THE NATURAL HISTORY OF A CANYON AND ITS SURROUNDING SAGEBRUSH STEPPE

 

 

“As I left the canyon’s bottom to climb up over the rim, I was struck by just how vast and open the sagebrush steppe extends. The contrast was remarkable! Whereas the canyon was a complex of visibly discrete habitats that formed a clear, interconnected mosaic, the area above the rim presented itself as an endless, indivisible expanse of Great Basin sagebrush and grasses as viewed to the horizon and beyond.

With my first step above the canyon’s rim, I left behind the enchantment of its gentle breezes to be greeted by the uplifting melody of a meadowlark—my greeting committee for this phase of work. The creatures I anticipated surveying in the sagebrush steppe would not be as intimately known as those in the canyon due to the seemingly boundless breadth of open, uniformly-appearing country and the limited time available for an extensive inventory.”

 

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FOREWORD FROM THE BOOK

Chris Maser is a remarkable person, and it is my privilege to write the foreword for his latest book: “The Natural History of a Canyon and the Surrounding Sagebrush Steppe” in Southeastern Oregon. Chris and I first met many years ago in our early years as biologists, and a great working relationship led to a treasured friendship that persists to this day.

We have worked on several projects over the years combining our areas of expertise and love of vertebrate ecology. One of my favorite memories comes from a trip my class and I took with Chris. On our way to the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammologists, he was gracious enough to take us to many of his major collecting spots throughout the state of Oregon. He was an excellent guide as his skills, coupled with his love of nature, made for one of the best field trips my class and I had the opportunity to experience. A particularly bright spot on this trip was the meals. Chris provided all the meat that we cooked in the field. The group ranked the amazing variety of choices from best to worst: (1) mountain lion, (2) elk, (3) bear, (4) deer—it was an old deer, and finally coming in at about number 25 was the bobcat. Neither Chris nor I had tried bobcat before, and it is not something we would do again!

During his earlier years, Chris was a “typical biologist,” if there is such a thing. He published many papers on the mammals of Oregon and then brought together his knowledge and unique writing style into books such as: “Trees, Truffles, and Beasts: How Forests Function,” “Forest Primeval: The Natural History of an Ancient Forest,” “The Natural History of a Mountain Meadow and Its Cirque,” and “The Marys River of My Youth: The Natural History of Its Seen and Unseen Life.”

One day, after many years, Chris told me, in not so many words, that he was shifting his emphasis from the biology of various species in order to broaden his focus to encompass the interrelationships between organisms and the environment. What a great decision. Chris has a wonderful way with words and an exceedingly deep understanding of ecology and evolution. He understands the various interactions between organisms and their environment and relays this information in an entertaining, knowledgeable, and thought-provoking manner. His wife, Zane, does much of the editing for him, and he calls her his “best editor.” One of the major reasons why Chris does such a remarkable job is that he truly loves the outdoors, nature, and his work (which is not actually work for him, but his passion). Beyond this, he has an uncanny ability to observe the behavior of animals and understand what they are doing within their habitat.

In this book, Chris shares with us some of his observations from his time living in nature working on a job for the US Bureau of Land Management studying the wildlife present in the sagebrush steppe in the Vale District of Malheur County in southeastern Oregon. He begins by explaining the elements that make up a habitat in general and then introduces the vertebrates found in each of the habitats of the canyon discussed in the book. Chris Maser has done it again! His love of nature, unique writing style, and unlimited imagination are demonstrated throughout the book. One example is the descriptive names he has for the various species discussed, such as “Sailors of the Sky” for the white-throated swift and “Hand-Wings of the Night” for bats. As an old-time naturalist, I particularly enjoyed the sections on the bats and the mountain chorus frog. “The Evolutionary Miracle of Birds’ Eggs” is exceptionally well done—almost a miracle itself. These are just a few examples of note, as there are too many excellent sections to address in this foreword.

