"Faces of the Great Plains" is a new release from the University of Kansas Press. The photography in the book was done by Bob Gress, Director of the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita Kansas. The text was written by Paul A. Johnsgard. Together they have created a definitive book detailing the diversity of wildlife on the Great Plains. The Great Plains are home to a great wealth of wildlife, but many biologists fear that it is the most threatened of all ecosystems. Prairie birds are the most rapidly declining group of birds in North America. Bob states in the forward, "If we learn to value wildlife in its many forms both charismatic and the ordinary, then we are more likely to apprehend the significance and uniqueness of the Great Plains."

Stretching from lower Canada to the midlands of Texas and touching an east/west area from Montana to Illinois, the Great Plains encompasses the Tall, Short and Mixed-grass prairies with Sandhill and Coastal Tallgrass prairies also included.

Bob and Paul worked together to plan the book which includes representative animals from each prairie (Birds, Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians). From more than 600 species known to live in the Great Plains, they chose between 125-150 different ones to include in the book. They included both typical, rare and highly charismatic animals. In addition to Bob's field notes which accompany the photos, the text by Johnsgard shares valuable information concerning each species.

While not intended as an identification guide, the photos of each species are larger than those found in standard field guides. An index with common and scientific names is included as is technical information for each photo. For those living in the Great Plains this book is documentary of the habitats found there. For those who might visit, it is a colorful, accurate introduction to the area.

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