Mark Hengesbaugh is a local author who happens to be married to a good friend of my wife. He recently published a new bookCreatures of Habitat (Utah State University Press) that serves as a field guide to non-game animals located in the Great Basin area.

The book is notable for its readable style, while it contains a great deal of useful information, the tone is light and chatty. But don't let the readable nature of the text fool you. There is a wealth of valuable information between the covers of this book including concepts such as a keystone species. Prairie dogs are one such creature; if and when they fail there is a domino effect among other animals and plants. "Biologists have identified more than 170 species that rely on prairie dog towns in some way."

Mark notes that we should use the best methods of science to determine when and where to either build or protect. Far from a knee-jerk environmentalist, Mark notes that hunters have spent more time and money than most groups protecting wildlife habitat. Finally, the book's conclusion notes that, "Native plants and animals are only expressions of natural landscapes; as these places disappear so do the creatures that inhabit them...Blaming others allows individuals to shrug off personal responsibility and continue on a comfortable course."

The book can be purchased directly from Utah State University or, as I found, from amazon.com.

--Wayne Wilson