Although this sounds like a lovely book, I am not terribly comfortable with
the concept, at least not in connetion with an ecology mailing list. Part of
our work as scientists is promoting a rational, rather than romantic,
concern for our environment, and while some of us (like Ehrlich) may have
gotten involved with ecology because of an emotional attachment to beautiful
creatures, many of us are having difficulty defending the role of the ugly
and even disgusting organisms that are an essential part of ecosystems (such
as detritivores).
I am curious to know how many parasitologists and mycologists feel that
their life's work was rooted in some "rapturous love affair" with tapeworms
or mildew. Who ever fell in love with nematodes and polychaetes? (Although
my late friend Peter Schwinghamer had a sign over his door saying "Worms can
teach us awe and wonder.")
My concern has a practical side to it. There are seal species far more at
risk than harp seals, but mottled grey beasts with nasty teeth do not seem
to attract the support of anti-sealing campaigners. It is hard to argue that
the biodiversity of beautiful flowers in Costa Rica is more vital to our
survival than the worms crawling around in the mud of the North Sea, but
much of the emphasis on conservation of biodiversity focusses on tropical
hot spots rather than the low and dirty.
I don't want to discourage anyone from enjoying the beauty of the natural
enviornment, but I also want to remind the scientific community that ecology
is not about beauty, it is about systems that often do not appeal to our
aesthetic sense. I like my work, but manage not to get too emotionally
involved!
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jamie Reaser" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 10:44 PM
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] New Book for Nature Enthusiasts
Dear Nature Enthusiasts -
Hiraeth Press and Ecos Systems Institute are please to announce the
publication of:Courting the Wild: Love Affairs with the Land, edited by
Dr. Jamie K. Reaser and Ms. Susan Chernak McElroy.
Do you remember the first time you fell in love?
Within these pages will you find love stories, rapturous love affairs with
the land, longings, shameless seductions, betrothals, vows exchanged,
marriages of the soul, heartaches, partings, healings, and renewals. The
authors are the courters and the courted.Their landscape paramours embrace
them and they grow forth from within.
"A stirring book.filled with transcendent and highly personal moments of
revelation, of awe, reverence, and love for nature.the profound truth and
magic of becoming one with life on Earth. This book is for anyone
anywhere.from the camper's backpack to bedside tables." - Dr. Thomas
Lovejoy, President, The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics
and the Environment
"Like many ecologists, I had a love affair with nature (especially with
butterflies) long before I became a scientist. The love affairs described
here will either tell you what I mean, or remind you of your own affair.
Either way, you'll enjoy them." - Dr. Paul Ehrlich, co-author of the
Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment
Available from:
- Hiraeth Press: www.hiraethpress.com
- www.amazon.com
A limited number of signed copies are available, contact Dr. Jamie K.
Reaser at [email protected]. If you'd like to help promote the book,
please e-mail Jamie for a flyer.
