Page 10 - Summer 2014 magazine
P. 10
A
n Ancient Indian Proverb implores us to
“Treat the Earth well; it was not given to
you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your
children.” This quote from Pat McCarthy’s “Friends
of the Earth: A History of American Environmental- “Reptiles and Amphibians of the Mojave Desert: A
ism” is a reminder to fulfill that responsibility. Field Guide” by Joshua Parker and Simone Brito was
published last year, 84 years after Roger Peterson
The book begins with an environmental timeline wrote the first of his 52 field guides. Currently teach-
for our country that starts in 1690 when William Penn ing in Georgia, Parker and Brito previously taught bi-
requires settlers to preserve one acre of trees for ology at the College of Southern Nevada. In early
every five acres cleared. It includes twenty activities May, Josh Parker visited the Mojave, speaking at Red
that parents can do with their children to encourage Rock Canyon, Death Valley and Valley of Fire about
them to get outside and learn about nature. There are his work with Mojave
craft activities, recipes and experiments families can “herps.”
do together, as well as book and website recommen-
The field guide is filled
dations.
with maps, amazing pho-
The first environmentalist we meet is Julia Butter- tos, species identification
fly Hill who spent two years living on a six-by-eight charts and information
foot platform in a California redwood named Luna. for 64 Mojave Desert
Julia stayed there until December 18, 1999 when The reptiles and amphibi-
Pacific Lumber Company agreed to never cut down ans, including many
Luna nor any other trees in the three acres around her. that live in the Red
Rock Canyon Na-
Ten other environmentalists are profiled in the
tional Conservation Area.
book: John James Audubon, Henry David Thoreau,
John Muir, Cordelia Stanwood, Gifford Pinchot, Aldo
Leopold, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Margaret Roger Peterson’s challenge to us was to not only
Murie, Rachel Carson. They are authors, Presidential recognize the beauty in our environment but to help
Medal of Freedom winners and environmental group sustain the natural order in the world. It is encourag-
founders. The last profile is of Roger Peterson, the ing to know there are young scientists like Josh Parker
inventor of the modern field guide. and Simone Brito willing to take on that challenge.
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