A Message from Martha

A Message from Martha PDF Author: Mark Avery
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472906268
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
The story of Passenger Pigeon, and what we can learn from its demise 100 years ago. September 1st, 2014 marked the centenary of one of the best-documented extinctions in history – the demise of the Passenger Pigeon. From being the commonest bird on the planet 50 years earlier, the species became extinct on that fateful day, with the death in Cincinnati Zoo of Martha – the last of her kind. This book tells the tale of the Passenger Pigeon, and of Martha, and of author Mark Avery's journey in search of them. It looks at how the species was a cornerstone of the now much-diminished ecology of the eastern United States, and how the species went from a population that numbered in the billions to nil in a terrifyingly brief period of time. It also explores the largely untold story of the ecological annihilation of this part of America in the latter half of the 19th century, a time that saw an unprecedented loss of natural beauty and richness as forests were felled and the prairies were ploughed, with wildlife slaughtered more or less indiscriminately. Despite the underlying theme of loss, this book is more than another depressing tale of human greed and ecological stupidity. It contains an underlying message – that we need to re-forge our relationship with the natural world on which we depend, and plan a more sustainable future. Otherwise more species will go the way of the Passenger Pigeon. We should listen to the message from Martha.

A Message from Martha

A Message from Martha PDF Author: Mark Avery
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472906268
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 310

Get Book Here

Book Description
The story of Passenger Pigeon, and what we can learn from its demise 100 years ago. September 1st, 2014 marked the centenary of one of the best-documented extinctions in history – the demise of the Passenger Pigeon. From being the commonest bird on the planet 50 years earlier, the species became extinct on that fateful day, with the death in Cincinnati Zoo of Martha – the last of her kind. This book tells the tale of the Passenger Pigeon, and of Martha, and of author Mark Avery's journey in search of them. It looks at how the species was a cornerstone of the now much-diminished ecology of the eastern United States, and how the species went from a population that numbered in the billions to nil in a terrifyingly brief period of time. It also explores the largely untold story of the ecological annihilation of this part of America in the latter half of the 19th century, a time that saw an unprecedented loss of natural beauty and richness as forests were felled and the prairies were ploughed, with wildlife slaughtered more or less indiscriminately. Despite the underlying theme of loss, this book is more than another depressing tale of human greed and ecological stupidity. It contains an underlying message – that we need to re-forge our relationship with the natural world on which we depend, and plan a more sustainable future. Otherwise more species will go the way of the Passenger Pigeon. We should listen to the message from Martha.

Birds and Forestry

Birds and Forestry PDF Author: Mark Avery
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408137674
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 537

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Book Description
In this book, an ornithologist and a forester have combined their skills to try and tease out the real facts behind the various arguments on forestry. The conflict between forestry and nature conservation has become a major environmental issue in Britain in the 1980s. The planting of large tracts of land with exotic conifers and the resulting disturbance of existing plant and animal communities has polarized the debate, each camp believing that it has the most rational view. But the interactions involved are complex. Which bird species are really threatened? How can we judge the relative value of bird species ousted by plantations and the new species which colonize them? How can the need for forest products be reconciled with the demands of conservationists? This fascinating book tackles these issues in a forthright manner. It represents a significant step towards achieving the sort of prudent land planning that will really improve our beleaguered countryside. Jacket painting by Philip Snow. Foreword by David Bellamy.

Martha

Martha PDF Author: Greg Benchwick
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ISBN: 1684334497
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 137

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Book Description
Based on the real-life events that triggered the greatest mass extinction in modern history – the end of the passenger pigeon – Martha takes budding readers on a grand adventure through a magical world complete with mystic owls, tom-fooling mice and a little straw-haired boy who protects the last living passenger pigeon on the planet from the evil Patsy Brothers. Born with a bum leg, Martha is pushed out of her nest just minutes after her birth. It’s all part of the Seven Cycles of Nature. But since the arrival of the Iron Horse, the Seven Cycles of Nature have been disrupted and the Great Owls know they need to do something to restore balance to their world. They decide to save Martha. Little do they know that Martha may one day, in her small way, save humanity.

Dear Companion

Dear Companion PDF Author: Kelly Joyce Neff
Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing
ISBN: 1571740759
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 636

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Book Description
Martha (Patty) Jefferson is often seen as little more than a background figure overshadowed by her husband's political, literary, and scientific achievements. Dear Companion, by contrast, vividly depicts a wife, mother, and busy mistress of a plantation. We come to know the Jeffersons as a young couple very much in love and share in all the joys and sorrows of their ten-year marriage. Although presented as historical fiction, this biography is actually reconstructed from the author's past-life recall. Ms. Neff's intense familiarity with the period enables her to bring wonderfully to life a time and family that will be forever of interest to all Americans.

