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Daniel B. Botkin

Solving environmental problems by understanding how nature works

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How to buy a copy of Strange Encounters

August 11, 2020 By Daniel Botkin Leave a Comment

Strange Encounters coverTwo ways to buy the book

Follow this link to BUY FROM AMAZON

DIRECTLY FROM ME (PERSONALLY SIGNED COPY)

Contact me at dan@danielbbotkin.com and I will invoice you directly via PayPal. This way I can send a signed copy.
Price: $20.00

About Strange Encounters

Traveling has been part of my life. I have worked for many decades trying to understand how nature works and trying to help solve environmental problems. I had some curious experiences. Often, the simplest facts I thought would be easiest to find eluded me. Sometimes people would get into debates and arguments that didn't seem to make sense and to hate each other unnecessarily. Sometimes people did things that were funny. I learned a lot from the human side of nature and wilderness. These experiences raise several questions. What can people expect of science when it is applied to the world immediately around them? What is the best that such science can do? What is it realistic to expect of such a science when it is done by human beings, with all our failings as well as our strengths? What is reasonable for such a science, and the scientists, to expect from the people, governments and other institutions that are supposed to oversee, manage properly, and improve our surroundings?

Here’s a short version of one of the stories in my book.

Avoiding Deer in the Fog

Joe, an ecologist, as expert on deer, was riding with Mike, a friend, in Mike's car. They drove into a thick fog. Suddenly, a deer dashed across the road in front of them, a quick ghostly movement barely missing the front grill.
"Better slow down," Joe said to Mike, "where there's one deer, there's usually others."

Mike slowed down. A few minutes later, a deer dashed out of the fog and ran into the side of the car, killing itself and doing severe damage to the door. If the car had not slowed down, the deer would have passed safely behind it. Joe understood deer well and his advice to Mike was based on that sound understanding. But understanding nature never leads to a perfect forecast.

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From Daniel B. Botkin, Ph.D

Daniel Botkin
I believe we are mostly on the wrong track in the way we try to deal with the environment. Everything I do, study, learn, and advise about the environment is different from the status quo. Throughout my career, I have tried to understand how nature works and use that understanding to figure out how we can solve our most pressing environmental problems.

My process over the past 45 years has been to look carefully at the facts, make simple calculations from them (sometimes simple computer models) and then tell people what I have learned. It’s surprising how rarely people bother to look at the facts. This has surprised me every time I’ve started a new ecology research project or work on an environmental issue.

In the course of my work and studies, I have learned many things and I want to tell you about them. That is the purpose of this website.

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Books by Dan Botkin

The Moon in the Nautilus Shell  Strange Encounters
Powering the Future  No Man's Garden
See all books by Dan Botkin

Jabowa III Forest Model


Jabowa Forest Model
Jabowa Forest Model for Windows 7.
This forest model, used around the world, was developed first in 1970 by Daniel B. Botkin, James F. Janak and James R. Wallis

JABOWA remains the most completely detailed and well validated forest growth model available, accounting for 95% or more of the variation in real forests where it has been tested.

The book Forest Dynamics: An Ecological Model (available as an eBook) provides a complete description of the model and the rationales behind its development.

Order Online

Sea Ice Study

The Bockstoce and Botkin Historical Sea Ice Data Study has a new home at the University of Alaska website. The data include more than 52,000 daily observations in an unbroken 65 year record from 1849 – 1914.

See related papers

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