For the Beauty of the Earth Birding, Opera, and Other Journeys

Using the prism of his interest in nature, history, and music, Thomas Urquhart creates an exhilarating portrait of Mother Nature. With lively anecdotes of his ancestors and his travels throughout the world, he guides us through the experiences that shaped him as a conservationist. He takes us from England to Italy, through the "wild" landscape of the Camargue in Provence, and into the villages of Mali in West Africa. Always on the lookout for signs of the relationship between man and his environment, Urquhart explores how a stewardship ethic can be shaped by a love of art as well as a love of nature. Book jacket.

Thomas A. Urquhart was the executive director of the Maine Audubon Society from 1988 to 2000. Educated at Oxford University, he has worked for conservation organizations for twenty-five years. He lives with his wife and children in Falmouth, Maine.