Del Norte Public Library

Craig Childs has spent years in the deserts of the American West--as an adventurer, a river guide, and a field instructor--and has developed a keen appreciation for these forbidding landscapes: their beauty, their wonder, and especially their paradoxes. His extraordinary treks through arid lands in search of water are an astonishing revelation of the natural world at its most extreme.

The American Southwest has been decimated by drought. Nevada and Arizona skirmish over dwindling shares of the Colorado River, while California watches, deciding if it should just take the whole river all for itself. Into the fray steps Las Vegas water knife Angel Velasquez. Detective, assassin, and spy, Angel "cuts" water for the Southern Nevada Water Authority and its boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious developments can bloom...

Craig Childs is lost. In a labyrinth of canyons in the American Southwest where virtually nothing else is alive- barely any vegetation, few signs of wildlife, scant traces of any human precursors in this landscape-Childs and his friend Dirk undertake a fortnight's journey. With as much food and gear as they can carry, and little else but their wiles to help them traverse the inhospitable, unmappable terrain, the two men assume the life-or-death challenge...

Spiders, snakes, coyotes and Gila monsters - they're out there, but there's no reason to fear them. Things That Bite takes a matter-of-fact look at more than 30 creatures found in the Southwest. Detailed information includes fascinating facts, environmental benefits of each species, discussion of why some might bite, bite prevention and myths about each creature. Be aware, not afraid.