Western National Wildlife Refuges: Thirty-Six Ecological Havens from California to Texas
Editorial Reviews
Ed Stauss, Phainopepla, April 1997
Over 500 wildlife habitats are protected in our national system, serving approximately one quarter of North America's endangered species. The 93-million-acre system of National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) is overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the simple mission to protect wildlife. The management style falls short of providing absolute sanctuary. Hunting and collection of specimens is allowed at specified times and locations within the refuges. It is argued that converting a species group such as ducks into a cash crop becomes a way of ensuring their continuation on the planet. This book addresses the issues of wildlife management and refuge policy in the Introduction and Epilogue, but the majority of the text describes 36 ecological havens within the seven southwestern states from California to Texas which are of interest to birders and nature wanderers. In California, the book treats the Kern NWR, Hopper Mountain NWR, Salton Sea NWR, and the Tijuana Slough NWR. As an example of the coverage, eight pages on the Salton Sea include information such as highway access, lodging and camping references, weather, and other data useful to travel planning. Slightly over half of the Salton Sea's page count is descriptive text that helps you decide if this is the place you want to visit and what to see and do when you get there. Abbreviated bird, mammal and herp lists suggest the range of creatures to be found. For birds, the book says there are 388 listed species and identifies 39 of them. Much of the book is text with scattered black and white photos but 80 pages of color photos on glossy paper are scattered throughout. The Salton Sea is represented in three color photos. This is a useful book in planning a wildlife expedition. It may help the average ecotraveler to find good birding areas.
Kevin DesRoberts, Manager, Ruby Lake Nat'l Wildlife Refuge
. . . an excellent job in describing the ecological and spiritual significance . . . valuable to anyone interested in wildlife and, especially, wildlife refuges.
Western National Wildlife Refuges: Thirty-Six Ecological Havens from California to Texas
Western National Wildlife Refuges: Thirty-Six Ecological Havens from California to Texas,Dennis Wall,Museum of New Mexico Press,0890133069,Animals,Guidebooks,Life Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems,Natural history,Nature,Nature/Ecology,West (U.S.),Wildlife,Wildlife refuges
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