Days Afield: Exploring Wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay Region

By William S. Sipple

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0967302811
• ISBN13: 9780967302812
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: William Sipple Inc
• Length: 558 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Book of Discovery

I have a copy of this book, which is signed by the author. My brother and I met with Mr. Sipple in 2002 at my brother's house. My brother had been corresponding with Mr. Sipple about the marshes which his house bordered in Southern Maryland. Mr. Sipple actually came to the house and took us on a tour of the marsh on the Patuxent River, hip boots and all. His knowledge and insights into the environment and natural history of the marsh and water was amazing. Though I had grown up next to that marsh, and had learned some, he vastly increased not only my knowledge but my appreciation of it. The book "Days Afield" captures his wonder and experience throughout his life and his quest to know about nature. I would recommend the book to anyone who looks and wonders about nature. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy!

An Enjoyable Excursion to the Wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay

I would recommend Days Afield to anyone interested in the natural environment, and especially students and educators studying the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay region. The text is easy to read and follow, and personalizes the author's scientific endeavors in the region, as an employee first of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, then later the EPA, as an instructor for the USDA's Graduate School, and also as a concerned citizen and dedicated naturalist.In Chapter 1, the author assumes the role of instructor, and takes the reader on a composite of one of his many overnight field trips down the Delmarva peninsula. The reader follows along as the trip begins in the freshwater marshes of the Choptank River in Maryland, moves on to Watts Creek in Delaware, then returns to the deciduous swamps of the Nanticoke River in Maryland. On day two, the trip moves to the marshes of Chincoteague in Virginia, onward to the Assateague impoundments and wash flats, and concludes with the dunes, beach, and ocean. The remaining chapters detail the natural environment of freshwater, brackish, and salt marshes; the Pocomoke and Nanticoke Rivers; Delmarva potholes; and several Western Shore streams. The book also incorporates a fair amount of botanical exploits, some in the form of excerpts from the author's nature journals, which will be enjoyed by anyone with such interests. The valuable scientific information contained in this book is conveyed in a reader-friendly manner. The language is very descriptive, enabling one to visualize while reading. The book also contains a number of personal anecdotes that make the text fun to read. The many lists and tables throughout the text, as well as the comprehensive "Literature Cited" section and detailed indexes of plant and animal scientific and common names that appear at the end of the book should be especially useful to the scientific-minded and studious.