America's Natural Treasures

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America's Natural Treasures
NATIONAL NATURE MONUMENTS AND SEASHORES
By Stewart L. Udall
Listen for a moment to the deafening silence of Death Valley. . . . less than a hundred years ago, prospectors could not see any beauty in the white pinnacles of salt and the colored rocks of this bleak land.
Listen, too, to another kind of silence - that of an underwater world among the delicate castles of coral in the Virgin Islands.
In contrast, hear a huge piece of ice as it breaks loose from a monstrous glacier lapping a rugged Alaskan bay and makes a resounding crash hitting the water.
And walk for a while on the sands of Cape Cod. The rhythmic sound of waves breaking at your feet and the crying of gulls overhead alert your senses that have been deadened by life in the city.
These are but a few of the scenic wonders that are presented in America's Natural Treasures by Stewart L. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior.
Here, for the first time in one... Tovább

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mimmM
America's Natural Treasures
NATIONAL NATURE MONUMENTS AND SEASHORES
By Stewart L. Udall
Listen for a moment to the deafening silence of Death Valley. . . . less than a hundred years ago, prospectors could not see any beauty in the white pinnacles of salt and the colored rocks of this bleak land.
Listen, too, to another kind of silence - that of an underwater world among the delicate castles of coral in the Virgin Islands.
In contrast, hear a huge piece of ice as it breaks loose from a monstrous glacier lapping a rugged Alaskan bay and makes a resounding crash hitting the water.
And walk for a while on the sands of Cape Cod. The rhythmic sound of waves breaking at your feet and the crying of gulls overhead alert your senses that have been deadened by life in the city.
These are but a few of the scenic wonders that are presented in America's Natural Treasures by Stewart L. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior.
Here, for the first time in one large, authoritative and colorful book are all of America's national nature monuments, national seashores and lakeshores, her new national wild and scenic rivers, and her most valuable national wildlife refuges - 73 of America's greatest natural assets.
These unspoiled pieces of America are no less important than the more frequently heralded national parks, which are the subject of a companion volume written by Mr. Udall and published by Country Beautiful, The National Parks of America. Some of the monuments are larger in size than the parks. Katmai in Alaska, with about 4,200 square miles, is the largest unit in the National Parks System. Glacier Bay, Alaska, has about 3,600 square miles and is even larger than Yellowstone, and Death Valley is as large as Mount McKinley. Others are easily the parks' equals in beauty. Many go unnoticed by the hordes of visitors who pass their gates to get to the national parks nearby. One of these monuments is Grand Canyon, which adjoins the much more frequently visited national park of the same name. Another is Devils Postpile, an almost deserted piece of spectacular beauty, tall symmetrical columns in the midst of green forests and large waterfalls, outside of Yosemite.
In the last few years many seashores and lake-shores have come under the protective arm of the National Park Service to save them from the encroaching civilization. Many of them are near the nation's largest cities. Beautiful Point Reyes seashore is only 35 miles from the Golden Gate of San
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Front cover: "Park Avenue," Arches National Monument, Utah, by Robert Gunning.
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Francisco; Fire Island seashore is within 60 miles of the teeming humanity of Manhattan; Indiana Dunes lakeshore is only about 40 miles from downtown Chicago.
The newly established National Wild and Scenic Rivers System is designed to preserve America's unspoiled rivers, and this book covers all of these rivers including the Rogue in Oregon, the Rio Grande in New Mexico, and the Wolf in Wisconsin.
The wildlife refuges are homes for many of America's grand and endangered wildlife. Kodiak Island in Alaska is the home of the magnificent Kodiak brown bear, the largest carnivore on earth. The Desert National Wildlife Range in Nevada protects the desert bighorn sheep, and the Aransas refuge in Texas is the winter home of the lovely and graceful whooping crane, of which there are fewer than 60 in existence.
Over 225 superb photographs, with 96 in full color, by many of the country's finest nature photographers such as Ansel Adams, Shelly Grossman, Philip Hyde and David Muench, are presented. Author Udall is unsurpassed in his knowledge of America's great outdoors and his dedication in preserving these treasures for future generations. The text-which has been verified for accuracy by Park Service superintendents and wildlife refuge managers-shows the uniqueness of each area. It also gives a summary of important visitor information for each area, its facilities, accommodations and special restrictions; and a full-page map will show you precisely where these wonders are located.
From the outer Hawaiian Islands to the moose country of Maine, from every part of our great nation, Stewart L. Udall and the Editors of Country Beautiful bring you the unparalleled scenic splendor of America's natural treasures.
ABOUT THE A UTHOR
Stewart L. Udall was born in St. Johns, Arizona, in 1920 and graduated from the University of Arizona Law School in 1948. After practicing law in Tucson, he was elected to Congress, and in 1961 newly elected President John F. Kennedy appointed him Secretary of the Interior, a position he held until January 1969. He is now Chairman of the Board of Overview, an environmental consulting firm, writes a nationally syndicated column on the environment, and lectures frequently throughout the country. He is an avid outdoorsman and reader and an accomplished author. Among his books are The Quiet Crisis and 1976: Agenda for Tomorrow. Vissza