Trafford Publishing: Adventures of Woods and Seas

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Adventures of Woods and Seas

by Richard F. Colagiovanni

141 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0022; ISBN 1-55369-209-8; US$16.50, C$20.95, EUR13.70, £9.50

The outdoor realm is filled with adventure. Come along with author Richard Colagiovanni to nature watch, hunt, sail, and fish -- for recreation, to provide the necessities of life, and to nurture the soul.

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About the Book

The outdoor realm encompasses a vast array of sites-- water, land, wetlands--for us to embrace, explore, and enjoy. Subsistence, recreation, knowledge, and spiritual teachings are available from the woods and seas. The roles of naturalist, hunter, photographer, fisherman, trapper, canoeist, spiritualist, boat captain, hiker, and adventurer are a sprinkling of hats worn by the souls fortunate enough to venture forth into the outdoor world.
Fate and interests, being what they may, pointed me, even nudge me, into this woods and water realm. Yes, good fortune placed a smattering of outdoor folks in my path. Ranges of expertise spanned from the best in their respective fields to dedicated souls. Above all they freely shared their outdoor lore and experiences.
This grouping of outdoor folks shared, if not purpose, intensity of pursuit of their specific outdoor discipline. Often, opinions varied on the use of a resource, ranging from exploitation to preservation. The majority of participants, however, operated on a mid-level of conservation (wise use).
The purpose of this book, Adventures of Woods and Seas, is to share and expose the vast range of outdoor experiences available. With knowledge, we may avoid fighting over the "proper use" of our resources. Let's share this wonderful outdoor realm and the passion of various pursuits. One user group might not fully embrace or understand the motivation of the other. However, the interest, the passion of pursuit, are based on similar footings. The resources provide the mutually shared stage. Let's protect this stage, together. This outdoor world is finite, fragile--in need of shared stewardship.
Yes, I've been blessed with outdoor opportunities that allowed the wearing of many "hats." Fisherman, photographer, hunter, naturalist, sailor are some coming to mind. Locales of experience range from urban ponds and wood lots to equatorial, temperate, and sub-arctic areas around the globe. Adventures of Woods and Seas is a colorful compilation of a variety of outdoor pursuits, destinations, and philosophies of use.
The sequel volume to Adventures of Woods and Seas is underway. Further journeys embrace backyard farm ponds of New England, sub-arctic wilds of Canada, rain forests, waters of Central America, the Pacific realm, the continental northwest, the Hawaiian Isles. Focus again will be on the flora, fauna, and people of each region.
On a recent October morning, an urban wood lot walk, well within city limits, produced numerous outdoor sightings: Red foxes chasing mice, rafts of colorful wood ducks milling about, an ancient, nearly albino (white) whitetailed deer ghosting along the wood lot edge, mourning doves collecting on tree branches, and monarch butterflies assembling in preparation for riding the north winds to Mexico for the winter.
I paused, reflected the Adventures of Woods and Seas will never cease!
Join us! Open your eyes, heart, and spirit to the great outdoors.
Reviews
Meriden Record-Journal, Meriden, Connecticut
    Richard Colagiovanni of Rhode Island has recently authored a an outdoor adventure book that many of our followers might find a good read (thinking ahead--also a good Xmas gift). It's titled Adventures of Woods & Seas.
    Colagiovanni has been exploring the woods and waters of the world for over 35 years. His outdoor lifestyle spans Europe, North and Central America, and vast ocean realms of the northern hemisphere. Journeys that range from backyard farm ponds of New England, sub-arctic wilds of Canada, to equatorial rain forests of central America. Rich's participation in the outdoor includes roles of: naturalist, hunter, fisherman, writer, photographer, industry and governmental consultant, canoeist, boat captain, meditative spiritualist, hiker, university lecturer and adventurer.
    The purpose of Adventures of Woods and Seas is to share and expose the vast range of outdoor experiences available to regular folks like you and I. Rich writes with a passion that many of you will enjoy.
Anna Minicucci, "Fishin' & Outdoor Trails" columnist, Cranston Herald, Volume 79, Number 51 (Thursday May 9, 2002)
    Adventures of Woods & Seas is the latest work by author Richard F. Colagiovanni of Cranston. This little paperback is aptly titled and filled with Colagiovanni's hunting, fishing, personal and professional outdoor skills and instincts to flesh out game, whether from the sea or woods. It's certain this author has more material for more than one book. His angling skills, whether with a saltwater boat rod, fly fishing outfit, ot bait casting are "Come with me," says Colagiovanni.
    "I'll open the gate to some interesting sights and throw in some insights, as well," he said.
    With medium of well-chosen diction, he guides readers into a colorful world of natural wonders with a most appreciative and discerning eye. Learning while reading about his sports afield and asea junkets to far-flung places in our hemisphere will be a joy for hunters and anglers. Not satisfied with these wanderings, Colagiovanni reveals some previously little known nooks in our own native state that contain hidden treasures and may be unearthed by the true lover of outdoor experiences.
    Don't be surprised to find a birch tree as the lead character in one essay. A questing naturalist, Colagiovanni allows the leaves to tell him the tree's annual anatomy and the tree becomes one of nature's environmental oracles. If a central theme is sought for Colagiovanni's peripatetic search, the birch tree symbolizes his quest for an ecological grail. In a world yet to be attained, those of us who also revere the outdoors amid its limitless pleasures will, in the words of Colagiovanni, "Share... the need for conservation, preservation, and utilization of these valuable resources."
    Adventures of Woods & Seas contains 24 chapters filled with a bounty of 35 years of exciting big and small game fishing and hunting, which includes Rhode Island's hidden freshwater and salt water angling haunts, the frozen terrain and wilds of Canada, Central America's equatorial rain forests, and Colagiovanni's involvement of outdoor pursuits as naturalist, hunter, fisherman, writer, biographer, industry and government consultant, canoeist, boat captain, nature spiritualist, hiker, university lecturer, and abiding adventurer. He's a member of the Outdoor Writers of America Association (OWAA) and The Explorer's Club of New York.
    Colagiovanni's other pursuits include a Brown University field/guide/report contributor to a scientific investigation that involved field orientation, guiding the expedition, and a Pawtuxet River detailed report on the river's fish resources, extensive governmental agency's endeavors, and he worked on the Audobon Society's "Unique Natural Area Survey." Colagiovanni's next book, Spirit of the Woods, is nearing completion.

