Island Press Field Notes

When we were growing up, we thought that the only really tall trees in the western U.S. were giant redwoods in northwestern California. It wasn’t until Richard moved to Oregon in the early 1960s that he discovered not only are redwoods exceptionally large, but that all the conifers (e.g., spruces, firs, cedars, hemlocks, and pines) grow taller and can live longer than their relatives elsewhere in the world (see Table 1).

Island Press grieves the loss of Michael Soulé, an Island Press author who was widely recognized as the Father of Conservation Biology. Michael was a founder and first president of the Society for Conservation Biology as well as a cofounder of The Wildlands Network. His impact lives on through Island Press and his many contributions to the environmental community. 

Nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Nature Camp inspires a commitment to conserve and sustain the environment and its natural resources. 

Migrating wildlife species across the globe face a dire predicament as their traditional migratory routes are cut off by human encroachment. Forced into smaller and smaller patches of habitat, they must compete more aggressively for dwindling food resources and territory. This is more than just an unfortunate side effect of human progress. As key species populations dwindle, ecosystems are losing resilience and face collapse, and along with them, the ecosystem services we depend on. Healthy ecosystems need healthy wildlife populations. One possible answer?