Herons are large, popular, and in many cases spectacular birds found in tropical, temperate, natural, and man-made wetlands worldwide. Some populations are very small and localised, some have decreased, and some have expanded their ranges. Very few are pests to human activities. In the fifteen years since the publication of The Herons Handbook there has been a tremendous increase in our knowledge of heron status and conservation requirements set against a backdrop of increasing concern about the future of wetland habitats. The local status of heron populations may reflect the success or failure of conservation action in wetlands. This book provides a comprehensive update following two distinct threads. The status and conservation needs of herons are first presented on a regional basis in a series of chapters set at a continental or subcontinental scale. Over 200 biologists and heron conservationists-many associated with the Heron Specialist Group sponsored by Wetlands International and IUCN--have contributed to the data summarized here. These very latest census and survey results provide the most up to date and detailed picture of heron population currently available. Chapters discussing several critical issues in heron conservation follow, often focusing on the international nature of the problem. Many heron populations are migratory and depend upon conservation of both summer and wintering wetland habitats often located on different continents. Effective conservation of these wetlands depends in large part on local and regional socio-economic factors. Herons, to the extent that they require maintenance of wetland functioning, should be an integral part of sustainable wetland conservation. If there is a bigger message here, it is that species and their habitats share a common future. Herons are not only a fascinating group in their own right, but also an object lesson in this universal truth. * Fascinating insight into a topical issue * Beautiful colour photographs * Internationally renowned authors

Heron Conservation

Science & Math

Kushlan, James A.

Häfner, Heinz

Biological Sciences

Academic Pr

Herons and their close relatives, the egrets and bitterns, comprise sixty species in total and are found all over the world except in polar regions, and are a strikingly beautiful part of the wetlands they inhabit. They are particularly abundant and popular in South West USA, especially Florida. Herons are a diverse group, easily recognized by their long legs, necks and bills. Many species are notable for their sociality as they feed, roost, and nest together in single or mixed species assemblages. The authors have extensive experience of research and observation of these birds and this book provides an up to date comprehensive review of the herons of the world. Covering their biology, distribution, description, systematics, breeding, feeding, and conservation, James Hancock and James Kushlan have distilled their lifetimes' research on the heron into one volume. This volume is complemented by beautiful color paintings especially painted for the book, color photographs, and distribution maps.

The Herons: Ardeidae (Bird Families of the World)

Reference

Hancock, the late James

Words, Language & Grammar

Oxford University Press

“South Florida is a unique and spectacular environment for both birding and gardening, and this is a thorough and enjoyable guide.”—Carl Lewis, director, Fairchild Tropical Gardens
“A step-by-step guide on how to create a garden that not only benefits birds but increases your enjoyment of your yard, patio, or balconies. No space is too small for helping birds, and this book tells you how to do it.”—Stephen D. Pearson, director, University of Miami’s John G. Gifford Arboretum
“For all South Floridians concerned about vanishing stopover habitat and hoping to contribute to the re-greening of Florida in their own backyards, Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens is essential reading.”—Brian Rapoza, author of Birding Florida
Lush and warm, South Florida is a gardener’s dream and a birder’s delight. James Kushlan and Kirsten Hines draw on their years of experience to provide practical, ecologically sound advice for creating landscapes that will appeal to the many birds that can be found in the region.
 Aimed primarily at backyard gardeners and birders, but applicable for commercial landscapers as well, their precepts can be applied to a broad range of outdoor spaces, from balconies to suburban yards to rural estates. The authors identify plants that provide food or shelter and explain how each can attract specific bird species. They also explain what plants work well together, offer advice on simplifying garden maintenance, and provide tips on how other elements can make an area avian-friendly.
 Filled with brilliant photographs, Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens addresses a conspicuous void in the literature on two of America’s most popular activities.

Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Hines, Kirsten N.

Gardening & Landscape Design

University Press of Florida

For centuries, the southernmost region of the Florida peninsula was seen by outsiders as wild and inaccessible, one of the last frontiers in the quest to understand and reveal the natural history of the continent. Seeking the American Tropics tells the stories of the explorers and adventurers who?for better and for worse?helped open the unique environment of South Florida to the world. Beginning with the arrival of Juan Ponce de León in 1513, James Kushlan describes how most of the famous Spanish explorers never made it to South Florida, leaving the area?s rich natural history out of scientific records for the next 250 years. It wasn?t until the British colonial and early American periods that the first surveyors were commissioned and the first naturalists?Titian Peale and John James Audubon?arrived to collect, draw, and report the subtropical flora and fauna that were so unique to North America. Moving into the railroad era, Kushlan illuminates the activities of scientists such as Henry Nehrling and Charles Torrey Simpson alongside the dabbling of wealthy amateur naturalists. He follows the story to the 1920s, when tourism was flourishing and signs of ecological damage were starting to show. Years of wildlife trade, resource extraction, invasive species introduction, and swamp drainage had taken their toll. And many of the naturalists who had been outspoken about protecting South Florida?s environment had also played a part in its destruction. Today the region is among one of the most thoroughly studied places on the planet?but at a cost. In this absorbing and cautionary tale, Kushlan illustrates how exploration has so often trumped conservation throughout history. He exposes how much of the natural world we have already lost in this vivid portrait of the Florida of yesterday.

