Mama Poc: An Ecologist's Account of the Extinction of a Species
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.94 (617 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0393308006 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-12-21 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Over the course of twenty-five years, Anne LaBastille made the cause of the giant grebe her own. It covers the last twenty years not of an individual life but of a form of life. The giant grebe, a flightless bird living on mile-deep Lake Atitlan, came to LaBastille’s attention in 1964. “This is the first careful account I have ever read of the death of one of the myriad types of creation. This is the story of her life in Guatemala, observing the birds and working to reclaim their habitat andagainst odds that turned out to be overwhelminggive them a future.. These marvelous birds deserve at the very least an obituary, and Anne LaBastille has given them a fine and moving one.” Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature Every day some species of plant or animal on our planet becomes extinct. Her population count revealed that a mere eighty-two birds remained. In Mama Poc, the bestselling author of Woodswoman and Beyond Black Bear Lake relates her own attempts to halt the decline of a single species of bird found only in Guatemala
This is a tragic story, sensitively recounted, with implications far beyond one species and one lake. Cors, Univ. Her latest book is recommended for all natural history collections.- Paul B. The author first saw the birds in 1960; in 1964 she began the campaign to save them that won her the name "Mama Poc" and is chronicled in this memoir; while she failed, it was not from lack of support in either Guatemala City or the local villages, nor lack of personal conviction and knowledge. From Library Journal The giant grebe bird ( poc in Mayan) is now extinct: confined to Lake Atitlan in the Guatemalan highlands and probably never numbering more than 300, it has succumbed to both human (the development of the lake as a resort) and natural (an earthquake that permanently lowered water levels and destroyed breeding habitat) influences. of Wyoming Lib., LaramieCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. LaBastille also wrote Woodswoman ( LJ 5/1/76) and Beyond Black Bear Lake (
Anne LaBastille is the author of nine books, including Woodswoman and Woodswoman III.
Behind the extinction of a species Every year, newspapers dole out articles about the endangered or even extinction of a species somewhere on the globe. Yet, few describe the multitude of reasons for this event, much less the brave people who fight the battles. Dr. Anne LaBastille's, "Mama Poc" details the myriad of mistakes and consequences of the now extinct Atitlan giant gre. A Customer said A tale of extinction told in a moving, but unsentimental way. Among all the tales of commitment to a cause,personal loss, and bravery to face theworld despite the heartbreaks it brings, Anne LaBastille's story of the decline and eventual extinction of the giant pied-billed grebe of Guatemala's Lake Atitlan is a winner. Beginning with the author's arrival at the lake in 1965, the memoir-cum natural histor. Brenda Phillips said Best of the Best. Of all Anne LaBastille's books, this is my favorite. She practices what she preaches and heads to South America where she documents the extinction of a species. Her compassion for the environment coupled with her own personal narrative make for very compelling reading.The only thing I do not understand is why so many of her books are out of pr