Wild New Jersey
264 pages, 6 x 9
53 illustrations
Paperback
Release Date:14 Jan 2011
ISBN:9780813549217
Wild New Jersey
Nature Adventures in the Garden State
By David Wheeler; Foreword by Margaret O'Gorman
Rutgers University Press, Rivergate Books
The fastest animal on earth dive-bombs him from the skies. A young black bear bounds up a mountain trail a few yards away. Poisonous snakes swirl at his feet. A thousand bats careen past his head in a pitch-black roost. Pods of dolphins swim right past him by the scores. Who? Experienced naturalist David Wheeler. Where? In Wild New Jersey, of course.
Wild New Jersey invites readers along Wheeler’s whirlwind year-long tour of the most ecologically diverse state for its size in America. Along with the expert guidance of charismatic wildlife biologists and local conservationists, he explores mountains, valleys, beaches, pine barrens, caves, rivers, marshlands, and more—breathtaking landscapes and the state’s Noah’s Ark of fascinating creatures.
This isn’t your ordinary ride on the Jersey Turnpike. Fasten your seatbelts and join Wheeler as he . . .
Wild New Jersey invites readers along Wheeler’s whirlwind year-long tour of the most ecologically diverse state for its size in America. Along with the expert guidance of charismatic wildlife biologists and local conservationists, he explores mountains, valleys, beaches, pine barrens, caves, rivers, marshlands, and more—breathtaking landscapes and the state’s Noah’s Ark of fascinating creatures.
This isn’t your ordinary ride on the Jersey Turnpike. Fasten your seatbelts and join Wheeler as he . . .
- Kayaks through the Meadowlands under the watchful eye of the Empire State Building,
- Pans for cretaceous fossils in a hidden brook once home to mastodons and giant sloths,
- Rides a fishing boat in the frigid snows of winter on a high-seas quest for Atlantic puffins,
- Trudges through the eerie darkness of a bog on a mysterious night hike,
- Dogsleds across the windswept alpine slopes in the haunts of the porcupine and bobcat.
With Wheeler’s compelling narrative, in-depth background details, and eye for revealing the offbeat, you can count this as the first nature book to paint the extraordinary picture of New Jersey’s unlikely wilderness in all its glory. Come along for all the adventure and insight in Wild New Jersey!
Wild New Jersey brings the reader on a real-life safari through the Garden State's wildlife and natural wonders.
What is wonderful about this book is it shows we still have wild places left even in the middle of our state's most developed urban areas. This book captures why we must preserve what's left of nature in New Jersey—and it reads like a page-turner you can't put down.
Wheeler provides an entertaining overview of the diversity of wildlife in New Jersey that challenges the notion that our state is merely a
crowded, overdeveloped stretch of toxic sites. He weaves carefully selected information into a fast-paced, hard-to-put-down story. It's not
often we can refer to a book about nature as a 'page turner.'
Full of exciting tales about New Jersey, from the crowded urban areas to the most remote places of the state.
Once you read this book, don't be surprised if you find yourself going straight to the nearest outdoor adventure, whether it be boating and birding the Meadowlands, hiking the Appalachian Trail, or exploring the Pinelands.
As someone who has worked through many of the environmental challenges we face in New Jersey, I celebrate New Jersey's unique role in America's environmental movement. Wild New Jersey captures what is at stake in our fight to clean up, restore, and protect our beautiful natural areas, from the pristine heart of the Pinelands to the ecological restorations of Superfund sites
Wild New Jersey may sound like fantasy—but this inspiring book is all reality. It's David Wheeler's great gift that he can continually see the treeline behind the skyline and hear the wild birds calling beyond the traffic's roar. He is the great champion and re-explorer of the state's magnificent wilderness and natural resoloence that 400 years of development has often threatened but never erased; he is also the cherisher and celebrator of those struggling natural areas that intrepod local residents are nursing back to like with great success. Here is a book that will change your understanding of where you are, and show you the wild strength and beauty that is still the heartheat of the nation's most urbanized state.
While many people view New Jersey as the as a kind of 'ground zero' in the conflict between development and preservation, David Wheeler reminds us in this beautifully written book that human efforts over the last 40 years to protect our environment and preserve open space—coupled with Nature's amazing resiliency—have made the Garden State an incredible place to enjoy wildlife both rare and common. Reading Wild New Jersey will make you flush with pride to be a New Jerseyan, while you reach for your hiking boots and binoculars to follow in David's intrepid footsteps.
This book is for anyone in the Garden State with the teeniest spark of adventure and enthusiasm. From your easy chair, Wheeler will take you places you've never been.
DAVID WHEELER founded the daily wildlife and nature blog WildNewJersey.tv, and has written conservation stories for The Star-Ledger, The Record, Home News Tribue, E the Environmental Magazine, New Jersey Newsroom, and other media. He is the director of operations for the nonprofit Edison Wetlands Association. He earned his M.B.A. from New York University's Stern School of Business and his B.A. from the American University.
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One. The Rugged Northwest
Part Two. The Urban Northeast
Part Three. The Jersey Shore
Part Four. The Cape and Pines
Part Five. The Heartland
Nature Centers in New Jersey
Suggested Reading
Index
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One. The Rugged Northwest
Part Two. The Urban Northeast
Part Three. The Jersey Shore
Part Four. The Cape and Pines
Part Five. The Heartland
Nature Centers in New Jersey
Suggested Reading
Index
