NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A series of four nature-based books has been published by Tuleyome, the nonprofit conservation organization based in Woodland that spearheaded the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument campaign.
Tuleyome’s campaign to protect more than 330,000 acres of federal public land between Berryessa Peak and the Snow Mountain Wilderness came to a successful completion on July 10 of this year when President Barack Obama proclaimed the region the new Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
The monument touches parts of seven local counties including Lake, Yolo, Solano, Napa, Mendocino, Glenn and Colusa.
Tuleyome started the book-writing project a little over a year ago in the hopes of educating the public about the Berryessa Snow Mountain region and the habitats and watersheds in and around it.
Some of the books were written with older teens and adults in mind, while others were focused specifically on children.
Out of the six books originally slated for the project, four of the books in the series have been completed and are now available for sale.
“A Compendium of Tuleyome Tales” is a two-volume set of books comprised of more than 100 articles written primarily by Tuleyome board and staff members on the conservation history and natural diversity of the Berryessa Snow Mountain region.
The articles – some of which have been featured on Lake County News – span from 2003 to 2015, and cover such topics as the efforts to combat the algae bloom in Clear Lake, the horse-rustling history of Glascock Mountain, the fight to preserve Cache Creek as a Wild and Scenic River, the geology of the region, the collaborative efforts to remove invasive Ravenna Grass, and how things like lichen and slime molds interact with the natural environment.
“Tuleyome’s Wild Nature Book for Children” is written for kids ages 6 and up. It includes large photographs and some fun facts about them, and then poses questions for the reader to answer.
At the request of local librarians who were shown an advance draft of the book, the Wild Nature book is very “Yolo-centric”; that is, all of the plants, animals and places mentioned in the book can be found in or around Yolo County itself. It’s hoped that this book will entertain children as well as spark an interest in them to do further research and explore the natural places just outside their door.
“A Species Guide to the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region” is the largest book in the series, and provides information on over 200 species of plants and animals found in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
While the guide is admittedly not comprehensive, it does provide readers with an introduction to some of the more common species in the region, as well as information on some of the rare and endemic species found within the national monument.
The book also provides readers with a portion of the proclamation signed by President Obama which explains why the region was so important to protect, as well as articles written by local experts such as Dr. Eldridge and Judith Moores, Dr. Glen Holstein, Dr. Chad Roberts and Dr. Susan Harrison on the geology, watersheds and forest of the region, and the national monument’s conservation value.
All of the books were compiled and edited by Mary K. Hanson, Tuleyome’s on-staff Certified California Naturalist and author of The Chubby Woman’s Walkabout blog, who also provided many of the photos seen in the books. Hanson volunteered more than 250 hours of her time to get the books ready for release this month.
The books are available for sale through www.Lulu.com (just go to www.Lulu.com and search for “Tuleyome”) and are being offered at a 15 to 25 percent discount for a limited time. All proceeds from the sale of the books will go to further Tuleyome’s book-writing projects.
Future books are slated to include pocket-sized guides for local trails, an auto-tour of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, and a nature-based coloring book for small children.
For more information about Tuleyome, visit www.tuleyome.org .
Tuleyome releases book series on Berryessa Snow Mountain region
- Lake County News reports
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