Sky's Witness: A Year in the Wind River Range

A naturalist leads readers on a tour of the Central Rockies, describing the flowering plants, the ways of the animals, the history of the Shoshoni, the effects of the twentieth century on the landscape, and more. 10,000 first printing.

Poet Rawlins ( A Ceremony on Bare Ground ) monitors air pollution for the Forest Service in the Wyoming wilderness, with a partner collecting samples of snow, rain and lakewater at elevations above 10,000 feet. Transport is by snowmobile or pack animal (horse, llama) to a campsite, then by touring skis, snowshoes or shank's mare to the collection point. Equipment includes float tubes and a small rubber boat. Rawlins gives an exhilarating account of his journey through this rugged landscape, reminding us that the range of conditions--snow, rain, wind, fog and their sudden shifts--calls for constant vigilance. In these isolated places where nearly every collection trip is an adventure among elk, foxes and other wildlife, Rawlins takes note of caddis flies and columbine as indicator species. A rewarding book for lovers of the outdoors. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rawlins writes for Sierra magazine and is also the author of a book of poetry, A Ceremony on Bare Ground (Utah State Univ. Pr., 1985. o.p.). He also works for the Forest Service and, among other tasks, periodically hikes or skis into remote areas of the Wind River wilderness to collect samples of snow and water in order to check for evidence of acid rain. He responds to the mountains as a poet first, then as a scientist. This, then, is a poet/hydrologist's thoughtful reaction to wilderness, environmental in the sense of being awed by place, fauna, and flora but not by nature as a mystical experience. Whether as guide, storyteller, geologist, historian, or keen observer of the seasons, he shows in his mundane activities the value of the wilderness. Readers will be persuaded by his tale and delighted by his company. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.