Backcountry Press: Recent Episodes
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Backcountry Press releases "Mushrooms of Cascadia," a guide by mycologists Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz. This 576-page book features 800 photographs and details of over 600 Pacific Northwest mushroom species, emphasizing their ecological and cultural significance. It's designed for enthusiasts, researchers, and nature lovers, fostering appreciation for regional fungi.
The post Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of the Pacific Northwest Unveiled by Backcountry Press appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Explore the diverse sea vegetables of the Pacific Coast in a live, two-part online class on May 23 and 30, 2024. Led by environmental educator and seaweed enthusiast Allison Poklemba, this course offers detailed resources, a Sea Vegetable ID Card, and identifies various local seaweeds. Enjoy recordings at your convenience.
The post Spring 2024 Virtual Class Announced appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Twelve years after publishing "Conifer Country," author and ecologist Michael Kauffmann reflects on the journey of the book and its impact. His work has led to a thriving business, Backcountry Press, and acknowledgment as a conifer ecologist. Changes in the landscape, like wildfires and climate shifts, prompted updates to the book, emphasizing the balance between appreciation and stewardship of ancient forests and rare conifers. Kauffmann encourages readers to explore and protect these natural wonders.
The post A note for you, Conifer Country lover appeared first on Backcountry Press.
In a paper published in Madroño, Salmon Mountains wakerobin (Trillium oettingeri) has been elevated to a new species.
The post “New” Trillium in Northwest California appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Vernal pools, seasonal wetlands that foster unique species, play a crucial role in preserving California's biodiversity. "Conservation of California’s Great Valley Vernal Pool Landscapes" is the first comprehensive book focusing on vernal pool landscape conservation. It highlights threats like urbanization and invasive species and aims to inspire greater conservation efforts. The eBook is free and the paperback is available for a discounted price.
The post California’s Great Valley Vernal Pools appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Embark on a flavorful journey through the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest, where the evergreen trees are not only charismatic megaflora, but also ingredients for a unique tea experience.
The post Sip the Forest: A Guide to Pacific Northwest Conifer Teas appeared first on Backcountry Press.
"Plants of Mount Tamalpais: Including Muir Woods" is a new book from Backcountry Press that explores the unique plant biodiversity of Mount Tamalpais in the San Francisco Bay Area. Authored by Robert Steers, who has studied the region's flora for over a decade, the book highlights the area's remarkable plant diversity, with emphasis on its rare and endemic species.
The post Mount Tamalpais appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Celebrating the one-year anniversary of "The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History," a $15 discount is being offered on its second printing.
The post Second Printing Sale: The Klamath Mountains appeared first on Backcountry Press.
We’ve been hard at work here at Backcountry Press World Headquarters and want you to know what books we will release soon. As always, thanks for your support!
The post Coming Soon from BCP appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Nova Garwood, a seventh grader at Jacoby Creek Elementary School in Humboldt County, has a black Labrador retriever named Sunny and loves to get outside with him. But on these adventures, she started to notice a large amount of dog poop on the trails she hiked – particularly near the trailheads. She started to ask some questions....
The post Humboldt County’s Dog Poop Problem appeared first on Backcountry Press.
With the shift of the California Current, rains begin to fall in Humboldt County after a summer without. This rejuvenating moisture super-charges the landscape and the living world responds in wonderful ways.
The post Best Fall Hikes in Humboldt appeared first on Backcountry Press.
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARDS The Selection Process Each year, The Commonwealth Club receives hundreds of books from California authors for award consideration. Our dedicated jury spends several months assessing each entry, narrowing down the many submitted works to a group of finalists and finally the medalists themselves. Types of Awards The California Book Awards […]
The post California Book Award Gold Medal appeared first on Backcountry Press.
