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To the untrained eye, a desert is a wasteland that defies civilization; yet the desert has been home to native cultures for centuries and offers sustenance in its surprisingly wide range of plant life. Gary Paul Nabhan has combed the desert in search of plants forgotten by all but a handful of Native Americans and Mexican-Americans. In Gathering the Desert readers will discover that the bounty of the desert is much more than meets the eye-whether found in the luscious fruit of the stately organpipe cactus or in the lowly tepary bean. Nabhan has chosen a dozen of the more than 425 edible wild species found in the Sonoran Desert to demonstrate just how bountiful the land can be. From the red-hot chiltepines of Mexico to the palms of Palm Springs, each plant exemplifies a symbolic or ecological relationship that people of this region have had with plants through history. Each chapter focuses on a particular plant and is accompanied by an original drawing by artist Paul Mirocha. Word and picture together create a total impression of plants and people as the book traces the turn of seasons in the desert.

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Longtime residents of the Sonoran Desert, the Tohono O'odham people have spent centuries living off the land-a land that most modern citizens of southern Arizona consider totally inhospitable. Ethnobotanist Gary Nabhan has lived with the Tohono O'odham, long known as the Papagos, observing the delicate balance between these people and their environment. Bringing O'odham voices to the page at every turn, he writes elegantly of how they husband scant water supplies, grow crops, and utilize wild edible foods. Woven through his account are coyote tales, O'odham children's impressions of the desert, and observations on the political problems that come with living on both sides of an international border. Whether visiting a sacred cave in the Baboquivari Mountains or attending a saguaro wine-drinking ceremony, Nabhan conveys the everyday life and extraordinary perseverance of these desert people in a book that has become a contemporary classic of environmental literature.

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People can live without SUVs, jet travel and many other luxuries. But no life, human or otherwise, can survive without our most precious natural resource: water.

Do-It-Yourself Sustainable Water Projects offers a basis for understanding the importance of conserving water, explains how the lack of it affects different regions around the world, and provides practical information on how to collect, store, purify and drill for this magical substance.

In this easy-to-follow guide, master mechanic Paul Dempsey provides cost-effective ways we can reduce or eliminate our dependence on public water supplies. Everything you need to know to create 10 inexpensive water projects is here, from collecting rainwater and air conditioner condensate to properly drilling and constructing pump systems. These projects are accompanied by step-by-step instructions, drawings, photos and even sources for inexpensive parts - so you can do it yourself.

Whether you're interested in becoming knowledgeable about insufficient global water supplies or you just want to conserve water, this book is an effective way to help save our most critical resource. With it in hand, you can tackle everything from creating a composting toilet to building a rainwater harvesting system.

Do-it-Yourself Sustainable Water Projects includes information on:

• 10 inexpensive water projects
• How to adjust behavior to conserve water
• List of resources, including web sites, published texts and vendors
• Calculating your "water footprint"
• Pumps and related components
• Easy-to-follow ways to drill for water
• Getting water from air
• Water vulnerability

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A compelling book about the water crisis facing the West, grounded in history and important for residents as well as readers nationwide. This narrative weaves together the stories of human folly and grandiose endeavor that shaped the states and reveal the background of the critical economic and political issue that is how water is used and misused today.

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Few insects are more important than bees, wasps, and ants. They maintain the garden’s biological balance, fertilize vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and recycle nutrients within the soil. It’s no exaggeration to say that a garden can’t be understood without an understanding of its insects.

Bees, Wasps, and Ants explores the importance of the Hymenoptera and explains how gardeners can encourage (or discourage) them in the garden. Part One includes a summary of their biology and a tour of what role they play in each part of the garden. Part Two takes a closer look at the individual groups within the family, including sawflies, horntails, woodwasps, parasitic wasps, predatory wasps, bees, and ants.

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In the rereleased edition of Trout of the World, fans of James Prosek’s unique painting talent will revel in the addition of 30 new fish paintings and a newly penned preface. First released in 2003, Trout of the World features original watercolors of trout from around the world, ranging from the Oxus trout of eastern Afghanistan to the small golden brown trout of British chalk streams. Each unique painting is coupled with a historical profile of the fish, as well as personal reflections from the author. Prosek savors the beauty of various fishing spots, along with the fate of the species, contemplating man’s role in the extinction of animals. Both sensitive and informative, Trout of the World is a must for the library of the recreational fisherman as ichthyologist.

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Beekeeping equipment is expensive, but it's easy to make your own! Tony Pisano's step-by-step illustrated instructions show you how to build everything you need, including hive bodies, supers, covers, hive stands, frames, swarm catchers, feeders, and more. You can choose among different hive styles, and many of the 35 projects can be made using hand tools.

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Cycling Science tours readers through a wide variety of topics, from tire rolling resistance and the difference between yield strength and ultimate strength, to the importance of aerodynamics and the impact that shaved legs have on speed. Each chapter explores a different subject-fundamentals, strength and stability, materials, power, aerodynamics, and the human factor-and is organized around a series of questions: What is the ideal frame shape? What is the biggest source of drag? What keeps a bicycle from falling over? How much power can a cyclist produce? Which muscles does cycling use? Each question is examined with the aid of explanatory diagrams and illustrations, and the book can be used to search for particular topics, or read through for a comprehensive overview of how machine and rider work together.

Athletes have much to gain from understanding the science of their sports, and Cycling Science will be a must-read for cyclists of all stripes-professionals, recreational riders, and anyone seeking to enhance their enjoyment of cycling.

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In The Silent Epidemic, physician Alan Lockwood describes and documents the adverse health effects of burning coal. Lockwood's comprehensive treatment examines every aspect of coal, from its complex chemical makeup to details of mining, transporting, burning and disposal (each of which generates significant health concerns). He describes coal pollution's effects on the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems, and how these problems will only worsen; explains the impact of global warming on coal-related health problems; and discusses possible policy approaches to combat coal pollution.