Wild By Nature

One woman 10,000 miles on foot 6 countries 8 pairs of hiking boots 3,000 cups of tea 1,000 days and nights "The only way to survive three years of walking was to embrace the moment of now.”—from Wild by Nature Not since Cheryl Strayed gifted us with her adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail in her memoir, Wild, has there been such a powerful epic adventure by a woman alone. In Wild by Nature, National Geographic Explorer Sarah Marquis takes you on the trail of her ten-thousand-mile solo hike across the remote Gobi desert from Siberia to Thailand, at which point she was transported by boat to complete the hike at her favorite tree in Australia. Against nearly insurmountable odds and relying on hunting and her own wits, Sarah Marquis survived the Mafia, drug dealers, thieves on horseback who harassed her tent every night for weeks, temperatures from subzero to scorching, life-threatening wildlife, a dengue fever delirium in the Laos jungle, tropic ringworm in northern Thailand, dehydration, and a life-threatening abscess. This is an incredible story of adventure, human ingenuity, persistence, and resilience that shows firsthand what it is to adventure as a woman in the most dangerous of circumstance, what it is to be truly alone in the wild, and why someone would challenge themselves with an expedition others would call crazy. For Marquis, her story is about freedom, being alive and wild by nature.

"Wild by Nature answers the question: how did indigenous animals shape the course of colonization in English America? The book argues that animals acted as obstacles to colonization because their wildness was at odds with Anglo-American legal assertions of possession. Animals and their pursuers transgressed the legal lines officials drew to demarcate colonizers' sovereignty and control over the landscape. Consequently, wild creatures became legal actors in the colonizing process--the subjects of statutes, the issues in court cases, and the parties to treaties--as authorities struggled to both contain and preserve the wildness that made those animals so valuable to English settler societies in North America in the first place. Only after wild creatures were brought under the state's legal ownership and control could the land be rationally organized and possessed. The book examines the colonization of American animals as a separate strand interwoven into a larger story of English colonizing in North America. As such, it proceeds along a different and longer timeline than other colonial histories, tracing a path through various wild animal frontiers from the seventeenth-century Chesapeake into the southern backcountry in the eighteenth century and across the Appalachians in the early nineteenth to end in the southern plains in the decades after the Civil War. Along the way, it maps out an argumentative arc that describes three manifestations of colonization as it variously applied to beavers, wolves, fish, deer, and bison. Wild by Nature engages broad questions about the environment, law, and society in early America"--

This is a book for those who love adventure and who are driven to explore the earth God has created. The author draws from his own experiences in the world of sports to offer insight into the thoughts and reflections of athletes as they encounter a world of high drama and, at times, unanticipated beauty. While testing his determination and skill in mountain climbing or deep sea diving, for example, the author observes how biblical truths are as applicable in the wilds of nature as they are in a serene church setting on Sunday morning. No matter how extreme our lifestyle, God is there with those who honor him.

How did efforts to control wild animals affect colonization? Winner of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title of the Choice ACRL From the time Europeans first came to the New World until the closing of the frontier, the benefits of abundant wild animals—from beavers and wolves to fish, deer, and bison—appeared as a recurring theme in colonizing discourses. Explorers, travelers, surveyors, naturalists, and other promoters routinely advertised the richness of the American faunal environment and speculated about the ways in which animals could be made to serve their colonial projects. In practice, however, American animals proved far less malleable to colonizers’ designs. Their behaviors constrained an English colonial vision of a reinvented and rationalized American landscape. In Wild by Nature, Andrea L. Smalley argues that Anglo-American authorities’ unceasing efforts to convert indigenous beasts into colonized creatures frequently produced unsettling results that threatened colonizers’ control over the land and the people. Not simply acted upon by being commodified, harvested, and exterminated, wild animals were active subjects in the colonial story, altering its outcome in unanticipated ways. These creatures became legal actors—subjects of statutes, issues in court cases, and parties to treaties—in a centuries-long colonizing process that was reenacted on successive wild animal frontiers. Following a trail of human–animal encounters from the seventeenth-century Chesapeake to the Civil War–era southern plains, Smalley shows how wild beasts and their human pursuers repeatedly transgressed the lines lawmakers drew to demarcate colonial sovereignty and control, confounding attempts to enclose both people and animals inside a legal frame. She also explores how, to possess the land, colonizers had to find new ways to contain animals without destroying the wildness that made those creatures valuable to English settler societies in the first place. Offering fresh perspectives on colonial, legal, environmental, and Native American history, Wild by Nature reenvisions the familiar stories of early America as animal tales.