from Barnes&Noble.com, April 24, 2002
I've known the author for many years and have shared some of these adventures. He has lived these many experiences, savored them, and now shares his impressions and memories with the reader in a clear, concise style. It is great reading for anyone who has an appreciation of the outdoors and a yen for adventure. I enjoyed it. (5 stars)
-Len Rich (lrich@nf.sympatico.ca)

About the Author

Richard Colagiovanni has been exploring the woods and waters of the world for over 35 years. His outdoor lifestyle spans Europe, North and Central America, and vast ocean realms of the Northern Hemisphere. Journeys that range from backyard farm ponds of New England, sub-arctic wilds of Canada, to equatorial rain forests of Central America. Rich's participation in the outdoor include roles of: naturalist, hunter, fisherman, writer, photographer, industry and governmental consultant, canoeist, boat captain, meditative spiritualist, hiker, university lecturer, and adventurer. Some of his professional membership includes: The Outdoor Writer's Association of America, and The Explorers Club NY. Furthermore, his past employment includes a stint as field guide/report contributor to a scientific investigation sponsored by Brown University. His contributions to the study include field orientation, guiding the expedition, and production of a detailed report of the Pawtuxet River's fish resources. Also, Rich worked with Rhode Island Audubon Society on the "Unique Natural Area Survey". Duties included field gathering of fauna and fauna data-combined-with establishing boundaries and ownership of said land and water parcels.
As a magazine writer/photographer his credits include: Sports Afield, The Fisherman, American Survival Guide, Game and Fish, On The Water, Saltwater Sportsman, Whitetails Unlimited, Charter Industry Trade News, to name a few. He authored a fine book entitled, The New England Saltwater Fishing Guide...the "Bible" of New England coastal fishing. He contributed to European based outdoor magazines produced in Germany. Also, Rich's spectacular photography has graced the pages of books published in Sweden.
Rich has shown his slide/lecture, "Utilization of the Marine Ecosystem" at regional colleges and universities. Furthermore, his evening adult education classes, basic, intermediate, and advanced saltwater fishing are popular.
His outdoor lifestyle embraces job positions including U.S. and International Representative/Consultant for several Canadian recreation lodges. Services include expeditions for fishing, photography, and trekking. In addition, Rich worked as consultant for the Newfoundland and Labrador Government. Here, his expertise was utilized on extensive Government European Trade Missions geared to promote outdoor recreation of eastern Canadian provinces.
Furthermore, Rich's extensive "wood time" had allowed him to receive many of Mother Natures secrets and mysteries--gifts that natural environments will share with man. He was accepted and absorbed into these natural realms, then, numerous wonders of nature revealed themselves to him. The spirit of place began to reveal it's connection with the natural components. As his mind journeyed past the restrictions of traditional western thought-a miraculous show began. A beautiful combination of naturism with indigenous spirits began the revelation process for those ready to see. Through his journals you will be invited to come along with him on this miraculous journey. His forthcoming book--Spirit of the Woods is nearing completion.

