Books in the Bur Oak Book series

Much has changed with Iowa's wildlife in the years 1990 to 2020. Iowa's Changing Wildlife provides an up-to-date, scientifically based summary of changes in the distribution, status, conservation needs, and future prospects of about sixty species of Iowa's birds and mammals whose populations have increased or decreased in the past three decades. Readers will learn more about familiar species, become acquainted with the status of less familiar species, and find out how many of the species around them have fared during this era of transformation.

Sometimes called 'black gold', Iowa's deep, rich soils are a treasure that formed over thousands of years under the very best of the world's grasslands. In language that is scientifically sound but accessible to the layperson, Kathleen Woida explains how soils formed and have changed over centuries and millennia in the land between two rivers.

Argues that Iowa must reckon with its past and the fact that its farm economy continues to pollute waterways, while remaining utterly unprepared for climate change. Iowa must recognize ways in which it can bolster its residents' standard of living and move away from its demographic tradition of whiteness.

Using an introspective personal voice, this narrative nonfiction work weaves stories of Iowa's natural history with a cast of unforgettable characters. Wildland Sentinel touches on what it means to be a woman working in the male-dominated field of conservation law enforcement.

Illustrates the beauty and diversity of prairie through an impressive series of photographs, all taken within the same square meter of prairie. During a year-long project, Chris Helzer photographed 113 plant and animal species within a tiny plot, and captured numerous other images that document the splendor of diverse grasslands.

Shows how almost anyone can get involved in conservation and do something for wildlife beyond giving money to conservation organisations. In this fascinating and practical read, Greg Hoch blends historical literature with modern science, and shows how our views of conservation have changed over the last century.

Revealing the miniature beauties hidden among the patches of prairie, woodland, and wetland that remain in Iowa's sadly overdeveloped landscape, the seventy-five color photographs in this book presents a cross section of the state's smallest inhabitants.