A womans passion for wilderness, family, and faith leads her to a land of harsh realities and great fulfillment - a celebrated perspective on the Alaskan experience. This prose is a vibrant celebration, both sensual and poetic, of the familiar and unobserved nature of simple truths that abound around us. It is compelling and full-bodied, demanding to be savored. A captivating and courageous style of writing one rarely encounters. Douglas H. Hudson ~ Alaskan and the Pacific Northwest Artist In this collection you can experience Gods Country through the eyes of an adventurous author who revels in the untamed wilderness of Alaska. Here also are the seasons of personal growth and family life with all its joys and sorrows. Whether in prose or poetry, Theresa reveals a wondrous talent for keen observation, rich description, and exquisite phrasing. Her work is both vibrant and reverent. Norma L. Halvorsen ~ Oxford educated English professor, now retired Turn off your radio, TV, computer, Blackberry, raspberry or everyberry and let Terrys prose surround you. Turn on your imagination and the natural world will return in all its beauty. Terry has a way with words that will refresh your spirit. Bob Pickrell ~ publisher of the best little magazine once in Alaska. Both are now retired Bravo! To Terry Herda Gucker. Her poem, Magdalene, is a mini masterpiece in theology. Encore! Father Louis L. Renner, SJ ~ historian, author, journalist and preist

Scout Cloud: Teacher of Love (sung to the tune of: Wind Beneath My Wings) Oh, you must be quick, but don’t you hurry I can still hear it ringing in my ears! You were content to help us Play That was Your Way! You always walked a step behind So, we were the ones with all the Glory! While you were the one with all restraint... Teaching us how to Play and Win, so calm! Showing us how to Love and Give! Did you know that you’re my Hero And everything that I would like to be! I can fly higher than an Eagle ‘Cause you are the wind beneath my wings! It might have gone unnoticed But, I have it all here in my Heart! You worked much harder than the rest Just so that we could be the Best! Did you ever know that you’re my Hero And everything I wish I could be! I can fly higher than an Eagle You are the wind beneath my wings! You are the wind beneath my wings! Teach.. I’m not usually real good with words I wanted to tell you how I feel about you I will never, ever be able to repay you For all the words, creeds, you’ve given me Oh, you taught me in so many ways Oh, Games beyond measure Most of all, you’ve shown me how to truly live life And that’s by giving yourself away! Oh, you taught me how to step forward Reach for the Sky, and all who count I took it Home, and helped my family Love is what it really is about! Thank You! Thank You! Thank God for you, The wind beneath my wings!

In this inspiring manifesto, an internationally renowned oceanographer makes the provocative case for why protecting nature makes economic sense. Enric Sala wants to change the world--and in this groundbreaking book, he shows us how. Once we appreciate how nature works, he asserts, we will understand why its preservation is economically practical and essential to our survival. In this highly readable narrative, Sala, director of National Geographic's Pristine Seas project, tells the story of his scientific awakening, the colorful mentors whose work inspired him, and his transition from academic to activism--because, as he put it, he was tired of writing the obituary of the ocean. His revelations are surprising, and sometimes counterintuitive: Lots of sharks are actually the best indicator of a healthy ocean ecosystem, and crop diversity, rather than intensive monoculture farming, is the key to planetary abundance. For decades, Sala has spearheaded ocean protection, convincing world leaders to protect areas amounting to five times the size of Texas--and he is still passionately pushing for more. Using fascinating examples from his own expeditions and groundbreaking findings from other scientists, Sala builds the case for the economic wisdom of making room for nature, even as the population builds to eight million and grows more urbanized by the decade. Both relatable and inspiring, this powerful book will change the way you think about the world--and the future.

Celebrate the Pacific west coast with this gorgeous nature alphabet book. This stunning nature alphabet book explores the fascinating ecosystem of the Pacific west coast — a magnificent area that combines an ancient rainforest, a rugged beach and a vast, open ocean, and where whales, bears, wolves, eagles and a rich variety of marine species thrive in an interconnected web of life. Author Deborah Hodge has spent more than forty years on the west coast, frequently visiting the Pacific Rim region, and she knows it intimately. From A to Z she describes in vivid language the rainforest, ocean and beach, and a great variety of animals that a child might see walking along the shore — from tiny sea jellies to inquisitive sandpipers to leaping orcas. Illustrator Karen Reczuch brings her remarkable talent to the book, and has created image after image that is simply breathtaking. The text and art have been carefully checked for scientific accuracy. Includes a note about the Pacific west coast and suggestions for exploring the region and further reading. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).