The Arbornaut
A Life Discovering The Eighth Continent In The Trees Above Us
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
One of the world's first tree-top scientists, Meg Lowman is as innovative as MacGuyver and as can-do as the Unsinkable Molly Brown. A pioneer in her field - she invented one of the first treetop walkways - she is a tireless advocate for the earth and has spent decades educating citizens across the globe. In a voice as infectious in its enthusiasm as in its practical optimism, The Arbornaut chronicles her irresistible story.
From climbing solo hundreds of feet into Australia's rainforests to measuring tree growth in the northeastern United States, from searching the redwoods of the Pacific coast for new life to studying leaf-eaters in Scotland's Highlands, from a bioblitz in Malaysia to conservation planning in India to collaborating with priests in Ethiopia's last forests - Lowman launches us into the life and work of a field scientist and ecologist. She also offers hope, specific plans, and recommendations for action; despite devastation across the world, we can still make an immediate and lasting impact against climate change. A blend of memoir and fieldwork, The Arbornaut is for fans of Hope Jahren's Lab Girl and the work of E. O. Wilson, Jane Goodall, Robert MacFarlane, and Helen MacDonald.
Come live among scientists and travel the world (even in a hot-air balloon)! The Arbornaut is the engrossing story of how a nerdy tree climber and the only girl at the science fair grew into an inspiring innovator and international leader.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Conservationist Lowman (Life in the Treetops: Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology) takes a passionate look at the "unexplored wonderland" of trees in this vivid survey of life among forest canopies. Over half of all land creatures live "about one hundred feet or more above our heads," Lowman writes, and notes that, historically, information about trees has focused from "trunk-level," despite the fact that the dark ground is vastly different from the sun-filled canopy. A self-professed "arbornaut," Lowman recounts research experiences high in the foliage in Australia, where she studied leaves; India, where she learned about the canopies above endangered tigers; and Scotland, where she got her start as a master's student in ecology. She offers snapshots of her childhood—born in Upstate New York, she collected wildflowers, twigs, bird nests, stones, and feathers—and mentions the difficulties she has faced as a woman working in field biology. Lowman shines in her ability to combine accessible science with exciting personal anecdotes that effectively convey the "thrill of aerial exploration" and bolster her case that trees—and sustainable ecosystems—are worth studying, protecting, and preserving. Nature lovers will find much to consider.
