Gary Ferguson

A riveting manifesto for the millions of people who long to forge a more vital, meaningful connection to the natural world to live a better, more fulfilling life Looking around at the world today—a world of skyscrapers, super highways, melting ice caps, and rampant deforestation—it is easy to feel that humanity has actively severed its ties with nature. It’s no wonder that we are starving to rediscover a connection with the natural world. With new insights into the inner workings of nature's wonders, Gary Ferguson presents a fascinating exploration into how many of the most remarkable aspects of nature are hardwired into our very DNA. What emerges is a dazzling web of connections that holds powerful clues about how to better navigate our daily lives. Through cutting-edge data and research, drawing on science, psychology, history, and philosophy, The Eight Master Lessons of Nature will leave readers with a feeling of hope, excitement, and joy. It is a dazzling statement about the powers of physical, mental, and spiritual wellness that come from reclaiming our relationship with Mother Nature. Lessons about mystery, loss, the fine art of rising again, how animals make us smarter, and how the planet’s elders make us better at life are unforgettable and transformative.

What Nature Teaches Us About Living Well in the World

The Eight Master Lessons of Nature

“This comprehensive book offers a fascinating overview of how those fires are fought, and some conversation-starters for how we might reimagine our relationship with the woods.” —Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet Wildfire season is burning longer and hotter, affecting more and more people, especially in the west. Land on Fire explores the fascinating science behind this phenomenon and the ongoing research to find a solution. This gripping narrative details how years of fire suppression and chronic drought have combined to make the situation so dire. Award-winning nature writer Gary Ferguson brings to life the extraordinary efforts of those responsible for fighting wildfires, and deftly explains how nature reacts in the aftermath of flames. Dramatic photographs reveal the terror and beauty of fire, as well as the staggering effect it has on the landscape.

The New Reality of Wildfire in the West

Land on Fire

Zelfhulpgids met acht lessen voor persoonlijke ontwikkeling die intensieve observatie van de natuur kan bieden.

hoe we verbonden zijn met alles wat leeft

De acht grote lessen van de natuur

Jon Stryker

The inspiring true story of how one woman's vision and determination created the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuary. When Carole Noon, a wildlife biology student, attended a lecture given by Jane Goodall, it was a life-changing moment for Carole herself, and, ultimately, for hundreds of rescued chimpanzees. She began working with Dr. Goodall on her ChimpanZoo program, which kindled the passion that would lead Dr. Noon in 1997 to establish the Save the Chimps sanctuary. Opening Doors: Carole Noon and her Dream to Save the Chimps tells the inspiring true story of how one woman's vision and dedication altered the lives of so many, and paved the way for a more humane world. Opening Doors chronicles Dr. Noon's personal journey from ardent animal lover to powerful advocate; from her field work at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia to her initial bid to rescue 141 Air Force chimpanzees, who had been used in early space exploration and were subsequently deemed "surplus material." It also explores the ethical questions that drove her to create what is now the world's largest sanctuary for chimps rescued from biomedical research, entertainment, and the pet trade. Along the way we meet some of the chimpanzees who have found refuge at Save the Chimps and the devoted staff and volunteers who work to give the chimps a quality life. Poignant photographs throughout allow us to gaze into the eyes of the chimps with whom we share 97 percent of our DNA and to read the history written on their faces faces that are strikingly like our own.

Carole Noon and Her Dream to Save the Chimps

Opening Doors

The nature writing of Gary Ferguson arises out of intimate experience. He trekked 500 miles through Yellowstone to write Walking Down the Wild and spent a season in the field at a wilderness therapy program for Shouting at the Sky. He journeyed 250 miles on foot for Hawks Rest and followed through the seasons the first fourteen wolves released into Yellowstone National Park for The Yellowstone Wolves. But nothing could prepare him for the experience he details in his new book. The Carry Home is both a moving celebration of the outdoor life shared between Ferguson and his wife Jane, who died tragically in a canoeing accident in northern Ontario in 2005, and a chronicle of the mending, uplifting power of nature. Confronting his unthinkable loss, Ferguson set out to fulfill Jane's final wish: the scattering of her ashes in five remote, wild locations they loved and shared. The act of the carry home allows Ferguson the opportunity to ruminate on their life together as well as explore deeply the impactful presence of nature in all of our lives. Theirs was a love borne of wild places, and The Carry Home offers a powerful glimpse into how the natural world can be a critical prompt for moving through cycles of immeasurable grief, how bereavement can turn to wonder, and how one man rediscovered himself in the process of saying goodbye.

Lessons From the American Wilderness

The Carry Home

Naturalist Gary Ferguson charts wolf reintroduction in the nation's first national park.

