Natural History and You - The President's Forum
by Nathan Tublitz


Book Review: Atlas of Oregon Wildlife

Blair Csuti, A.J. Kimerling, T.A. O"Neil, M.M. Shaughnessy, E.P. Gaines, and M.M.P. Huso. 1997. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. ISBN 0-87071-397-7 $39.95

The bat illustrations on the cover of this special summer issue of Nature Trails come from a remarkable book that signifies a new era in publications, Atlas of Oregon Wildlife. The OSU press has published an incredibly information rich reference that is so reasonably priced it should be on the shelf of every serious Oregon naturalist. This landmark in biogeography provides comprehensive information on what is where in Oregon.

The organization of the book is simple: one page per species. The species of wildlife encompass terrestrial vertebrates: amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals (excluding marine mammals). Every single one, all 426 native species known from Oregon, is treated. The outstanding feature of the book are the maps, a product of the computer age. The distribution of the species is plotted in exquisite detail on beautiful 3-D relief maps, something possible only with use of GIS, Geographic Information System computer programs. Complementing the maps are brief text summaries of each species' global range, habitat, reproduction, food habits, ecology, and comments on rarity and conservation status. Every species is illustrated, and literature references are provided.

The methods of mapping are carefully documented. The most important aspect is the linking of a species' habitat requirements to the extent of suitable habitats. To this end, there is an original, poster-size map of habitat types in Oregon included in a pocket inside the back cover. Access to this map alone makes the book worth the price. I look forward to the day when the Atlas of Oregon Flora, now in its early stages, is produced by the OSU press. A tip of the hat to them for this wonderful book.


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