Spirit in the Grass:
The Cariboo-Chilcotin's Forgotten Landscape

By Chris Harris and the Grasslands Conservation Council

This book has been initiated in response to a growing sense of urgency among many groups for wiser conservation and use of British Columbia's grasslands.  Its goal is to enhance public appreciation of BC's grassland ecosystems and principal threats to them.  The book will contain very high quality, dramatic photographs of grassland landscapes, plants and animals that will complement a non-technical text. 

The text and photographs will combine to stimulate a personal sense of wonder and appreciation of grasslands, their beauty and living systems.  Discovery will be a theme of the book.  The photographs and text will also describe principal threats to BC grasslands such as urban expansion, weeds and intensive agriculture.  Conservation actions, including wise planning and uses which have been developed to address these threats, will be briefly addressed.  The book will be written in coffee table style.

The book will provide insight into grasslands through photographs and stories of living systems without attempting to be a compendium of grassland information.

Topics in the book include:

• Ecological and cultural importance of grasslands in BC
• Origins of grasslands
• Grassland environments
• Grasslands regions in BC
• Below the ground in grasslands
• The community of grassland plants
• Tiny but important world of mosses and lichens
• Mammals and birds of the grasslands
• Small and seldom noticed grassland animals
• Riparian areas and wetlands
• The forest/grassland interface
• Ranching - grasslands as home and the rancher as a grassland manager
• Threats to grasslands - urban development, weeds, recreational abuse and others
• Strategies for conservation of grassland values in BC

To find out more about Spirit in the Grass--Visit Chris Harris' website

Photos:
Chris Harris