Nature's Keepers

Nature's Keepers PDF Author: Bill Birchard
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 9780787979232
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
With more than $3.7 billion in assets and annual revenue of $800million, the Nature Conservancy has generated staggering growththat would be the envy of any business. Incorporated in 1951 by a small circle of concerned ecologists, theConservancy has grown financially into the world's largestenvironmental organization. It has one million members--up from500,000 in 1990--and 3,500 employees operating in 50 states and 28countries across the world. Nature's Keepers offers readers an inspirational leadershiptale and management chronicle, as it goes behind the scenes anddetails the inner workings of the Nature Conservancy. Highlightingthe efforts of nine extraordinary leaders, Nature's Keepersexamines the organization's culture and management, strategy anddecisions, and courageous and ingenious individuals who havededicated their lives to conservation. Author Bill Birchard reveals how the Conservancy's sometimescontroversial business practices--entrepreneurial approaches topreserving ecosystems while meeting human needs--have earned thepraise of management gurus such as Peter Drucker. The Conservancy'sway of operating, though not free of failings, is both widelyemulated in the nonprofit community and greatly respected bybusiness scholars and CEOs nationwide.

Nature's Keepers

Nature's Keepers PDF Author: Bill Birchard
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 9780787979232
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Get Book Here

Book Description
With more than $3.7 billion in assets and annual revenue of $800million, the Nature Conservancy has generated staggering growththat would be the envy of any business. Incorporated in 1951 by a small circle of concerned ecologists, theConservancy has grown financially into the world's largestenvironmental organization. It has one million members--up from500,000 in 1990--and 3,500 employees operating in 50 states and 28countries across the world. Nature's Keepers offers readers an inspirational leadershiptale and management chronicle, as it goes behind the scenes anddetails the inner workings of the Nature Conservancy. Highlightingthe efforts of nine extraordinary leaders, Nature's Keepersexamines the organization's culture and management, strategy anddecisions, and courageous and ingenious individuals who havededicated their lives to conservation. Author Bill Birchard reveals how the Conservancy's sometimescontroversial business practices--entrepreneurial approaches topreserving ecosystems while meeting human needs--have earned thepraise of management gurus such as Peter Drucker. The Conservancy'sway of operating, though not free of failings, is both widelyemulated in the nonprofit community and greatly respected bybusiness scholars and CEOs nationwide.

The Outermost House

The Outermost House PDF Author: Henry Beston
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1504081714
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 141

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Book Description
The classic nature memoir of Cape Cod in the early twentieth century, “written with simplicity, sympathy, and beauty” (New York Herald Tribune). When Henry Beston returned home from World War I, he sought refuge and healing at a house on the outer beach of Cape Cod. He was so taken by the natural beauty of his surroundings that his two-week stay extended into a yearlong solitary adventure. He spent his time trying to capture in words the wonders of the magical landscape he found himself in thrall to. In The Outermost House, Beston chronicles his experiences observing the migrations of seabirds, the rhythms of the tide, the windblown dunes, and the scatter of stars in the changing summer sky. Beston argued: “The world today is sick to its thin blood for the lack of elemental things, for fire before the hands, for water, for air, for the dear earth itself underfoot.” Nearly a century after publication, Beston’s words are more true than ever.

Wake Up, Woods

Wake Up, Woods PDF Author: Michael A. Homoya
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781947141469
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Early in the year, our North American forests come to life as native wildflowers start to push up through patches of snow. With longer days and sunlight streaming down through bare branches of towering trees, life on the forest floor awakens from its winter sleep. Plants such as green dragon, squirrel corn, and bloodroot interact with their pollinators and seed dispersers and rush to create new life before the trees above leaf out and block the sun's rays. Wake Up, Woods showcases the splendor of our warming forests and offers clues to nature's annual springtime floral show as we walk in our parks and wilderness areas, or even in shade gardens around our homes. Readers of Wake Up, Woods will see that Gillian Harris, Michael Homoya and Shane Gibson, through illustrations and text, present a captivating look into our forests' biodiversity, showing how species depend on plants for food and help assure plant reproduction. This book celebrates some of nature's most fascinating moments that happen in forests where we live and play.