This exciting new book, created to get kids and families outside exploring the natural wonders of Humboldt County, is now a reality. Hiking Humboldt Kids by Rees Hughes is the next book in the “Hiking Humboldt Series,” and is the result of a dynamic collaboration between Backcountry Press and First 5 Humboldt. First 5 is […]
The post Hiking Humboldt KIDS Released appeared first on Backcountry Press.
The Klamath Mountains are home to vast populations of bird species. This is due to diverse habitats including riparian corridors, coniferous forests, oak woodlands, chaparral, meadows, and rocky cliffs. Over 350 bird species call the Klamath Mountains home for some portion of their life. Many of the bird species found in the Klamath Mountains are […]
The post Birds of the Klamath Mountains appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Take a journey through the biotic and abiotic wonders that define the Klamath Mountains and one of the most unique mountain ranges in North America. Ecologist and author Michael Kauffmann takes us on across the range based on his new book about the range that spans northwest California and southwest Oregon. We explore a variety […]
The post Webcast: The Natural History of the Klamath Mountains appeared first on Backcountry Press.
The Klamath Mountains are second to the Sierra Nevada in gold abundance in California. This abundance was, unfortunately, met by the festering greed of gold miners who lacked respect for the land and those who resided there at the time of first contact. While there were laws for mining the miners often disregarded them. These […]
The post Greed and Destruction: Klamath Mountains Mining History appeared first on Backcountry Press.
A Podcast Interview with Jennifer Jewell This week Jennifer Jewell, with the Cultivating Place Podcast, interviewed Michael Kauffmann and Justin Garwood. Michael and Justin have spent the better part of the last decade curating and editing a cohort of 32 additional expert contributors to a new, and really the first, comprehensive natural history of the […]
The post Cultivating Place appeared first on Backcountry Press.
This week on Headline Humboldt, author Michael Kauffmann is in the studio to discuss his new natural history book of the Klamath Mountains.
The post Headline Humboldt appeared first on Backcountry Press.
We are proud to say that the San Francisco Chronicle has selected The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History as one of the best nonfiction books of 2022! Backcountry Press’ handsome, encyclopedic new volume is [. . .] good news for this beautiful chunk of far Northern California. Editors Michael Kauffmann and Justin Garwood, plus 34 […]
The post SF Chronicle: Best Books of 2022 appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Desert environments have always held a fascination for many, their stark landscapes notwithstanding. At first glance these seemingly-lifeless landscapes are actually home to hardy woody shrubs and succulents with amazing adaptations to survive in harsh desert conditions. In California’s deserts, all this changes when the onset of winter rains bring carpets of brightly colored annuals […]
The post California’s Deserts appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Available Now! Filled with mystery conjured by unparalleled biodiversity, the Klamath Mountains tell numerous stories of evolution and resilience shaped over long periods of time. Geology is the defining character of this range, with numerous smaller mountain ranges forming a jigsaw puzzle of big-shouldered river canyons and sharp ridgelines. Within the Klamath Knot, the geology […]
The post THE KLAMATH MOUNTAINS: A NATURAL HISTORY appeared first on Backcountry Press.
For the past 15 years, Philip Rundel, has been developing this book through his long-term relationship and travels in deserts of the Southwestern United States, northern Chile, and Southern Africa. His vision is now a reality. California Desert Plants: Ecology and Diversity is a new book written by Philip Rundel, Robert Gustafson, and Michael Kauffmann […]
The post Plant Life in California’s Deserts appeared first on Backcountry Press.
In this podcast Kara Muzia, an ocean enthusiast and marine biologist interviews Allison Poklemba. They dive into the wonderful world of seaweeds! Allison shares how plants have fascinated her from a young age, why her move across the country for university was the financially responsible choice, and how she incorporated both botany and herbalism into […]
The post MarineBio.Life Features Allison Poklemba appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Michael Hawk, the creator of Nature’s Archive, featured Michael Kauffmann a few weeks back. They discussed the many things that make conifers such an amazing group of plants including their evolutionary history, what makes them different from other trees, and gives us a special look at the amazing diversity of conifers in his area – […]
The post Nature’s Archive features Michael Kauffmann appeared first on Backcountry Press.
