Books about Malpais from Amazon.com

Which is worse, cows or condos? Can the public lands be "saved" if the private lands are paved? What does the future hold for the West's vaunted open lands, its ever more precious water, and its fire-prone forests? Is ranching a doomed myth—as its critics charge—or the key to real conservation?

The Western range is America's most legendary landscape. It is also among its most threatened and most fiercely contested. More than 400 million acres of the West are used to raise livestock: half of the land privately owned and half of it public. In recent decades, the private lands have been rapidly converting to residential development, both around booming cities and in remote, scenic, "exurban" areas. The public half of the range has become mired in political battles and lawsuits between environmentalists, ranchers, and public agencies. In Working Wilderness Nathan Sayre examines an unusual alliance that has worked for ten years to answer these questions and preserve the wide open range: The Malpai Borderlands Group. 50 color & b/w photos..
Price: $14.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

West central New Mexico offers some of the most diverse and fascinating landforms in the Southwest Volcanic activity shaped the tortured landscape of El Malpais in the recent geologic past. The broad mass of Mount Taylor, an 11,389-foot volcano from another age, is the setting for a popular quadrathlon. And the gentle and park-like Zuni Mountains are ideal for hiking, biking, or a Sunday drive.

The three areas provide unique outdoor experiences made more accessible by Sherry Robinson's El Malpais, Mt. Taylor, and the Zuni Mountains. Descriptions of hiking trails for each area include levels of difficulty, access, directions, photographs, and maps. Biking, skiing, caving, and auto tours are also included.

Learning about the natural history of this special place can only enhance the experience, so Robinson provides descriptions of the geology, flora, and fauna of all three areas. She covers the region's unusual and little known history in lively and readable accounts that include the Acoma, Zuni, Laguna, and Navajo people's use of and relationship to the area.

Whether you're a hiking buff or history buff, an outdoor enthusiast or an armchair traveler, you'll enjoy El Malpais, Mt. Taylor, and the Zuni Mountains..
Price: $14.87 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The jumbled, volcanic badlands of northeastern New Mexico cover 590 square miles, an area half the size of Rhode Island. Much of this rugged landscape is preserved within the national monument. Photos by George H. H. Huey..
Price: $2.70 [Notify me when price goes down.]