineered dams, canals and farms replaced nature's beaver dams, prairie dog tunnels, and buffalo wallows. Step by step, Outwater makes clear what should have always been obvious: while engineering can de-pollute water, only ecologically interacting systems can create healthy waterways. Important reading for students of environmental studies, the heart of this history is a vision of our land and waterways as they once were, and a plan that can restore them to their former glory: a land of living streams, public lands with hundreds of millions of beaver-built wetlands, prairie dog towns that increase the amount of rainfall that percolates to the groundwater, and forests that feed their fallen trees to the sea.

Introduces the many kinds of plants and animals found in freshwater wetlands, including flycatchers, whirligig beetles, and tiny water fleas and worms.

German jurist and legal theorist Carl Schmitt (1888-1985) significantly influenced Western political and legal thinking in the last century, yet his life and work have also stirred considerable controversy. While his ideas have been used and diffused by prominent philosophers on both the left and the right, such as Jurgen Habermas and Leo Strauss, his Nazi-era past, especially his active efforts to remove Jewish influence from German law, has cast a cloud over his life and oeuvre. Still, his many supporters have generally been successful in claiming that Schmitt's was an "antisemitism of opportunity," a temporary affectation to gain favor with the Nazis. In Carl Schmitt and the Jews, available in English for the first time, historian Raphael Gross vigorously repudiates this "opportunism thesis." Through a reading of Schmitt's corpus, some of which became available only after his death, Gross highlights the importance of the "Jewish Question" on the breadth of Schmitt's work. According to Gross, Schmitt's antisemitism was at the core of his work--before, during, and after the Nazi era. His influential polarities of "friend and foe," "law and nomos," "behemoth and Leviathan," and "ketechon and Antichrist" emerge from a conceptual template in which "the Jew" is defined as adversary, undermining the Christian order with secularization. The presence of this template at the heart of Schmitt's work, Gross contends, calls for a major reassessment of Schmitt's role within contemporary cultural and legal theory.

Empower children to become nature explorers with this full-color guide that features beautiful watercolors, tips on becoming a naturalist, and engaging activities. Whether you live in the middle of a big city or along a rural countryside, nature surrounds you the moment you step outside. It’s the air you breathe and the ground beneath your feet. It’s the birds, the bugs, the grass, and the trees. Celebrate the great outdoors, and become a nature explorer with acclaimed artist and naturalist Jenny deFouw Geuder. Nature Explorer is a kids’ guide to observing and interacting with the natural world. The book begins with a chapter on how children can become naturalists. It outlines how to observe, identify, and record, as well as tips on staying safe in nature. In the next section, young readers learn how to use their various senses during observation. That’s followed by an introduction to backyard wildlife, including butterflies, chipmunks, frogs, squirrels, and more, along with a selection of common trees, wildflowers, and other types of plants. Nature Explorer also includes 17 crafty activities and hands-on projects, such as starting a home terrarium, pressing flowers, and painting rocks. Jenny’s stunning watercolors captivate kids’ imaginations, and the fascinating text teaches about the world that surrounds them. Plus, the tried-and-true projects are sure to get kids interested in the great outdoors. So get Nature Explorer, and start your children on a path to becoming naturalists. Use it on its own, or pair it with the Nature Explorer Sketchbook for drawing, sketching, and recording observations.