Nature's Fortune

Nature's Fortune PDF Author: Mark R. Tercek
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465046967
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
What is nature worth? The answer to this question—which traditionally has been framed in environmental terms—is revolutionizing the way we do business. In Nature's Fortune, Mark Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy and former investment banker, and science writer Jonathan Adams argue that nature is not only the foundation of human well-being, but also the smartest commercial investment any business or government can make. The forests, floodplains, and oyster reefs often seen simply as raw materials or as obstacles to be cleared in the name of progress are, instead, as important to our future prosperity as technology or law or business innovation. Who invests in nature, and why? What rates of return can it produce? When is protecting nature a good investment? With stories from the South Pacific to the California coast, from the Andes to the Gulf of Mexico and even to New York City, Nature's Fortune shows how viewing nature as green infrastructure allows for breakthroughs not only in conservation—protecting water supplies; enhancing the health of fisheries; making cities more sustainable, livable and safe; and dealing with unavoidable climate change—but in economic progress, as well. Organizations obviously depend on the environment for key resources—water, trees, and land. But they can also reap substantial commercial benefits in the form of risk mitigation, cost reduction, new investment opportunities, and the protection of assets. Once leaders learn how to account for nature in financial terms, they can incorporate that value into the organization's decisions and activities, just as habitually as they consider cost, revenue, and ROI. Such a rethinking of “natural capital”—nature as a quantifiable asset—can not only increase profitability, but provide crucial protection against the kinds of climate change-driven phenomena—like devastating drought and hundred-year floods—that are no longer the stuff of speculation. A must-read for business leaders, CEOs, investors, and environmentalists alike, Nature's Fortune offers an essential guide to the world's economic—and environmental—well-being.

Secrets of Snakes

Secrets of Snakes PDF Author: David A. Steen
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1623497973
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
Winner, 2020 National Outdoor Book Award, Nature and the Environment Snakes inspire extreme reactions. Love or hate these limbless reptiles, almost everyone is fascinated by them. Although snakes are widespread and frequently encountered, they may be more misunderstood than any other group of animals. From giant rattlesnakes to mating dances, there are dozens of myths and misconceptions about snakes. In Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths, wildlife biologist David Steen tackles the most frequently asked questions and clears up prevailing myths. In a conversational style with a bit of humor, Steen presents the relevant biology and natural history of snakes, making the latest scientific research accessible to a general audience. When addressing myths about snakes, he explains how researchers use the scientific method to explain which parts of the myth are biologically plausible and which are not. Steen also takes a close look at conventional wisdom and common advice about snakes. For example, people are told they can distinguish coralsnakes from non-venomous mimics by remembering the rhyme, “red on black, friend of Jack, red on yellow, kill a fellow,” but this tip is only relevant to coralsnakes and two mimics living in the southeastern United States, and it does not always work with other species or in other countries. Enhanced by more than 100 stunning color photographs and three original drawings, Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths encourages readers to learn about the snakes around them and introduces them to how scientists use the scientific method and critical thinking to learn about the natural world. Number Sixty-one: W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series

The Edge of the Sea

The Edge of the Sea PDF Author: Rachel Carson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780395924969
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
"The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place." A book to be read for pleasure as well as a practical identification guide, The Edge of the Sea introduces a world of teeming life where the sea meets the land. A new generation of readers is discovering why Rachel Carson's books have become cornerstones of the environmental and conservation movements. New introduction by Sue Hubbell. (A Mariner Reissue)

