Portrait of an Island

Mildred Teal and John Teal

A natural history classic

Reviews

"In the best tradition of writers of natural history, the authors have presented their own discoveries of wild life and sea life in a meaningful, readable combination of accurate scientific observations, colorful descriptions, and unsentimental appreciation."
—Horn Book

"Outstanding."
—Natural History


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Description
When Mildred and John Teal moved to Sapelo Island, Georgia, in 1955, they stepped back in time to a virtually undeveloped landscape of salt marsh, maritime forest, freshwater ponds, sand dunes, and beaches. Over the course of a four-year stay their careful observations of the island's unique marine ecology and wonderfully varied flora and fauna became the basis for Portrait of an Island. The island's human history dates back more than four thousand years. The lure of Sapelo has drawn many to its shores, including tobacco millionaire R. J. Reynolds, who established the University of Georgia Marine Institute there in the 1950s. Surrounded by sixteen thousand acres of pristine marsh, Sapelo offers researchers and the public a rare opportunity for environmental studies. Now a state game refuge and national estuarine sanctuary, the island remains a special haven where humans and nature quietly and peacefully coexist. Portrait of an Island is essential reading for anyone who treasures tranquility.
Page count: 184 pp.
Trim size: 5.25 x 8.25
  

Paper
List price: $17.95
978-0-8203-1961-2
1997

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Mildred Teal and John Teal are the authors of Diary of a Salt Marsh and other books. Mildred Teal works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, Massachusetts. John Teal is a scientist emeritus at the institute and an environmental consultant.