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Exploring the Berryessa Region

Exploring the Berryessa Region

Rated 4.75 out of 5 based on 4 customer ratings
(4 customer reviews)

$19.95

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Category: Paperback Tags: California, Geology, road guide
  • Description
  • Additional information
  • Reviews (4)

Description

A Geology, Nature, and History Tour

Exploring the Berryessa Region tells the story of a landscape, just west of Sacramento and north of San Francisco, born through plate tectonic forces. The Berryessa Region anchors the southern end of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and holds geologic wonders including subduction zones, thrust faults, ophiolites, turbidites, mud volcanoes, and pull apart basins. These features nurture world-renowned biological diversity which, over time, has fostered a rich history of human cultures—including Native Americans. Today recreational opportunities draw new visitors with hiking, camping, birding, botanizing, horse riding, boating, and managed off-highway vehicle use. Regional ecosystem services include water, forests, and ranchlands.

Full of rich details, this book helps visitors explore this fascinating region by car and discover how regional diversity developed. Readers can use the mile by mile descriptions as a field guide to explore these geological, ecological, and historical features for themselves.

Inside the pages:

  • Mile by mile driving descriptions showcasing geologic highlights
  • 70+ full-color figures and maps
  • Lively sidebars exploring region natural and cultural history
  • Introduction to regional geological concepts

Book Reviews

“Where a transform fault develops any kind of bend — which is not uncommon — the bend will pull apart as the two sides move, opening a sort of parallelogram, which, among soft mountains, will soon be vastly deeper than an ordinary water-sculpted valley. Lake Berryessa lies in a pull-apart basin, and so does Clear Lake.” … Those two sentences are mine, legally, but they belong, in a much deeper sense, to Eldridge Moores, who taught me their meaning beside Lake Berryessa.
– John McPhee, author of Assembling California

This is a beautiful example of what a community can do to protect, support, and explain a local region— in this case one of the most complex and interesting geologic and biological hotspots on the planet. It’s a guide for good actions of all kind, physical, political, spiritual. I know Eldridge Moores would have loved it, and now like him it can be an inspiration to us all.
– Kim Stanley Robinson, Science Fiction writer examining Nature and Culture. Hugo and Nebula award winner.

Additional information

Weight 14 oz
Dimensions 8.5 × 11 × 1 in

4 reviews for Exploring the Berryessa Region

  1. Rated 4 out of 5

    Jennifer Nuovo (verified owner) – July 28, 2020

    I really enjoyed this! Well researched and full of detail. Especially enjoyed the history of the Native American people’s and how the geography informed their lives. If you are on a car or walking tour of the area this will give you mile by mile detail that makes the beautiful scenery all the more fascinating

  2. Rated 5 out of 5

    Brad Marston – July 29, 2020

    Exploration of the fascinating and complex geology of the region encompassed by the new Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Beautiful geological maps and photos. This amateur geologist learned a lot from the book (and listening to a presentation by some of the authors). Co-author Eldridge Moores is the focus of John McPhee’s book “Assembling California” which could be read in conjunction.

  3. Rated 5 out of 5

    Kim Bartlett (verified owner) – July 29, 2020

    I LOVED this collaborative work and publication of the Lake Berryessa region. I also enjoyed very much the zoom/utube presentation promoting it. As an adult learner and geology major I was blown away by the research presented to the community at large. It is a book that keeps giving as one trip through either the book or the region will not be enough, one must return over and over to gain the deeper understanding of the region the authors present to the reader. Absolutely a gem:) of a book. A big thank you to the authors and BackCountry Press for it’s making!

  4. Rated 5 out of 5

    Charlene Simmons – July 29, 2020

    I am looking forward to slowly traveling on the byways of the Berryessa region, guided by the clear and informative descriptions on this lovely book. I will be well informed, because the beginning of the book offers a mini course in Geology, just what we need to understand the striations and faults that tilt in every direction in this geologically significant landscape.

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Backcountry Press
🚨GOOD NEWS ALERT: Now available for preorder wi 🚨GOOD NEWS ALERT: Now available for preorder with free eBook!

Dearest Klamath Mountains Enthusiasts,

You all have been so patient with us as we attempted to wrangle the complexity of this region into one comprehensive natural history book.

It took 10 years and 34 co-authors, but we did it!!

The full color 496 page hardcover will ship to you in early September, but the eBook is available immediately (and for FREE) with your preorder purchase! 

And if you’re super into learning first hand about the river ecology, geology, plant communities, and more of this epic corner of the world, join lead authors @michael.kauffmann, @justin.garwood, and other co-authors Oct. 7-9 for an all inclusive weekend nerd-out/ campout on the Wild and Scenic South Fork of the Smith River! Your book is included ⛺️🌲📘

Get yours at our Link In Profile

#klamathmountains #naturalhistory #biodiversity #northerncalifornia #southernoregon #trinityalps #trinityalpswilderness #trinitycounty #delnortecounty #siskiyoucounty #josephinecounty #currycounty #jacksoncounty #ashlandoregon #ashland #shasta #shastacounty #humboldt #humboldtcounty #reddingca #reddingcalifornia #exploreoregon #pnw @activenorcal @lostcoastoutpost

https://backcountrypress.com/book/the-klamath-mountains-a-natural-history/
#overachiever 🏔 We asked for pics of our books #overachiever 🏔 We asked for pics of our books in the wild. @forestperi delivered.

