The Arbornaut

Author: Meg Lowman
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374721025
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
“An eye-opening and enchanting book by one of our major scientist-explorers.” —Diane Ackerman, author of The Zookeeper’s Wife Nicknamed the “Real-Life Lorax” by National Geographic, the biologist, botanist, and conservationist Meg Lowman—aka “CanopyMeg”—takes us on an adventure into the “eighth continent” of the world's treetops, along her journey as a tree scientist, and into climate action Welcome to the eighth continent! As a graduate student exploring the rain forests of Australia, Meg Lowman realized that she couldn’t monitor her beloved leaves using any of the usual methods. So she put together a climbing kit: she sewed a harness from an old seat belt, gathered hundreds of feet of rope, and found a tool belt for her pencils and rulers. Up she went, into the trees. Forty years later, Lowman remains one of the world’s foremost arbornauts, known as the “real-life Lorax.” She planned one of the first treetop walkways and helps create more of these bridges through the eighth continent all over the world. With a voice as infectious in its enthusiasm as it is practical in its optimism, The Arbornaut chronicles Lowman’s irresistible story. From climbing solo hundreds of feet into the air in Australia’s rainforests to measuring tree growth in the northeastern United States, from searching the redwoods of the Pacific coast for new life to studying leaf eaters in Scotland’s Highlands, from conducting a BioBlitz in Malaysia to conservation planning in India and collaborating with priests to save Ethiopia’s last forests, Lowman launches us into the life and work of a field scientist, ecologist, and conservationist. She offers hope, specific plans, and recommendations for action; despite devastation across the world, through trees, we can still make an immediate and lasting impact against climate change. A blend of memoir and fieldwork account, The Arbornaut gives us the chance to live among scientists and travel the world—even in a hot-air balloon! It is the engrossing, uplifting story of a nerdy tree climber—the only girl at the science fair—who becomes a giant inspiration, a groundbreaking, ground-defying field biologist, and a hero for trees everywhere. Includes black-and-white illustrations

Life in the Treetops

Author: Margaret D. Lowman
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300084641
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description
The tropical botanist shares the story of her adventues doing pioneering ecological research in forest canopies of Australia, Africa, Belize, and the United States.

The Leaf Detective

Author: Heather Lang
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
ISBN: 1635923697
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 50

Book Description
This picture book biography tells the story of Meg Lowman, a groundbreaking female scientist called a "real life Lorax" by National Geographic, who was determined to investigate the marvelous, undiscovered world of the rainforest treetops. Meg Lowman was always fascinated by the natural world above her head — the colors, the branches, and, most of all, the leaves and mysterious organisms living there. Meg set out to climb up and investigate the rain forest tree canopies — and to be the first scientist to do so. But she encountered challenge after challenge. Male teachers would not let her into their classrooms, the high canopy was difficult to get to, and worst of all, people were logging and clearing the forests. Meg never gave up or gave in. She studied, invented, and persevered, not only creating a future for herself as a scientist, but making sure that the rainforests had a future as well. Working closely with Meg Lowman, author Heather Lang and artist Jana Christy beautifully capture Meg's world in the treetops.

Forest Canopies

Author: Margaret Lowman
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0124575536
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 543

Book Description
The treetops of the world's forests are where discovery and opportunity abound, however they have been relatively inaccessible until recently. This book represents an authoritative synthesis of data, anecdotes, case studies, observations, and recommendations from researchers and educators who have risked life and limb in their advocacy of the High Frontier. With innovative rope techniques, cranes, walkways, dirigibles, and towers, they finally gained access to the rich biodiversity that lives far above the forest floor and the emerging science of canopy ecology. In this new edition of Forest Canopies, nearly 60 scientists and educators from around the world look at the biodiversity, ecology, evolution, and conservation of forest canopy ecosystems. Comprehensive literature list State-of-the-art results and data sets from current field work Foremost scientists in the field of canopy ecology Expanded collaboration of researchers and international projects User-friendly format with sidebars and case studies Keywords and outlines for each chapter

Treetops at Risk

Author: Margaret Lowman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461471613
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 437

Book Description
Forest canopies not only support high terrestrial biodiversity but also represent a critical interface between the atmosphere and the earth. They provide goods and services to support diverse human communities and offer opportunities to explore sustainable use of these resources for many generations of local livelihoods. Forest canopies are important carbon sequestration units, and in this sense, serve as climate control for the planet. Canopies are important energy production centers for the planet, and serve as the basis for many food chains. The canopy can also act as a hook for education outreach and conservation, inspiring ecotourism through recreation and other sustainable uses such as treetop walks, zip lines, and birding. Despite these critical services provided by forest canopies, almost no dedicated research in the treetops was initiated until as recently as the late 1970s when single rope techniques were developed by mountaineering professionals and adapted for use in the canopy. Subsequently, an array of canopy access tools was designed in the 1980s and early 1990s that have opened up this “eighth continent” for global exploration and discovery. This volume uses the major findings of the 5th international canopy conference as a platform for organization, but it does not mimic the sessions and presentations of the conference itself. Instead, it builds on the important themes that emerged from the conference and solicits articles that represent future priorities and advancements for canopy science in the next decade. Despite the global efforts of hundreds of forest scientists over the past 3 decades, forests are degrading at an accelerated rate and biodiversity is increasingly threatened by human activities. Given these trends - despite the very best efforts of the world’s best scientists - other approaches must be taken. This volume summarizes the issue of “treetops at risk” and assembles a global authorship to examine past accomplishments and future initiatives critical in forest conservation.

