NATIVE WEST PRESS is a small press in Prescott, Arizona, with a special emphasis on indigenous wildlife and the natural history of the American West. Native West Press is dedicated to enhancing
public awareness of the importance of natural biodiversity, particularly within the western regions of
the United States. (Please see Our Mission.) The press was founded in 1996 by Yvette A. Schnoeker-Shorb and Dr. Terril L. Shorb. (Please see Our History.) In 2005, the co-founders invited three other educators, Dr. John Garmon, Ellen Greenblum, and the late Dr. Lou Miller to form the five-member Board of Directors, and Native West Press officially became incorporated as a nonprofit organization. While we are retaining our current domain www.nativewestpress.com, this NWP website now also can be accessed through our sister domain www.nativewestpress.org.

Our History

NATIVE WEST PRESS, originally formed as a partnership in the latter half of the 1990s, had its humble beginnings when we published The Spiders and Spirits of Petunia Manor, a book about unusual experiences with some inspiring wild creatures within various urban/wildland interfaces in northern California. This book was our "experimental" project before we began to extend Native West Press as a forum for others in a community of like minds (human) who wish to enhance public awareness of the wondrousness of other life-forms with whom we share our regions, particularly the American West, and, more extensively, our Earth. In March 2005 we were joined by three other educators, and Native West Press officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization. Since that time, our extended (human) family has grown.

Our Nonprofit Status (www.nativewestpress.org)

NATIVE WEST PRESS is organized exclusively for educational and literary purposes, and, in March
of 2005, Native West Press was certified by the Arizona Corporation Commission as a nonprofit corporation. In September, 2006, the IRS sent a letter of determination informing Native West Press of its official 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status.  As stated in our Articles of Incorporation, the character of affairs of the organization is to provide creative and informational forums for writers, artists, scientists, and others in an effort to educate the general public about the importance to community well-being of preserving biological diversity, with a special emphasis on perspectives pertinent to nature and natural systems of the American West.

Our Mission

NATIVE WEST PRESS is dedicated to raising awareness of the vast and fragile lands of the American West by encouraging deeper appreciation of its native creatures. Native West Press does this through publishing books that blend perspectives from the sciences and the humanities into natural history. Through creating a continuum from fact to myth, the authors within our "book communities" honor the precious diversity of life found within the American West. It is the hope of Native West Press to deepen understanding of these life-forms, particularly some of those less favored by our contemporary culture, in a way that appeals to both lay person and specialist alike. Through its books, projects, and programs, Native West Press invites humans to adopt an attitude of appreciation suggestive of adaptations toward lifestyles that truly respect the fragility of our beloved Western wildlife and our shared homeland.