Defending Nature: How the US Military Protects Threatened and Endangered Species
Defending Nature: How the US Military Protects Threatened and Endangered Species
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Library Binding ©2024--
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Millbrook Press
Annotation: The United States Department of Defense has more than four hundred military bases across the country. They are used to h... more
Genre: [Biology]
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #374905
Format: Library Binding
Publisher: Millbrook Press
Copyright Date: 2024
Edition Date: 2025 Release Date: 09/10/24
Pages: 56 pages
ISBN: 1-7284-9374-9
ISBN 13: 978-1-7284-9374-9
Dewey: 591.6809759
LCCN: 2023021110
Dimensions: 24 x 28 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A close look at one of the U.S. armed forces' lesser-known, and more surprising, missions.Who would guess that U.S. domestic military bases harbor more types of rare animals than national parks do? Making that claim, Collard points to relatively recent changes in general official attitudes toward the environmental effects of military tests and exercises, while highlighting efforts to protect and restore populations of three vulnerable creatures in particular-the red-cockaded woodpecker, the gopher tortoise, and the reticulated flatwoods salamander. The stakes are clear. All three are threatened or endangered, and two are actually designated keystone species in the quickly shrinking longleaf pine habitat that remains today in a few locales (thanks to misguided wildfire policies) outside Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle. The author mentions other bases and species but devotes most of his account to shadowing scientists working at Eglin AFB and discussing with them the specific challenges they face. Color photos aplenty offer views of various habitats, as well as animals and researchers in the field. Readers will be left marveling at the complexity of natural ecosystems within the base's half-million acres. Those tempted to learn more will appreciate the helpful resource lists in the backmatter; those who think that the military's only interest in nature is finding new ways to blow it up may come away with more nuanced views. Most scientists in the photographs present white.Essential, and eye-opening, reading for serious students of wildlife conservation. (author's note, glossary, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

A close look at one of the U.S. armed forces' lesser-known, and more surprising, missions.Who would guess that U.S. domestic military bases harbor more types of rare animals than national parks do? Making that claim, Collard points to relatively recent changes in general official attitudes toward the environmental effects of military tests and exercises, while highlighting efforts to protect and restore populations of three vulnerable creatures in particular-the red-cockaded woodpecker, the gopher tortoise, and the reticulated flatwoods salamander. The stakes are clear. All three are threatened or endangered, and two are actually designated keystone species in the quickly shrinking longleaf pine habitat that remains today in a few locales (thanks to misguided wildfire policies) outside Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle. The author mentions other bases and species but devotes most of his account to shadowing scientists working at Eglin AFB and discussing with them the specific challenges they face. Color photos aplenty offer views of various habitats, as well as animals and researchers in the field. Readers will be left marveling at the complexity of natural ecosystems within the base's half-million acres. Those tempted to learn more will appreciate the helpful resource lists in the backmatter; those who think that the military's only interest in nature is finding new ways to blow it up may come away with more nuanced views. Most scientists in the photographs present white.Essential, and eye-opening, reading for serious students of wildlife conservation. (author's note, glossary, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)

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Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Kirkus Reviews
Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Reading Level: 5.0
Interest Level: 4-7
Guided Reading Level: Y
Fountas & Pinnell: Y

The United States Department of Defense has more than four hundred military bases across the country. They are used to house and train personnel, keep watch of enemies, support allies, and . . . protect America's plant and animal species. The Sikes Act of 1960 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 require military bases to collaborate with federal land management agencies to protect the endangered or at-risk species within their borders. On Eglin Air Force Base, scientists and soldiers work together to study and manage endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, and reticulated flatwoods salamanders. Discover the unique challenges endangered species face and the work the military is doing to protect them.


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