Sample Chapter

Snow Tracks


As I stood amongst the birches, the first substantial snowfall of the season enveloped the landscape with a brilliant white, overpowering the usual predominant greys and browns of the early winter wood lot. In addition to this visual envelopment, the area was consumed by the hushed silence only nature could perform by the implementation of the snow medium. I paused for a moment, enjoying the pronounced changes being made. I retreated to the cabin, knowing tomorrow a graphic representation of animal, bird, and sometimes human, life would be available to the observer.
    The storm ceased at midnight, thus giving rise to a half night of travel for the wood lot's nocturnal creatures.
    Sure, animal signs are visible in non-snow situations (mud, sand, leaves, etc.). However, the presentation and "recorder" qualities of snow are unmatched in nature's kingdom.
    Several feet from the cabin door was the site of my first visitor's presence. The hop, hop indentations of snowbirds and other like-sized birds were evident as they searched for weed seeds trapped under the snow. The rather dry, powdery snow swished off my boots as I progressed toward the stream and its accompanying cedar grove. Passing through a small opening, a field of sorts, I approached the remains of a long-abandoned farm. I noticed the straight-line path of a red fox. The short distances between spores was such as to indicate it was walking leisurely along.
    As I approached the fringes of the cedar grove, small tunnels--veination's through the snow-covered undergrowth, appeared. A closer examination indicated the local shrew and vole populations had already begin construction of their sub-snow-level system, of which they avail themselves to get nearer to food and shelter and to provide a degree of protection from land (i.e., fox) and airborne (i.e., owl, hawk) predation.
    Arriving at the dense cedar grove's perimeter, my boots penetrated and crashed loudly through the thin skim of ice of the more surface flooded sections. A large spore (foot print) displayed itself. The rather large track of a whitetail deer indicated it had traversed only moments before.
    I followed its track through the swampy grove, and at the onset of higher ground, the tracks arched upward into the mixed hardwoods. To me, its determined, straight trail indicated a mission of importance: traveling to an elevated ridge, to bed amongst the laurels and smattering of shrubs--a site which commands a good view of its back trail.
    The preceding scenario that occurred in nearby Richmond, Rhode Island is repeated throughout the snow belt many times, with each specific area providing its own unique actors and stage.
    Snow tracking is a popular pastime on its own accord, but it also employed as a helpful tool by hunters, trappers, and wildlife biologists.
    In urban area, tracks of dogs, cats, squirrels, and pigeons are there for observations. Granted, one is not tracking a polar bear on the fringes of Hudson Bay, but these cursory observations might add a bit of enjoyment on that unusually forbidding walk to the bus stop, office, or marketplace.
    In suburban, rural, and wilderness situations, snow-tracking gear is primarily proper winter attire and footgear, with the aid of snowshoes and cross-county skis in certain applications. Topographic maps (topos), in conjunction with a compass (and know-how to interpret each) along with basic survival gear (knife, waterproof matches, emergency rations, and portable heat reflecting blanket (space blanket) should accompany anyone who ventures out of view of know physical and man-made features.
    Question: Can one get disoriented and lost in Rhode Island outdoors? Sure can, is the answer. That wood lot in western Cranston might not be as overwhelming as the vast acreage of central Maine, but common sense should prevail. Mother nature, wearing winter garb, is not as forgiving as during the warmer seasons of the year.