Anyone with a penchant for the outdoors and nature, whether professional or amateur, will learn a great deal from this book. I thought I had quite a bit of knowledge and experience, yet I certainly learned much, both in knowledge and how to accumulate and interpret such knowledge.

John O. Whitaker, Jr. ,
Professor Emeritus, Vertebrate Ecology
Director Emeritus of the Indiana State University Bat Center
Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN

 

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Endorsements:

As a native Oregonian from the Willamette Valley, I was familiar with the Owyhee country, but I rarely visited this wonderful part of Oregon because of its remoteness. I had been to Owyhee country two times—a college geology field trip, and a hunting trip with my dad. Both times the trip experience was memorable because the geology, hydrology and wildlife are unique. Since then, I have been back as a field geologist and each time has been enlightening as I learned more about the plate tectonic history there.

Chris Maser describes beautifully what that experience is like for the lay person as well as the field scientist. His prose is easy to read, and his knowledgeable explanation of this wild country gives the reader a full course of the Owyhee ecosystem. For me as a geologist, this is the land where the Yellowstone hot spot first erupted under the North American Plate, and the Columbia River basalts started. As Chris explains, the Owyhee country ecosystem reflects the unusual geology. This book can be used as a textbook or as a useful reference book for the serious lay person and scientist.

Thomas E. Koler,
PhD, RG (licensed geologist in Oregon)
Geologist\Geomorphologist
Kelsey, CA

Driving across the sagebrush deserts of southeast Oregon, many people have a tendency to look out the window and think, “My God what a desolate place. There’s nothing out there!” To the keen eye of a trained naturalist like Chris Maser, however, nothing could be further from the truth. In this book Chris takes the reader on a guided tour of southeastern Oregon, describing many of the birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that populate this rugged landscape. The wealth of information provided will be of interest to both the beginner and the trained naturalist.

Eric Forsman,
PhD, Forest Service Research Laboratory
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

In times of high stress from humanities nefarious behaviors, I have found Chris’s natural history books to be a peaceful place to rest and refresh my spirit while learning about a unique community of wildlife and their ways. This book on southeastern Oregon canyonlands and sagebrush steppe wildlife does just that. It also draws me into wanting to take a spring-time trip there, especially with my grandchildren so we could sit by the campfire and read about wildlife from this book and then go on adventures to see what we can find. Getting to know these landscapes, getting into relationship with them through this book and then going there is priceless—especially sharing and seeing the excitement of young ones discovering their connection to nature that this land so easily provides. This book certainly helps to give the gift of experiencing the intrinsic value of life, all life, responsible for the establishment of the priceless diversity of ecosystems that support our world. What an endowment to transfer to the next generation!

Cindy Haws,
Asst. Professor of Science,
Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, OR

 

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Other Spiritual Offerings:

• The Marys River of My Youth—Eternally Flowing   (another natural history
      volume by Chris Maser)

• Oceans—Water Bearers for the Land

• One Small Nudge affects the Whole World   (about the life journey
      of Chris)

• Earth Day 2012   (includes a few quotes from Chris’ books)

• Forests as Our Spiritual Inheritance   (includes a few quotes from       Chris’ books)

• The Essence of Spiritual Ecology   (about environmental mystics, written
      by Chris)

• Be One with the Sacred Earth—Native American Wisdom

• Revering All Life — Native American Kinship

• The Planet Of Dyslexia   (in part about Chris and generally about the
      learning disorder of dyslexia, as well as the number of famous people
      who have greatly struggled with dyslexia)

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©

Quoted material from book text © by Chris and Zane Maser. 2024. Photos used from the Canyon book. All 2009-2024 rights of Zane Maser and SunnyCat Astrology reserved worldwide.

Always am I grateful for the inspiration and editorial assistance from Chris Maser, my kind-hearted, generous soul mate.

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If you would like to contact Chris Maser directly, you can visit his website. If you wish, you can also read an article about what is important to Chris and/or you can listen to Chris give a presentation.

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