Guess who summited Shasta today?!?
#conifercountry

This totally made our day, Forest! Thanks! Too bad there aren’t any conifers to i.d. at 14,180’😆

📷: @aliciaellingson

#mountshasta #booksinthewild #conifers #shasta #northerncalifornia

https://backcountrypress.com/book/conifer-country/
Our books love to join you in the wilderness! Thi Our books love to join you in the wilderness!

This awesome pic just in of Taina and Conifer Country in the Trinity Alps Wilderness.

Taina is part of the California Fish and Wildlife High Lakes Research Team. They’re mapping lakes and monitoring for Cascades Frogs across northwest CA.

Thanks for doing this important work, Taina and crew!

📷: Justin Garwood, co-editor of The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History

👀 We’d love to see your Backcountry Press books out in the field. Tag us!

#conifercountry #trinityalps #klamathmountains #thisisscience #wilderness #northerncalifornia #norcal #backpacking #fieldguide #botany #botanist #conifers #ecology #naturalhistory

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North Coasters: Join @michael.kauffmann for Arts A North Coasters: Join @michael.kauffmann for Arts Alive at @eurekabooks this Saturday evening for a book signing event! Come say "Hi" and chat with him about conifers, California Desert Plants, and, of course, the Klamath Mountains!

🤓 He'll even have sand samples from around the world for you to check out. See if you can guess which one came from the Mojave Desert's Kelso Dunes!

📷: Dylan Neubauer

#artsalive #meettheauthor #ilikeeureka #madeinhumboldt #humboldtmade #californianativeplants #desertplants #humboldtcounty #humboldt #eurekaca #mojavedesert #californiadesertplants 

https://backcountrypress.com/book/california-desert-plants/
2,394 species = The total flora of the California 2,394 species = The total flora of the California deserts!

The six largest plant families in the California deserts make up more than 1/4 of the native flora... can you guess what they are?

⬇️

⬇️

⬇️

• Asteraceae (sunflower family) = 200 species

• Fabaceae (legume family) = 98 species

• Poaceae (grass family) = 93 species

• Polemoniaceae (phlox family) = 78 species

• Polygonaceae (buckwheat family) = 77 species

• Hydrophyllaceae (phacelia family) = 75 species

📷:
1. Psathyrotes ramosissima, Asteraceae, turtleback | Photo by Matt Berger @sheriff_woody_pct 

2. Lupinus concinnus, Fabaceae, bajada lupine | Photo by Patrick Alexander

3. Stipa hymenoides, Poaceae, indian ricegrass | Photo by Matt Berger

4. Linanthus dichotomus, Polemoniaceae, evening snow | Photo by Jim Morefield

5.  Rumex hymenosepalus, Polygonaceae, desert rhubarb | Photo by Matt Berger

6. Phacelia crenulata, Hydrophyllaceae, notch-leaved phacelia | Photo by Stan Shebs

➡️ This PSA was brought to you by our new book: “California Desert Plants”

Tap our Link In Profile to find yours!

#californiadesertplants #mojavedesert #sonorandesert #greatbasin #californianativeplants #joshuatreenationalpark #cadesertplants #deathvalley #anzaborrego

https://backcountrypress.com/book/california-desert-plants/
Nuggets of knowledge we soaked up from @sheriff_wo Nuggets of knowledge we soaked up from @sheriff_woody_pct on the Botany Road Trip to the Intermountain West:

1. Rare plants tend to grow in clusters with other rare plants.

2. When choosing to except a hitch or not, feel more comfortable if a couple is offering the ride. Couples, generally, don’t murder people.

3. If it looks onionish but doesn’t smell a onionish, don’t eat it. It may kill you.

4. Studying satellite imagery for interesting soil types and rocky outcrops is a great way to hunt for rare plant locations.

5. Look more closely at the tiny plants you step over.

6. Penstemon is the most diverse genus that is endemic to North America!

Part 2 of our 3 part journey featured 12  of them, including this gorgeous King’s Beardtongue (Penstemon kingii) from Utah.

This evening Part 3 takes us to the southeast to meet, among others things, loads of carnivorous plants. Sundews, flytraps, and pitcher plants — oh my!

#botanyroadtrip #botanizing #botanist #nativeplants #rareplants #carnivourousplant #penstemon

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Botany Butterflies California Conifers Desert ecology ectotherms explorations Fire Fire Ecology Forest pathogens Fungi Geology Hat Hiking Hiking Guide Humboldt County Identification Card Invertebates Klamath Mountains Lassen Volcanic National Park Literature Mammals Natural History Oregon Pacific Crest Trail pathogens Pines Plant Exploring Plants redwood forest Rivers road guide Seaweed Trinity Alps Washington