The First Year

The Yellowstone Wolves

_______________________ THE IDEAL CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR NATURE LOVERS AND READERS 'A classic' - Sir Tim Smit, Co-founder of the Eden Project 'I saw truth, I saw beauty, I saw a better future in these pages.' - John Lewis-Stempel For too long we have set ourselves apart from nature, seeing ourselves as superior, removed, independent. But in doing so we have lost sight of all that the natural world can teach us. In Eight Master Lessons of Nature, Gary Ferguson reveals the wisdom of the natural world. By keenly observing and admiring wildlife and their surroundings, he shows us why sympathy is our greatest asset and crucial to our survival, that feminine rule is default in the natural world, and how even from the ashes of destruction, life is still able to thrive. Written in rich and nourishing prose, Ferguson gently dismantles the walls we have erected between ourselves and nature, showings us the wonder of our surroundings in all their splendour. Drawing on stories from art and science, flora and fauna, philosophy and history, he carefully unravels the dazzling web of connections that binds us to earth and the rich supply of wisdom that is stored here. The result is a powerful and timely reminder of our place in this world, our interdependence, and how much nature is able to teach, heal and ultimately restore us.

Eight Master Lessons of Nature

"Among the many pleasures of re–reading Gary Ferguson's Hawks Rest, is finding the prose even more accomplished than remembered, the wit more agile, the observations more revelatory, its stance in the world proved once again so precisely wise. Hawks Rest is a book I will return to again and again." —MARK SPRAGG, author of Where Rivers Change Direction and An Unfinished Life "Gary Ferguson is one of the preeminent historians of the American West, and of the place and value of wilderness within that history. Hawk's Rest is an intense journal of the politics and ecology of one of America's wildest cores, in Yellowstone National Park. In many ways, this book is an important portrait of one of the foundations of our country's democracy, and of the struggles to hold on to that idea." —RICK BASS, author of All the Land to Hold Us "Hawks Rest is a long step toward a user's guide to wilderness, and a reverential and beautifully said hymn to the wild." —TIM CAHILL, author of Hold the Enlightenment and Jaguars Ripped My Flesh "A lyrical and often tough–minded evocation of a summer spent in the Yellowstone backcountry, a place that is, unexpectedly, full of larger-than-life characters, some of whom are admirable and some of whom are not.” —WILLIAM KITTREDGE, author of Hole in the Sky and The Nature of Generosity "Dazzling…an Edward Abbey–esque book, full of snappy vignettes and chiseled writing." —SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "A sharp and ironic sense of what it's like to live in the American outback, twenty–first–century style." —NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE "A well-written work…if you love Yellowstone, a great treat." —DESERET NEWS "Ferguson evoke(s) feelings of solitude, timelessness and aching beauty in the smallest details…" —THE OREGONIAN "Mournful and defiant as a wolf howl…an eloquent tribute to a threatened place and its lone protectors." —LOS ANGELES TIMES Hawks Rest brings the wonder, politics, and wildness of one of America’s most vast and popular national parks to readers everywhere. With a new introduction by the author, this edition offers fresh insight into the condition of parks nationwide, while reintroducing readers to Ferguson's timeless tales and unique wisdom. Gary Ferguson is the author of twenty–two books including Through the Woods and, most recently, The Carry Home. He lives with his wife, Mary, in Montana's Beartooth Mountains, and in Portland, Oregon.

A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone

Hawks Rest

Once hailed by Time magazine as "the Johnny Appleseed of nature museums," John Ripley Forbes arguably did as much as anyone in history to keep the wonders of nature alive for America's children. Through seven decades of passionate, tireless effort, Forbes helped create outdoor-based science and learning centers in more than 200 communities across the country. Nature's Keeper chronicles the life of this extraordinary educator, from his teen years with renowned conservationist William Hornaday, to his celebrated "animal lending libraries" of the 1950s and 1960s, to his final preservation victories at the end of the twentieth century.

John Ripley Forbes and the Children's Nature Movement

Nature's Keeper

Sean McKeown

Kenneth Kalisch

The one and only chameleon is world renowned for its ability to change its skin color rapidly (throughout movement of pigment cells) and for the outrageous length of its tongue (more than one and a half times its body length!). Relatives of agamids and iguanas, chameleons are insect-eating, tree climbing reptiles that have highly specialized needs. Written by a team of experienced herp experts, Chameleons intends to instruct keepers on how to best care for their chameleons and covers the four most commonly kept species: Jackson's chameleon with its prized triceratops horns on its head, panther chameleon with its spectacular coloration, veiled chameleon with its unusual casque on its head, and the rather large Parson's chameleon. The book subsequently is divided into four parts, each including an introduction and natural history, captive care, and reproduction of the species. Part I, Jackson's Chameleon was written by Sean McKeown; Part II, Panther Chameleon by Gary Ferguson, James B. Murphy, Achille Raselimanana, and Jean-Baptiste Ramanamanjato; Part III, Veiled Chameleon and Part IV, Parson's Chameleon by Kenneth Kalisch. References and index included.