Beza, who Saved the Forests of Ethiopia, One Church at a Time

Author: Meg Lowman
Publisher: Peppertree Press
ISBN: 9781614932529
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Book Description
Big thanks to TREE Foundation, including President Gerri Aaron and her board, and all the myriad donors who have made small (or large) donations on behalf of the conservation of forests in Ethiopia. www.treefoundation.org Thanks also to the Brethren Foundation, for funding the publishing of this book, and especially to Sonia Ewald for her amazing editing and cheer-leading throughout this publishing process. We are grateful to the local communities of Ethiopians living around Zhara church forest outside Bahar Dar who have helped with conservation, photography and biodiversity sampling to serve as inspiration for this story. Thanks to the Spurlino Foundation for believing in this conservation project and giving a grant to fund the conservation of the first church forest; to Dan Bennett for his business acumen to create a match for church forest conservation via TREE Foundation; the Peppertree Press Publishers for their enthusiasm and efforts; to Dr.Alemayehu Wassie Eshete who is single-handedly monitoring the biodiversity of many Ethiopian church forests; to National Geographic for their initial funding of the first-ever biodiversity survey in Ethiopian church forests; to David Martin of Brighter Technologies for graphic assistance; to Justin Gargulia, and Matthew Gelling for donation of several images; and to the many school children and citizens who have provided small donations to conserve these forests. BEZA is the story of an Ethiopian girl who is helping to conserve the last forests and biodiversity of northern Ethiopia. BEZA not only inspires girls to pursue science, but she also illustrates the power of kids to seek global solutions.

Designed Forests

Author: Dan Handel
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 104025392X
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 187

Book Description
Designed Forests: A Cultural History explores the unique kinship that exists between forests and spatial design; the forest’s influence on architectural culture and practice; and the potentials and pitfalls of “forest thinking” for more sustainable and ethical ways of doing architecture today. It tackles these subjects by focusing on architecture’s own dispositions, which stem from an ecology of metaphor that surrounds its encounters with the forest and undergird ideas about Nature and natural systems. The book weaves together global narratives and chapters explore a range of topics, such as the invention of forest plans in colonial India, the war waged on the jungles of Vietnam, economic land use concepts in rural Germany, precolonial ecological pasts in Manhattan, and technologically saturated forests in California. This book is essential for landscape architects, urbanists, architects, forestry experts, and everyone concerned with larger environmental contexts and the ever-evolving relationship between nature and culture.

Smithsonian Trees of North America

Author: W John Kress
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300185219
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 801

Book Description
An indispensable illustrated source of information for hundreds of species of North American trees This authoritative reference on native and non-native trees of North America, by Smithsonian veteran W. John Kress, provides an unprecedented appraisal of more than 325 common species. More than a field guide, it includes ● over 300 range maps and 3,000 photographs of leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and bark; ● an in-depth introduction to the biology of trees, their value, structure, evolution, classification, ecology, and conservation; ● descriptions of each species, organized by genus and family; ● a reflection on the consequences of environmental change on the health of trees, now and in the future; ● a presentation, based on the latest technologies, of North American trees in a planetary and evolutionary perspective. Smithsonian Trees of North America, ten years in the making, marries science and art to provide an insightful and compassionate exploration of the diversity, structure, form, and beauty of trees.

A Good Spy Leaves No Trace

Author: Anne E. Tazewell
Publisher: BQB Publishing
ISBN: 1608082644
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Book Description
Spies, lies and family ties Her father was a man cloaked in mystery, a man of contradiction. James M. Eichelberger was a writer, philosopher, decorated WWII intelligence officer, CIA Agent, and oil industry consultant who died a penniless alcoholic. After he left her family in Beirut, Lebanon when she was six years old, Anne E. Tazewell only saw her father seven times before his death in 1989. A back-packing nature-loving world traveler, Anne discovered her professional passion after parenting three children and going to college in her mid-forties. Her calling to reduce the use of oil to mitigate the worst of what is to come with climate change is what brought her father back into her life decades after his death. A chance radio interview began a quest to understand his life and in turn better understand her own. A Good Spy Leaves No Trace is part ghost story, part secret political history, part call to action and part family memoir. It is an investigation of loss, love, oil, and the alternatives, a story both personal and political. At its heart, A Good Spy is a multigenerational account about family. It is about using the alchemical power of family and acceptance to heal.

Bioblitz!

Author: Susan Edwards Richmond
Publisher: Holiday House
ISBN: 168263311X
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 43

Book Description
A young boy and his cousin compete to identify the most different species on a biodiversity count day at a local park You might be amazed at the large number of insects, birds, and small mammals that inhabit even a very small plot of land. In this story Gabriel's dad, a ranger for the local municipal park, is helping with a Biodiversity Day (or Bioblitz), and he invites Gabriel and his cousin Ava to participate. With Gabriel's expertise in bugs and Ava's eye for birds, the two cousins are eager to start the hunt in the park. They are placed on different teams, competing to see which group finds the most species of animal life in the time allotted. Readers follow the two teams through a variety of habitats, where they spot dozens of different species over the course of the day. Kids will enjoy finding all the species (some are hidden in the illustration) that appear on the lists compiled in each habitat. Several different techniques for viewing species—rolling logs to discover critters living underneath and shining lights on white sheets at night to attract moths, for example—are highlighted. Plot action in this community science adventure revolves around the competition between the cousins, who check in with each other at intervals to compare lists. In the end, Ava's team spots one more species than Gabriel's, but Gabriel earns a special award for discovering a species of special concern in their area, a blue-spotted salamander. Because of all they have learned from the Bioblitz, the cousins realize that the real winner is the park and all its visitors. After reading Bioblitz!, students—as well as their parents and teachers—will be eager to participate in a biodiversity day in their own community!