We are working with First 5 Humboldt to develop a hiking guide for kids and families. We would love to feature your photos of these landscapes and people visiting these places! About these photos: If you share, it will be for one-time use, only in the book. You will remains the sole owner of the […]
The post Calling All Humboldt County Photographers appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Never get turned around in the Mojave Desert again. As long as you can find this plant, it will point you south! Directionality is seen in many cactus species, with our barrel cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus) serving as a good example. The succulent stems of these cacti lean toward the south, maximizing solar radiation on the growing tip […]
The post Nature Nerd Protip: Cactus Compass appeared first on Backcountry Press.
This 2-part webinar will explore the natural history of six closely related five-needle pines of western North America. We have created a "quiz" to prep you for the webinar and prompt you with a few amazing facts about this group within the beautiful and regal soft (Strobus) pines.
The post Magnificent Five-needle Pines of Western North America appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Part 1: Kombucha In The Mist We’re kicking it off by pairing Part 1 with a beverage that you can watch develop with a culture of your very own — or just pick up a bottle from your neighborhood market: Kombucha! For best effect, pour yourself a sparkling glass and sit outside on a misty autumnal evening listening […]
The post Forest Mushroom Class Pairings appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Once you get on a roll with a painting, its like you have free license to be part of the mountains. It’s an odd feeling. Ken Jarvela is one of our favorite local artists. His work captures the wildest plants, rocks, sky and these are the subjects we love. He grew up in Bayside, California alongside […]
The post The Vivid View of Ken Jarvela appeared first on Backcountry Press.
A five-part fall webinar series Join Maria Morrow and Christian Schwarz for a comprehensive introduction to the forest mushrooms of California and the Pacific Northwest. Over the course of this series we’ll cover foundational topics ranging from the fundamentals of mushroom identification to basic fungal biology. We’ll also discuss the fascinating complexities of the bigger […]
The post Forest Mushrooms of the Pacific Coast appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are an important group of North American wild pollinators. However, in the latter half of the 20th century, concern has arisen because of a noticeable declines in many species’ populations—due to a variety of factors including pesticides and diseases from managed bees. Decline of the world’s rarest bumble bee The Klamath […]
The post Franklin’s Bumble Bee appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Prioritizing long-lived giant trees could maximize the carbon sequestration and biodiversity of city parks and other green spaces. By Marie E. Antoine and Stephen C. Sillett Current environmental crises can seem overwhelming in scale. Confronting climate change and conserving biodiversity will require huge changes in how humans manage the landscape and in our use of […]
The post With ‘intentional forests,’ hope grows on trees appeared first on Backcountry Press.
Sticky trap carnivory discovered in western false asphodel (Triantha occidentalis) The botanical world is being rocked by a new lineage of carnivorous plants described by Qianshi Lin et al. (August 2021)! Previous to this discovery scientists have recognized only 11 independent origins of plant carnivory—and now there is a 12th. This cryptic carnivore secretes a digestive […]
The post Cryptic Carnivores appeared first on Backcountry Press.
AVAILABLE NOW! Including the Marble Mountain, Russian, and Trinity Alps Wilderness areas Wildflowers of California’s Klamath Mountains features flowering plants found within one of the most biodiverse temperate mountain ranges on Earth. This photographic collection is representative of the most common, beautiful, and unique plants across this amazing region.• 629 species, subspecies, and varieties of wildflowers• […]
The post Wildflowers of California’s Klamath Mountains appeared first on Backcountry Press.
The Making of a “Super-Naturalist” by Matt Berger Over two PCT thru hikes I took tens of thousands of plant photos, figured out each plants’ identity, and uploaded these observations to citizen science websites. Getting to this point was a process that I took one step a time. Now, I’m ready to share what I’ve […]
The post Botanical Tales of the Pacific Crest Trail appeared first on Backcountry Press.