February 2, 2021: Exciting/Breaking news!
In an effort to increase access to more people, I have made my e-book, Northeastern National Parks, Open Access which ensures that anyone in the world can read this book for free. All I ask, as explained in the book, is that you donate to my research if you enjoy the read. That will help facilitate the production of more books like this one. I also request that you write to the legislators listed at the end of this book too. Enjoy!
This book (and related talk) makes the case to expand the National Park (NP) System in the Northeast, beyond just having Acadia National Park as its only large “natural” park, by adding 3 units: Cape Cod NP, Kancamagus NP in NH, and Maine Woods NP and Preserve. These 3 units are already existing federal land and could immediately be turned into true national parks by an Act of Congress. Giving National Park status to these areas would provide an important, higher level of protection to better safeguard these areas especially during politically volatile times.
These 3 units are significant because all areas are relatively large (~45,000 acres or bigger) which would offer ecosystem level protection not currently enjoyed on most of these federal lands. Demographic trends and the large number of people who spend millions of dollars on wildlife watching clearly support such designations where all resources are ‘protected unimpaired for future generations’. This book makes a plea to politicians that this is “America’s Best Idea” and is worth accomplishing here in the urbanized Northeast. It is my hope that the pictures, stories, and ideas in this >310 page, 600 picture book (and related talk) will inspire bipartisan support and legislation for this idea. To support creating more national parks in the Northeast, please click on this link for a sample letter to write to politicians.
Dec. 7, 2020: I created a 4 lesson curriculum unit on this book. It comes with a worksheet and a key for all 4 lessons. It is fully adapted for remote learning. A test/assessment can easily be created from these questions. Purchase the (book and) curriculum unit for $19.99:
Citation: Way, J.G. 2020 (Revised, 2021). Northeastern U.S. National Parks: What Is and What Could Be. Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research, Barnstable, Massachusetts. 312 pages. E-book. Open Access URL: http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/northeasternusnationalparks/.
Note: Because of the e-book format, a major advantage is that I can edit and re-post the book, using the same link, as often as needed. Therefore, I may occasionally update the book by adding additional pictures or revising text (e.g., errors) without changing the main message of the book to create more national parks in the Northeast U.S.
Most recent version of this book: June 15, 2021. I added 44 pages to the Maine Woods section which now shows many more animals and scenery!
Note: Because this is a longer book there is a way in Adobe Acrobat to resume where you left off (i.e., at the last page you read). In Adobe Reader, go to “Edit” and at the bottom click on “Preferences” (or simply hit “Ctrl + K” buttons). From there, click on “Documents” at the top left of the menu and then “check the box” at the top of that screen for ‘Restore last viewed settings when reopening documents’. Once you click that, scroll down and click “OK”. PDFs will now open where you left off instead of at the beginning. This is not a default setting so you manually have to do it, unfortunately.
Downloading/Donating info:
To receive a copy of this e-book as a color PDF, download your free book here. However, to support my work please consider donating $10 or more for this privilege which will allow me to continue making Open Access documents. If you feel uncomfortable donating online, then please email me (Jon) at easterncoyoteresearch@yahoo.com and I can provide you with a postal address. You can also send money for free (no fees on either end) in PayPal by going to Tools then Send Money and send it from bank account to bank acct (rather than credit card) using my email address (easterncoyoteresearch@yahoo.com). This will eliminate the PayPal fees which is about 4% of a transaction. Thank you in advance for your kindness.