    Animals and birds leave their own distinctive calling cards, plainly visible in the snow, while they travel, feed, or rest. For example, crows and ring-necked pheasants leave discernible tracks that possess many similarities. However, the trained observer will notice subtle indicators that will differentiate the two. In addition to the foot trails, the pheasant (male and female) will usually show evidence of tail drag. In addition, the male (cock) pheasant might display spur (growth on mid-leg of male pheasant) drags that indicate not only a male bird but its degree of maturity. Usually, the deeper the spur drag, the older the bird.
    Time and experience are the best teachers; the aspiring tracker will learn how to determine the age of the track before them. Certain clues include hardness, compactness, amount of definition, and settling of debris--all factors vary, depending on whether the track is located in shade or exposed to direct sunlight.
    Wildlife tracks can also show a drama of life and death. A spattering of blood, fur pieces, and indentations of primary wing feathers indicate a bird of prey capturing a rabbit or squirrel.
    While hunting deer in New Hampshire, I came across the track of a respectable sized black bear. The dimensions and depth of the print at the edge of a mud puccle on a tote (logging) road indicated so. I decided to follow the spore. The bear walked up the mountainside, and as the elevation increased, snow-covered terrain became a common surrounding. Occasionally, the bear would take a brief rest, signified by a compact area of tracks. After another half hour of pursuit, I noticed the bear's gait increased, with signs of slipping and sliding, signs of a spooked bear. No doubt, my scent pool had preceded me and alarmed the bear. I never did see the creator of the tracks, even though I was only minutes and perhaps only several hundred yards behind him. Its tracks headed for a rocky draw. I gave up the chase.
    On yet another occasion, while attending Utah State University, I had the privilege of tracking several mountain lions, also known by the name cougars. The Wasatch range of the Rockies, located in northern Utah, famed for its rugged, snowy terrain, with an abundance of big game, including elk and mule deer, was the setting.
    Time of the year was late March, and a bored student headed for the foothills within walking distance of the campus. I crossed the municipal golf course at the edge of town, flushing a fair number of deer from bushy areas that lay between the fairways. The typical winter snows seasonally force the deer into the valley fringes to feed--a tradition for thousands of years, still continuing. At the heels of the deer, literally, are the predators that dine on them.
    I walked slowly to the edge of the mountain base, plodding through deep snow. Proceeding slowly upward, I passed through sagebrush patches and dwarf juniper trees. The afternoon sun shown brightly; the temperature soared into the forties. Penetrating the draw only several hundred yards, I noticed the tracks of two mountain lions, angling to the east. I decided to follow, hoping to get my first glimpse of the majestic cats in their natural setting. Traveling on, the larger cat's track (tom, male) veered off to the left (north), while the female's course proceeded up the slope. Sensing a "set up," I immediately initiated a reverse back track and was surprised by the presence at a mere fifty yards (which appeared to be about ten feet in the clear mountain air) of a rather large cat. The defiant tom was peering at me, looking over its tawny shoulder. It had a distinctive pink nose and "steam" billowing from its nostrils.
    Armed with only a diminutive .22 caliber revolver, I led a v-e-r-y slow retreat, walking carefully backward downhill. I caught sight of the other cat, a very pregnant female, with arrival time scheduled for any moment. The cats were simply looking for food. I left them and wished them good hunting, as long as it wasn't me!
    The deer of Richmond, the squirrels of Providence, lions of Utah--they vividly express the vast spectrum of animal snow tracking. During the winter season, steal an hour, a day, and venture forth into the covered world. The rewards are in the "eyes of the beholder."

Catalogue Information