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A clash between politics and nature is front and center among the winners of the 2013 National Outdoor Book Awards.

In her winning book, 鈥淭he Great Divide,鈥� Krista Schlyer reports on the controversial border wall between the United States and Mexico and its effect on the natural environment.

鈥淭his is a groundbreaking work,鈥� said Ron Watters, chair of the National Outdoor Book Awards, sponsored by the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, 色花堂app and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education. 鈥淭he effects of the border wall on the environment have been left out of the national discourse but Krista Schlyer casts a bright light on this forgotten part of the debate.鈥�

When Congress authorized the border wall, it allowed the Department of Homeland Security to waive all environmental laws, and as a result, according to Schlyer, the wall has devastated wildlife migration paths. It also rerouted human traffic through the most pristine and sensitive of wild lands.

鈥淭his book is an important work on nature, and it鈥檚 timely,鈥� said Watters. 鈥淚t is the judges鈥� hope that the book plays a role in jump-starting a more fully informed debate on the wall.鈥�

Schlyer鈥檚 book won the Nature and Environment category, one of 10 categories which make up the National Outdoor Book Awards.

The winner of the Natural History category is 鈥淭elling Our Way to the Sea鈥� by Aaron Hirsh.
Each year for a decade, Hirsh has taken a small group of students to the Sea of Cortez for a course in ecology and evolutionary biology. Using dialog and interactions between himself and his students, he merges marine biology, research and cultural and natural history into his narrative.

鈥淚t鈥檚 done very effectively,鈥� said Watters. 鈥淗ere we have a book on natural history but it reads much like a novel. Hirsh will keep you turning the pages, and you鈥檒l come away with a whole new understanding of the Sea of Cortez and its natural history.鈥�

Winning the Outdoor Literature category is 鈥淚 Promise Not to Suffer,鈥� authored by Gail Storey. At the beginning of the book, Storey has to make a decision. Is she willing to put her life on hold and sell her possessions, including a dream house, to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with her husband?

鈥淪he longs to be with her husband and immerse herself in nature and decides to go on the long journey,鈥� said Watters, 鈥淏ut then she realizes that she hates bugs!鈥�

鈥淗er story of hiking the Pacific Crest trail is brilliantly witty. She is a master storyteller and has a wonderful way with words. It鈥漵 one of those books that leaves you with a smile on your face and completely satisfied when you reach the end.鈥�

鈥淭he Emerald Mile,鈥� by Kevin Fedarko, is the winner of the History/Biography category. Fedarko, a previous staff writer for Time Magazine, tells the story of three river guides who attempt the fastest run down the rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

鈥淔edarko focuses on the three guides,鈥� said Watters, 鈥渂ut at the same time, he adeptly weaves into his narrative the broader story of the river itself. It鈥檚 a fascinating blend of adventure, history, politics and the culture of river running.鈥�

The winner of the Children鈥檚 category also has an adventurous theme. The book is about two brothers who travel with their parents to Botswana. While there, the brothers go on a safari and find themselves face-to-face with poachers.

Titled 鈥淭ravels with Gannon and Wyatt: Botswana,鈥� the book is by Patti Wheeler and Keith Hemstreet and is appropriate for 9-12 year olds.

鈥淭he story is told quite cleverly, in journal form: first one brother writing in his diary and then the other brother,鈥� said Watters. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a technique that might inspire young readers to keep their own diaries.鈥�

Two of this year鈥檚 winners feted milestones. The first of the two is 鈥淭he Appalachian Trail,鈥� which is an attractive, large-format book celebrating the 75th birthday of the establishment of the Appalachian Trail.

The other is a classic in mountaineering literature: 鈥淓verest the West Ridge.鈥� It was 50 years ago that the first Americans stood on the summit of the highest mountain in the world. One of the major accomplishments of that 1963 expedition was the ascent of the mountain by a bold and entirely unknown route: the West Ridge. This book tells the story of that historic climb.

鈥淭he West Ridge鈥� was re-issued by The Mountaineers Books and includes all of the original text and photographs. It also includes a special addendum, which follows-up on the lives of each expedition member a half century later.
Complete reviews of these and the other 2013 winners may be found at the National Outdoor Book Awards website at www.noba-web.org.

The list of winners:
Nature and the Environment. Winner. 鈥淐ontinental Divide: Wildlife, People and the Border Wall.鈥� By Krista Schlyer. Texas A&M University Press, College Station.

Nature and the Environment. Honorable Mention. 鈥淭he California Wildlife Habitat Garden: How to Attract Bees, Butterflies, Birds and Other Animals.鈥� By Nancy Bauer. University of California Press, Berkeley.

Natural History Literature. Winner. 鈥淭elling Our Way to the Sea: A Voyage of Discovery in the Sea of Cortez.鈥� By Aaron Hirsh. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York.

Natural History Literature. Honorable Mention. 鈥淭he Incidental Steward: Reflections on Citizen Science.鈥� By Akiko Busch. Yale University Press, New Haven.

Natural History Literature. Honorable Mention. 鈥淲olves in the Land of Salmon.鈥� By David Moskowitz. Timber Press, Inc., Portland.

Outdoor Literature Category. Winner. 鈥淚 Promise Not to Suffer: A Fool for Love Hikes the Pacific Crest Trail.鈥� By Gail D. Storey. The Mountaineers Books, Seattle.

Outdoor Literature Category. Honorable Mention. 鈥淐loser to the Ground: An Outdoor Family鈥檚 Year on the Water, in the Woods and at the Table.鈥� By Dylan Tomine. Patagonia Books, Ventura, CA.

Classic Award. Winner. 鈥淓verest: The West Ridge.鈥� By Thomas F. Hornbein. The Mountaineers Books, Seattle.

History/Biography. Winner. 鈥淭he Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History through the Heart of the Grand Canyon.鈥� By Kevin Fedarko. Scribner, New York.

Design. Winner. 鈥淭he Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America鈥檚 Hiking Trail.鈥� By Brian B. King. Rizzoli International Publications in combination with Appalachian Trail Conservancy, New York.

Design. Winner. 鈥淎 World in One Cubic Foot: Portraits of Biodiversity.鈥� Text and Photography by David Liittschwager. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Children鈥檚 Category. Winner. 鈥淭ravels with Gannon and Wyatt: Botswana.鈥� By Patti Wheeler and Keith Hemstreet. Greenleaf Book Group Press, Austin, TX.

Children鈥檚 Category. Honorable Mention. 鈥淭he Kid鈥檚 Outdoor Adventure Book: 448 Great Things to Do in Nature Before You Grow Up.鈥� By Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer. Illustrations by Rachel Riordan. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CN.

Outdoor Adventure Guidebooks. Winner. 鈥淵our Guide to the National Parks: The Complete Guide to All 58 National Parks.鈥� By Michael Joseph Oswald. Stone Road Press, Whitelaw, WI.

Instructional Category. Winner. 鈥淪now Travel: Skills for Climbing, Hiking, and Moving Across Snow.鈥� By Mike Zawaski. The Mountaineers Books, Seattle.

Nature Guidebooks. Winner. 鈥淏utterflies of Indiana: A Field Guide.鈥� By Jefffrey E. Belth. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

Nature Guidebooks. Honorable Mention. 鈥淭he Crossley ID Guide: Raptors.鈥� By Richard Crossley, Jerry Liguori and Brian Sullivan. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

Nature Guidebooks. Honorable Mention. 鈥淭he Field Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.鈥� By Kurt F. Johnson. Farcountry Press, Helena, MT.
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