Tuleyome Book Recommendations 2022

Nate Lillge • November 9, 2021

   December 2022

Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds


by Thomas Halliday

November 2022

Yoshi and the Ocean: A Sea Turtle's Incredible Journey Home


by Lindsay Moore


In 1997, a loggerhead turtle was rescued after enduring injury to its shell. She was given the name Yoshi by her rescuer and taken to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa where she spent 20 years being rehabilitated until finally scientists felt confident she could return to the sea. With the use of a tracking device, scientists were able to monitor Yoshi's remarkable journey home after so many years. Lindsay Moore's beautiful telling of this story through watercolor pictures and poetic, informative text is inspiring for kids and adults alike

This Contested Land


by McKenzie Long


McKenzie Long discusses thirteen national monuments, including Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, and the stories, controversies, and passions of each.

October 2022

The California Field Atlas


by Obi Kaufmann


Obi Kaufmann has spent years exploring the backcountry of California, striving to understand the state's many ecosystems. Through the pages of The California Field Atlas, Obi explains the wonders of the Golden State with poetic prose and colorful illustrations.

August 31, 2022

Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict


by Michael T. Klare


International security expert Michael T. Klare argues that in the early decades of the new millennium, wars will be fought not over ideology but over access to dwindling supplies of precious natural commodities.

July 20, 2022

The Cold Canyon Fire Journals


by Robin Lee Carlson


This is Robin's first book and it details the impacts of fire on Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve - one of the area's most popular hiking spots.

June 22, 2022

The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook


by Ann M. Evans


Ann Evans is the co-founder of the Davis Farmers Market. The book includes recipes for year-round cooking from market offerings and provides information about some of the vendors

May 25, 2022

Pacific Coast Tree Finder: A Pocket Manual for Identifying Pacific Coast Trees


by Tom Watts


A handy book that easily fits in your pocket. Don't know what tree you're looking at? You will with this easy to follow, step-by-step guide!

April 27, 2022

Oaks of California


by Bruce M. Pavlik, Pamela C. Muick, Sharon G. Johnson, and Marjorie Popper


"The first book ever devoted to the state's native oaks..." This is a wonderful, detailed book about the diversity of oaks, human history with the trees, and their importance to wildlife.

March 30, 2022

The Cougar Conundrum: Sharing the World with a Successful Predator


by Mark Elbroch


Mark Elbroch, mountain lion biologist, discusses whether mountain lions are a threat to humans and domestic animals and their need for protection as they are forced to the edge of their habitat. This book provides information and advice for this wildlife modern wildlife challenge.


March 2, 2022

Gertrude's Oaks: The History & Legacy of Woodland's Urban Forest


by David L. Wilkinson


Woodland was founded as a small in the middle of a valley oak grove and given it's name by Gertrude Swain Freeman - whose husband founded the town. More information about David Wilkinson's book is available here. David will be signing books on Friday March 6 at 6 pm at Local Inspirations, 524 Main Street, Woodland.


February 2, 2022

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees


by Douglas W. Tallamy


Oaks are very distinctive and full of stories. This book highlights the seasonal cycles of the trees and the connections they have with other living organisms - from woodpeckers to caterpillars. It also provides information about what species of oak is the best to plant in your area.


January 5, 2022

America's National Monuments: the Politics of Preservation


by Hal Rothman


Rothman investigates the history of national monuments, and follows the evolution of federal preservation which has saved many natural, cultural, and arhaeologically significant sites. In the twentieth century, national monuments tended to be behind the national park system. Laws, policies, personalities, and rivalries all affected efforts to preserve these important locations.


December 10, 2021

Sibley Birds West: Field Guide to Birds of Western North America


by David Allen Sibley


This is a comprehensive guide to birds in the western United States. Over 700 bird species found west of the Rocky Mountains are included with illustrations and maps. This is a great resource for beginner and expert birders. This comes in handy when trying to identify the millions of birds migrating through the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument region right now!



November 10, 2021

Our National Monuments: America's Hidden Gems


by QT Luong


Yes, we recommended this book a couple of weeks ago but we are excited to have been included in this wonderful book. QT Luong has assembled many wonderful pictures from 27 national monuments, including Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument! The book was published yesterday, November 9! Head to the website to get your own copy!


October 27, 2021

Our National Monuments: America's Hidden Gems


by QT Luong


This book showcases 27 national monuments - including Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument - with beautiful photographs and highlights the importance, significance, and wonder of the monuments. The author hiked and camped in the 22 land-based national monuments that were subject to the 2017 executive order questioning the designation of 27 national monuments. The book includes maps, descriptions of the author's explorations and highlights of the monuments. The book, set to be published November 2, is now available for pre-order via QT Luong's blog and Amazon.



September 29, 2021

The Largest Avian Radiation


by Jon Fjeldsa, Les Christidis, and Per G.P. Ericson (Editors)


This book explains how DNA has been used to complete a tree of life for the 6,200 perching bird species, which are 60% of all birds. It discusses how the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs had less of an impact on the southern hemisphere and therefore, the perching birds we see today can be traced back to that hemisphere.

by Robin Wall Kimmerer


GatheringMoss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses. Robin Wall Kimmerer shares a series of linked personal essays that lead readers to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings, as well as what these fascinating organisms have to teach us.

