Dewey Decimal591.9792
Table Of ContentContents Foreword: Lessons from song dogs Introduction: How well do you know your neighbors? PART ONE--WHAT'S HAPPENING TO WILDLIFE? 1. Animal life on the edge: Does it take a special breed? 2. Endangered animal communities: The keystone concept 3. Historic herds: Reintroducing native large animals into today's limited space 4. Alpine plants and animals: Hardy inhabitants of Utah's high country 5. Great Basin birds: Frequent flyers at Utah's busiest airport PART TWO--WHAT'S HAPPENING TO WILD PLACES? 6. Island syndrome extinctions 7. Aliens have invaded! Weeds take over habitat 8. Western hydro-logic floods critical wildlife habitat 9. Can Utah's golf courses go green? 10. Transforming the Wasatch Mountains into an amusement park. PART THREE--WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? 11. The legacy of predator control 12. Decline of hunting leaves habitat hurting 13. The Nature Conservancy of Utah 14. Birdwatching in the Beehive State: Its popularity soars 15. Watching wildlife in wild places 16. The Blame Game: Whose responsibility is habitat loss? A. Utah Sensitive Species List B. Utah Wildlife Species Checklist C. Utah Wildlife Viewing Locations D. Intermountain Wildlife Refuges About the author About the contributing artists Index
SynopsisFrom flying squirrels on high wooded plateaus to hanging gardens in redrock canyons, the Intermountain West is home to some of the world's rarest and most fascinating animals and plants. Creatures of Habitat details many unique but little-known talents of this region's strange and wonderful wild inhabitants and descibes their connections with native environments. For example, readers will learn about the pronghorn antelope's supercharged cardiovascular system, a brine shrimp-powered shorebird that each year flies nonstop from the Great Salt Lake to Central Argentina, and a rare mustard plant recently discovered on Mount Ogden. Emphasizing how increasing loss and degradation of habitat hinders native species' survival, Mark Gerard Hengesbaugh discusses what is happening to wildlife and wild places and what is being done about it. Well illustrated, this book has habitat maps, pen-and-ink illustrations, and fifty photos of wildlife and wild places selected by photo editor Dan Miller. Also included are guides to wildlife viewing and lists of Utah species, including those considered sensitive, threatened, or endangered.
LC Classification NumberQL208