Award-winning nature writer Jack Turner directs his attention to one of America's greatest natural treasures: the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Comprised of two national parks, three national wildlife refuges, parts of six national forests, and eleven wilderness areas, Greater Yellowstone is a vast array of differing environments and geographies. In a series of essays, Turner explores this wonderland, venturing on twelve separate trips in all seasons using various modes of travel: hiking, climbing, skiing, canoeing lakes, floating rivers, and driving his way across the landscape. He treks down the Teton Range, picks up the Oregon Trail in the Red Desert, and floats the South Fork of the Snake River. Along the way he encounters a variety of wildlife: moose, elk, trout, and wolves. From the treacherous mountains in the dead of winter, to lush river valleys in the height of fishing season, his words and steps trace one of the most American of experiences---exploring the West. Turner, who has lived in Grand Teton for three decades, designates Greater Yellowstone as ground zero for the country's conflict between preservation and development. At a time when the battle to preserve a wild and natural environment is relentless, his accounts of the areas conflicts with alien species, logging, real estate, oil, and gas development are alarming. A mixture of adventure, nostalgia, and Americana, Turner's rare experiences and evocative writing transform the sights and sounds of Greater Yellowstone into an intimate narrative of travel through America's most beloved lands. Praise for Teewinot: "Bursting with a sense of place...a rewarding reading experience replete with ravishing observations of nature." - Publishers Weekly "...a measured luxuriance in the landscape, a love song to the natural history of a place...Turner's writing is muscular, never swaggering, and almost lyrical, summoning a Teton Range in its rightful, sublime austerity." - Kirkus Reviews "Teewinot is a rare book. The wonderful accounts of mountaineering serve as armature not only for Turner's meditative reverence for the Grand Tetons and his often evocative prose but also for an uncommon density of knowledge of place..." - Peter Matthiessen, author of Tigers in the Snow "This is, simply stated, a wonderful and utterly engaging book." - Jim Harrison, author of Dalva and The Road Home "Each place must find its muse. The Tetons have found theirs and his name is Jack Turner." - Terry Tempest Williams, author of Coyote's Canyon

Yellowstone National Park looks like a pristine western landscape populated by its wild inhabitants: bison, grizzly bears, and wolves. But the bison do not always range freely, snowmobile noise intrudes upon the park's profound winter silence, and some tourist villages are located in prime grizzly bear habitat. Despite these problems, the National Park Service has succeeded in reintroducing wolves, allowing wildfires to play their natural role in park forests, and prohibiting a gold mine that would be present in other more typical western landscapes. Each of these issues--bison, snowmobiles, grizzly bears, wolves, fires, and the New World Mine--was the center of a recent policy-making controversy involving federal politicians, robust debate with interested stakeholders, and discussions about the relevant science. Yet, the outcomes of the controversies varied considerably, depending on politics, science, how well park managers allied themselves with external interests, and public thinking about the effects of park proposals on their access and economies. Michael Yochim examines the primary influences upon contemporary national park policy making and considers how those influences shaped or constrained the final policy. In addition, Yochim considers how park managers may best work within the contemporary policy-making context to preserve national parks.

The second book in the Immersion Travel USA series offers a one-of-a-kind examination of volunteer immersion opportunities throughout the US. Volunteer immersion means grounding oneself completely in the place, the tasks, and the people you meet along the way, while keeping your own goals in mind. Kayne profiles over 200 volunteer programs throughout the U.S., highlighting the personal stories of volunteers, and offering essential logistical information on the programs. Volunteer Vacations includes trips appropriate for families, children, teens, and senior citizens, and profiles opportunities over a wide range of categories, including community outreach, wildlife conservancy, environmental advocacy, national parks, education groups, and scientific research.

Yellowstone National Park is filled with many beautiful sights. But, it is also a bizarre and dangerous place! Underground heat melts roads. The ground shakes with earthquakes. Small, bubbling pools are ringed with strange yellow and orange water. Geysers shoot into the air. Yellowstone is full of contradictions. It's wild, but it is also carefully managed and under control. Learn all about this beloved national park with this nonfiction book that combines math and literacy skills and uses everyday examples of problem solving to teach subject area content. The full-color images, math charts and diagrams, sidebars, and practice problems make learning to measure volume relevant and fun. Text features include a table of contents, glossary, and index to increase understanding of math and reading concepts. An in-depth problem-solving section provides additional learning opportunities while challenging students' higher-order thinking skills.