Valuing Nature

Valuing Nature PDF Author: William Ginn
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1642830917
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
As the world faces unprecedented challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, the resources needed far outstrip the capabilities of nonprofits and even governments. Yet there are seeds of hope—and much of that hope comes from the efforts of the private sector. Impact investing is rapidly becoming an essential tool, alongside philanthropy and government funding, in tackling these major problems. Valuing Nature presents a new set of nature-based investment areas to help conservationists and investors work together. NatureVest founder William Ginn outlines the emerging private sector investing opportunities in natural assets such as green infrastructure, forests, soils, and fisheries. The first part of Valuing Nature examines the scope of nature-based impact investing while also presenting a practical overview of its limitations and the challenges facing the private sector. The second part of the book offers tools for investors and organizations to consider as they develop their own projects and tips on how nonprofits can successfully navigate this new space. Case studies from around the world demonstrate how we can use private capital to achieve more sustainable uses of our natural resources without the unintended consequences plaguing so many of our current efforts. Valuing Nature provides a roadmap for conservation professionals, nonprofit managers, and impact investors seeking to use market-based strategies to improve the management of natural systems.

Earth's Last Great Places

Earth's Last Great Places PDF Author: Noel Grove
Publisher: National Geographic Society
ISBN: 9780792225744
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description


Seeing Silence

Seeing Silence PDF Author: Pete McBride
Publisher: Rizzoli Publications
ISBN: 0847870863
Category : Photography
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
In a world ever more congested and polluted with both toxins and noise, award-winning photographer Pete McBride takes readers on a once-in-a-lifetime escape to find places of peace and quiet—a pole-to-pole, continent-by-continent quest for the soul. We tend to think of silence as the absence of sound, but it is actually the void where we can hear the sublime notes of nature. In this National Outdoor Book Award winning work, photographer Pete McBride reveals the wonders of these hushed places in spectacular imagery—from the thin-air flanks of Mount Everest to the depths of the Grand Canyon, from the high-altitude vistas of the Atacama to the African savannah, and from the Antarctic Peninsula to the flowing waters of the Ganges and Nile. These places remind us of the magic of being “truly away” and how such places are vanishing. Often showing beauty from vantages where no other photographer has ever stood, this is a seven-continent visual tour of global quietude—and the power in nature’s own sounds—that will both inspire and calm.

Conservancy

Conservancy PDF Author: Richard Brewer
Publisher: UPNE
ISBN: 1611685206
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
Land trusts, or conservancies, protect land by owning it. Although many people are aware of a few large land trusts--The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land, for instance--there are now close to 1,300 local trusts, with more coming into being each month. American land trusts are diverse, shaped by their missions and adapted to their local environments. Nonetheless, all land trusts are private, non-profit organizations for which the acquisition and protection of land by direct action is the primary or sole mission. Nonconfrontational and apolitical, land trusts work with willing land owners in voluntary transactions. Although land trusts are the fastest-growing and most vital part of the land conservation movement today, this model of saving land by private action has become dominant only in the past two decades. Brewer tells why the advocacy model--in which private groups try to protect land by promoting government purchase or regulation-- in the 1980s was eclipsed by the burgeoning land trust movement. He gives the public a much-needed primer on what land trusts are, what they do, how they are related to one another and to other elements of the conservation and environmental movements, and their importance to conservation in the coming decades. As Brewer points out, unlike other land-saving measures, land trust accomplishments are permanent. At the end of a cooperative process between a landowner and the local land trust, the land is saved in perpetuity. Brewer's book, the first comprehensive treatment of land trusts, combines a historical overview of the movement with more specific information on the different kinds of land trusts that exist and the problems they face. The volume also offers a "how-to" approach for persons and institutions interested in donating, selling, or buying land, discusses four major national land trusts (The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, American Farmland Trust, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy); and gives a generous sampling of information about the activities and accomplishments of smaller, local trusts nationwide. Throughout, the book is enriched by historical narrative, analysis of successful land trusts, and information on the how and why of protecting land, as well as Brewer's intimate knowledge of ecological systems, biodiversity, and the interconnectedness of human and non-human life forms. Conservancy is a must-read volume for people interested in land conservation--including land trust members, volunteers and supporters--as well as anyone concerned about land use and the environment.