RECENT ARTICLES

Policy Corner: Protect our Wildest Areas

August 7, 2026
Our wildest areas are under threat. In June, the Administration moved to weaken protections for our wildest public lands - those designated as wilderness, Wilderness Study Areas, Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, and recommended Wilderness. What do these areas represent? Millions of acres of untrammeled backcountry. The Department of the Interior, US Forest Service and National Park Service initiated the first step in unraveling these protections. They’ve called for a “review” of eight policies, opening the door to weaken protections and paving the way for short-term extractive industries, commercial development, and resource fragmentation at the expense of long-term conservation management of some of our wildest remaining public lands. Nearly 200 million acres of wildlands across the west could be impacted by this review, including approximately 120 million acres of Wilderness Study Areas and wilderness quality lands, and 75 million acres of designated wilderness areas. This includes the nearly 94,000 acres in Cache Creek, Cedar Roughs and Snow Mountain Wilderness areas in Berryessa Snow Mountain Nation Monument right here in our own region. These policies guide how federal agencies identify, manage, and steward designated Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, and lands with wilderness characteristics. Together, they influence the management of millions of acres of federal public lands and translate statutory requirements into day-to-day management decisions. Continuing to protect wilderness qualities is consistent with protecting recreation. In many cases, wilderness-quality land provides the best opportunities for backcountry recreation; a CA outdoor industry responsible for 545,448 direct jobs valued at $38.1 billion. The total value-added worth of CA outdoor recreation is $81.5 billion, 2.2% of our gross domestic product. The Department of the Interior’s actions present a false choice between stewarding wilderness lands and providing opportunities for recreation. Let’s tell the Administration that we oppose these rollbacks and are committed to protecting our wild places. Sign on to the Wi lderness Review- National Sign-on Letter opposing five different actions across the three agencies by August 12th. Together, we can show this administration that we care about protecting these special places today and into the future. Sandra Schubert Executive Director

Donor Spotlight - Sarah Davis

August 7, 2026
I first heard about Tuleyome when I retired early from UC Davis eight years ago. I was looking for local organizations for volunteer opportunities. I discovered Tuleyome and got connected with Bill Grabert and Nate Lillge. I helped them lead hikes and school programs, then took the CA Naturalist course through Tuleyome. My capstone project was to lead a backpacking trip into the Cache Creek wilderness, which I did just as COVID was descending on us. I was, and still am, impressed at how such a small local non-profit has both ensured preservation of important wild areas and invested heavily in outreach to local schools. Working with kids from Lake County in the Redbud area was eye-opening and extremely gratifying. Some of them had literally never been on a hike in spite of growing up so close to all that spectacular wild land! I donate to Tuleyome to help them keep up the great work!!! I’ve spent countless days hiking in and enjoying the Cache Creek area; what a gem of a local resource! And, only last spring was I able to get up to Snow Mountain…so glad it’s preserved and accessible for camping and hiking. Wow! A wilderness area near my home - that’s amazing. I’m incredibly grateful for Tuleyome’s hard work that resulted in preservation of these important wild places, and I look forward to seeing what’s next.

Monumental Questions - What Makes California Newts Special?

By Kristie Ehrhardt • August 7, 2026
Driving around the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument one rainy day revealed a network of dirt roads that were slick as snnn… well, you probably know. The wet weather made driving less than optimal for the Subaru we were in but for our amphibian friends, the low-riding California newt, the warm, misty conditions were sublime. California Newts ( Taricha torosa ) are endemic to California, which means that they are extra special because they are only found here. They occur below 6,000 feet along the Coast Ranges from Mendocino County south to San Diego County. They are also found in the foothills and western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in the San Joaquin Valley with a few isolated populations in southern San Diego County. They utilize both wetland habitat including natural and artificial pools and ponds, reservoirs, creeks and streams for breeding during winter and spring, and upland areas such as chaparral and woodland habitats where they spend summer and fall. California Newts have stubby little toes attached to short, stocky legs. Adults range from about two and three quarters inches to about three and a half inches long, not including the tail. Their bellies and undersides of their neck and chin are bright golden yellow to orange with a reddish-brown to slate gray back. California Newts reproduce from late fall to early summer depending on rainfall amounts and habitat conditions. Adults migrate from their upland refugia to their preferred wetland to breed. Eggs are attached to submerged vegetation or under rocks and females can lay up to six masses of nearly 50 eggs a day. The eggs hatch in two to six weeks depending on water conditions and temperature. Larvae are aquatic and have gills and fins. After several months the larvae begin to exit the pond and set about metamorphosing into adults and do not return to the pond again until they are ready to breed. Larvae eat small aquatic invertebrates and organic matter; adults eat insects, slugs, snails and worms as well as other amphibian eggs and larvae. Adult California Newts are highly toxic. Like other members of the genus Taricha , adults have glands on their skin that secrete the potent neurotoxin tetrodotoxin - the same toxin that is found in harlequin frogs and pufferfish. Side note, this makes them poisonous rather than venomous (like rattlesnakes). Tetrodotoxin is hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide and potent enough to kill most vertebrates. The toxin affects sodium channels and makes it so neurons are unable to fire which results in lethal muscle paralysis. One of the only predators of adult California Newts are garter snakes. Garter snakes are one of the very few organisms that have evolved to develop a resistance to the tetrodotoxin produced by the newts. Garter snakes can ingest the toxic newts with limited effects which has created an evolutionary arms race (coevolution). As the garter snakes develop stronger immunity to the toxins only the most poisonous news survive which in turn results in future generations of news with even stronger toxins. This leads to a population of garter snakes that have developed a resistance to the stronger toxin levels and and on it goes. Loads of them were bumbling along the edges of the wet dirt road that rainy day. We made several stops to relocate those that were attempting to cross but seemed to stall out in the middle, always placing them facing the direction they were aimed. I don’t know if they were heading out to their natal ponds to mingle and breed, or on their way back to nap in their upland refugia but they were definitely enjoying the day. The California Newt is currently a California Species of Special Concern due to habitat loss and invasive non-native species introduction which makes seeing so many of these little stumpy legged tetrapods enjoying the Monument even even more groovy!