Martha Speaks: Good Luck, Martha! (Reader)

Martha Speaks: Good Luck, Martha! (Reader) PDF Author: Susan Meddaugh
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0547770472
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 29

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Book Description
Martha worries that her recent bouts of bad luck might be contagious! Uh-oh. Martha walked under a ladder—and then she broke a mirror—so now she thinks she’s jinxed! Helen tries to explain that all the accidents are just coincidence. But when a nearby toddler stumbles and a waiter takes a clumsy spill, Martha worries that her bad luck might be rubbing off on everybody else. Will Martha be spreading bad luck for seven whole years? Includes a "Test Your Knowledge" activity on common superstitions.

Martha doesn't share!

Martha doesn't share! PDF Author: Samantha Berger
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0316186732
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
Martha has a new favorite word. And that word is MINE! Martha has officially mastered apologizing. Unfortunately, she still has a lot to work on when it comes to sharing. And while she doesn't learn to love it, she does discover that having her toys to herself means having to play with them all by herself, too. Not so fun! This hilarious follow-up to Martha doesn't say sorry! shows readers that sharing isn't all that bad when you take it one (small) toy at a time--like Martha does. It gets easier every day. Well, almost every day.

A Garden of Words

A Garden of Words PDF Author: Martha Barnette
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595347495
Category : Flowers
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
Did you know that the tulip gets its name from a kind of headwear? What's the linguistic link between the lovely gladiolus and a fierce gladiator? A rose by any other name may smell as sweet--but why do we call it a rose? In this charming, witty volume, Martha Barnette leads a tour through the language of the garden, stopping along the way to coax out the many secrets that flowers have to tell about history, culture, psychology, folklore, and science. "Everything in it is delightful to learn. Barnette takes us through languages and across millennia in a charming style that, starting with words describing things we eat, turns out to offer endless food for thought." --The New Yorker "Sheer etymological garden fun...Barnette begins with the flower's name and immediately jumps off the neat garden path into the wild underbrush of mythology, history, folk tales and scientific investigation." --Linda Yang, The New York Times Book Review "Martha Barnette's anthology (literally, 'a gathering of flowers') is more than just a garden-variety book of word origins. With loving cultivation, the author shows how flower names yield up the fragrance and light stored from the past and tell us whence we came and who we are." --Richard Lederer "A Garden of Words is one to stroll through, sniffing the blossoms, admiring random artful paths and intriguing byways." --Calvin Ahlgren, San Francisco Chronicle

The Passenger Pigeon

The Passenger Pigeon PDF Author: Errol Fuller
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140085220X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description
A haunting, beautifully illustrated memorial to this iconic extinct bird At the start of the nineteenth century, Passenger Pigeons were perhaps the most abundant birds on the planet, numbering literally in the billions. The flocks were so large and so dense that they blackened the skies, even blotting out the sun for days at a stretch. Yet by the end of the century, the most common bird in North America had vanished from the wild. In 1914, the last known representative of her species, Martha, died in a cage at the Cincinnati Zoo. This stunningly illustrated book tells the astonishing story of North America's Passenger Pigeon, a bird species that—like the Tyrannosaur, the Mammoth, and the Dodo—has become one of the great icons of extinction. Errol Fuller describes how these fast, agile, and handsomely plumaged birds were immortalized by the ornithologist and painter John James Audubon, and captured the imagination of writers such as James Fenimore Cooper, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. He shows how widespread deforestation, the demand for cheap and plentiful pigeon meat, and the indiscriminate killing of Passenger Pigeons for sport led to their catastrophic decline. Fuller provides an evocative memorial to a bird species that was once so important to the ecology of North America, and reminds us of just how fragile the natural world can be. Published in the centennial year of Martha’s death, The Passenger Pigeon features rare archival images as well as haunting photos of live birds.

Brave Martha

Brave Martha PDF Author:
Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers
ISBN:
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
One night when she has to go to bed without her cat Sophie, Martha worries about all the things she sees and hears in the dark. But little Martha is brave. Warm, cozy and colorful illustrations help youngsters who are afraid to fall asleep.

Hello, My Name Is Ruby

Hello, My Name Is Ruby PDF Author: Philip C. Stead
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1596438096
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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Book Description
Ruby, a very small bird in a very big world, is looking for a friend, so she introduces herself in this stunning new picture book by Caldecott Medalist Stead ("A Sick Day for Amos McGee"). Full color.