The story behind ‘The Last Tepui’

Praise for ‘Basecamp’

‘Basecamp in the Tropics’ is an epic story of a remarkable man and his exploration of an extraordinary ecology. Bruce Means transports us to one of the few remaining unexplored tropical regions of the world, and has shared a revelation in the truest sense of that word.  In the tradition of the great naturalist explorers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, we are privileged to accompany him into the inaccessible reaches of the exotic Tepui formations bordering Venezuela and Guyana. We are allowed to share in a vision of an unexplored world that few can even imagine.  Here, Means is driven by an unwavering sense of purpose and an ambition for understanding that is monumental in scope.  With encyclopedic knowledge of ecologies and species, Bruce proves that when originating in unbridled passion, the most challenging and excruciating field work may mysteriously become the most fun a human being can have. 

Few naturalists in the last one hundred years have discovered and identified a single, much less an abundance of vertebrate species.  However, Bruce has revealed a dizzying list of new species of both reptiles and amphibians. But, vastly more unlikely---this dedicated man has also introduced the world to multiple new genera, as well as entire undiscovered Families of vertebrates!

Means has simply re-set the bar on the definition of rigorous scientific inquiry and the unrelenting devotion to discovering new things about the world that is required.  We cannot preserve precious species and their fragile ecologies if we know not of their mere existence. This book should be a guide to those dedicated few who would dare to follow in his footsteps, and a treasure-trove of information for those of us who cherish our living world.  More than that, Basecamp is a fun read for young and old and I highly recommend it.

JOE HUTTO

Naturalist and award-winning author of “Illumination in the Flatwoods,” “The Light in High Places,” and “Touching the Wild”