|
Ocracoke Wild Parkway Publishers From Pat Garber, author of Ocracoke Wild: Re-reading the essays in Ocracoke Wild [originally published by Down Home Press, 1995], I realize that most of these episodes could have taken place yesterday. The rhythms of nature are timeless. Sea turtles still return to the same beaches to lay their eggs; brown pelicans still soar in formations above the sea; fiddler crabs still burrow along the edge of the salt marsh, just as they did when I wrote about them, just as they did a thousand years ago. Perhaps it is this sense of continuity, of congruity in a changing, incongruous world that makes preserving these wonders of nature so important. It is my hope that reading this collection of essays will create in its readers a feeling of connection with the natural world and a commitment to protect and cherish its treasures.
Reviews “As we follow Garber through the pages of Ocracoke Wild, we almost smell the sea, the sun-lured fragrance of myrtle brushes, feel the sand underfoot, the tickle of sea oats and the sting of the surf upon our legs. This is a book for all beach-lovers, and it will make beach lovers of those of us who have not yet succumbed.” “[It] reads more like letters to a friend than a scientific treatise and is sure to delight lovers of nature and Ocracoke.” “[Pat Garber,] the environmental anthropologist, ruminates as she holds a dragonfly during a kayak trip, recalls a childhood pet blue crab, endures a night rain to spot toads, and marvels at bioluminescent protozoans glowing on her boat’s anchor line.” “Garber needles us out of our numbness to nature. This happens again and again, as she describes wild ponies, piping plovers, and snowy egrets.” “Throughout the book, [Pat Garber’s] message to the reader is that we share in the responsibility to protect the wildlife, marshes, beaches, and quality of the natural island system. These are the real treasures.”
|