Seeking the American Tropics: South Florida's Early Naturalists

History

Americas

The Caribbean is a global biodiversity hotspot; half its resident bird species are found nowhere else, yet, a quarter are threatened with extinction. Nearly all its native amphibians and reptiles and thousands of plants also are endemic. Yet, less than 1% of the landscape can be considered natural; and apart from reserves, most land is privately owned. Despite the challenges of such habitat fragmentation, the Caribbean's distinctive fauna and flora can be preserved through planning and managing a connected network of sustainable naturalistic landscapes, reserves, parks, and private gardens. This book uniquely provides both a theoretical background and practical applications to restoring nature within the tropical Caribbean. Packed with beautiful color photographs, it offers unifying principles that can be applied across the tropics and synthesizes information on the Caribbean's environmental uniqueness and globally significant biodiversity. It also provides explicit guidance on establishing sustainable and more naturalistic landscapes from large public lands to private yards and gardens.The book is essential reading for academics and researchers studying the Caribbean environment, resource management professionals, and scientists and.educatos from nongovernmental organizations who provide programs and advocacy for conservation and regional sustainability. Moreover, it highlights the importance of private lands and gardens, where the greatest gains can be made, and so offers a handbook for knowledgeable private landowners and their professional advisors.

Recovering Caribbean Nature

Hines, Kirsten

CRC-Press

Product Description 
Isolated 70 miles west of Key West, the islands of Dry Tortugas National Park appear to arise as if by magic, floating atop the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Discovered by Juan Ponce de León over 500 years ago, Tortugas is North America's second-oldest persistent place name. The adjacent Florida Strait provided essential passageway for navies, ships of commerce, pirates, and privateers. Its reefs claimed hundreds of ships over the centuries. The nation's largest masonry fort, Fort Jefferson, secured Union control of the Florida Strait during the Civil War and served as the infamous prison for Dr. Samuel Mudd and other convicted Lincoln conspirators. Its waters, coral reefs, and aquatic life remain among the most biologically intact in North America. Seabird species nest here that nest nowhere else on the continent. The Tortugas has attracted generations of naturalists, scientists, fishermen, divers, birders, and other visitors. The islands and waters of the Dry Tortugas remain today remote, historic, and biologically pristine. 
 About the Author 
James A. Kushlan is a biologist, conservationist, author, and former trustee of HistoryMiami Museum. Kirsten Hines is an environmental educator, writer, and wildlife photographer. They are authors of Arcadia Publishing's Key Biscayne and Biscayne National Park. They live in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Dry Tortugas National Park (Images of America)

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

*Best Nonfiction Book about Florida Award for 2015 from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association* Key Biscayne is an island paradise umbilically connected to Miami by a three-and-a-half-mile-long causeway. Its recorded history is one of the longest in North America, starting five centuries ago with Juan Ponce de León’s arrival, the second official landing of Europeans in North America after Columbus. For centuries, Key Biscayne was an important landmark for Gulf Stream mariners, and the Cape Florida Lighthouse, built in 1825, is the oldest remaining structure in the region. The key was the site of an infamous Indian attack, a Second Seminole War military base, scientific expeditions, a Civil War raid, a tropical plantation, and finally a residential village and county, state, and national parks. When the key served as Richard Nixon’s vacation White House, its worldwide fame grew. Key Biscayne now hosts a multinational community and hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Key Biscayne (Images of America)

Biscayne National Park protects the larger portion of south Florida's Biscayne Bay, a uniquely tropical lagoon harboring crocodiles, manatees, dolphins, and Caribbean fish. Tropical trees cover its islands, while the world's fourth-longest coral reef sits offshore. Native Americans lived here thousands of years ago; the Spanish held it for 200 years. Hundreds of ships foundered on the reef, fueling a lucrative wrecking industry. In the late 1800s, hardy homesteaders created an agricultural and fishing community. In the 1920s and 1930s, it became a playground for the newly rich and famous. Bracketed by Miami and Key Biscayne to the north and Key Largo to the south, the nearby population eventually grew to over 2.5 million residents and over 14 million annual visitors. To protect these unique natural and historical resources and to assure its enjoyment by future generations, a half century ago, the federal government created Biscayne National Monument, which later became Biscayne National Park.

Biscayne National Park (Images of Modern America)

Key Biscayne is an island paradise umbilically connected to Miami by a three-and-a-half-mile-long causeway. Its recorded history is one of the longest in North America, starting five centuries ago with Juan Ponce de Leon's arrival, the second official landing of Europeans in North America after Columbus. For centuries, Key Biscayne was an important landmark for Gulf Stream mariners, and the Cape Florida Lighthouse, built in 1825, is the oldest remaining structure in the region. The key was the site of an infamous Indian attack, a Second Seminole War military base, scientific expeditions, a Civil War raid, a tropical plantation, and finally a residential village and county, state, and national parks. When the key served as Richard Nixon's vacation White House, its worldwide fame grew. Key Biscayne now hosts a multinational community and hundreds of thousands of visitors annually."

Key Biscayne

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

Biscayne National Park

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