Care and Breeding of Jackson's, Panther, Veiled, and Parson's

Chameleons

Following the often turbulent emotional and physical passages of teenagers on a successful wilderness therapy program, the author reveals how the great outdoors can transform the lives of America's teens

Troubled Teens and the Promise of the Wild

Shouting at the Sky

Kathleen Wall

Constant change goes hand in hand with modern living. We no longer spend our lives in one job, one relationship, or the place we grew up, and the cultural markers that used to guide us through different stages have lost their meaning in today's society. Without rituals for marking these passages, we become controlled by the changes in our lives instead of using them as new opportunities for growth. Lights of Passage is a hopeful, enriching, and practical guide to reinventing rituals and ceremonies and using them to gracefully navigate through transitions, both large and small. It offers simple yet profound ways to use change to reposition ourselves in the world and to let go of old patterns to discover new and healthier ones.

Rituals and Rites of Passage for the Problems and Pleasures of Modern Life

Lights of Passage

UN MANIFESTE CAPTIVANT POUR FORGER UNE RELATION VITALE AVEC LE MONDE NATUREL L’humanité a coupé ses liens avec la nature. Il n’est pas surprenant que nous ayons hâte de redécouvrir notre relation avec elle. Ayant étudié pendant plusieurs années les fonctionnements internes des merveilles du monde naturel, Gary Ferguson présente une exploration fascinante de ces aspects les plus remarquables, inscrits au cœur même de notre ADN. Il émerge alors un impressionnant réseau de relations donnant de puissants indices sur la façon de mieux nous orienter dans la vie quotidienne. Grâce à des données et à des recherches de pointe, en puisant dans les domaines de la science, de la psychologie, de l’histoire et de la philosophie, Les Huit Enseignements majeurs de la nature est un ouvrage éblouissant sur les pouvoirs du bien-être physique, mental et spirituel qui se manifestent en renouant avec Mère Nature. Il vous livre des enseignements inoubliables et transformateurs, chacun s’apparentant à une fenêtre permettant de voir simultanément vers l’extérieur et vers l’intérieur, nous offrant des aperçus sur une réalité bien différente que celle dont nous nous sommes contentés jusque-là.

Pour bien vivre dans le monde

Les huit enseignements majeurs de la nature

A seasoned naturalist vividly recounts his 500-mile trek through the rugged northern folds of the Yellowstone Rockies.

A Journey Through the Yellowstone Rockies

Walking Down the Wild

John Clayton

Maureen Keilty

National Geographic Guide to America's Outdoors Southern Rockies Colorado Utah With Northern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southwestern Wyoming In this practical, informative, richly illustrated guide, National Geographic takes you to the best nature sites in the southern Rockies and tells you what you need to know -- about the landscape, plants, animals, activities, and recreation -- to experience them fully. Over 55 major sites, plus numerous smaller ones, grouped by bioregion, including national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges; state parks; conservation areas and preserves; and wild and scenic rivers. Guided hikes and rivers Suggestions of where to hike, bike, camp, white-water raft, fish see wildlife, and more. Extensive resource listing 150 vivid color photos and 21 detailed, full-color maps.

National Geographic Guide to America's Outdoors: Southern Rockies

Mary M. Clare

Full Ecology: Repairing Our Relationship with the Natural World

Queen Marguerite (consort of Henry II, King of Navarre)

A study of Marguerite De Navarre's devotional poetry.

Marguerite de Navarre's Devotional Poetry

Mirroring Belief

A conversational journey through America’s forests, introducing readers to people whose lives are intertwined with the soul of the woods.

A Journey Through America's Forests

Through the Woods

Focusing on multiple aspects of Renaissance culture, and in particular its preoccupation with the reading and rewriting of classical sources, this book examines representations of homosexuality in sixteenth-century France. Analysing a wide range of texts and topics, it presents an assessment of queer theory that is grounded in historical examples, including French translations of Boccaccio's Decameron, the poetry of Ronsard, works in praise of and satirising Henri III and his mignons, Montaigne's Essais, Brantôme's Dames galantes, the figures of the androgyne and the hermaphrodite, and religious discourses and practices of penance and confession. Close comparison with the ancient models on which they drew - the elegy and epic, the works of Plato, Ovid, Lucian, and others - reveals Renaissance writers redeploying an established set of cultural understandings and assumptions at once congruent and at odds with their own society's socio-sexual norms. Throughout this study, emphasis is placed on the coexistence of different models of homosexuality during the Renaissance - homosexual desire was simultaneously universal and individual, neither of these views excluding the other. Insisting equally on points of convergence and difference between Renaissance and modern understandings of homosexuality, this book works towards a historicisation of the concept of queerness.

Gary Ferguson

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