I speculate over some of the Anglo nomenclature of birds: Wilson's snipe, Forster's tern . . . : What natural images do these names conjure up in our minds? What integrity do we give back to the birds with our labels.

She also received the DistinguiTerry Tempest Williamsd Achievement Award from the Western American Literature Association and the Wallace Stegner Award given by The Center for the American West. and Melissa A. In 2006 Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society their highest honor given to an American citizen.

Williams’ writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of her native Utah and its Mormon culture. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. For other people of the same name see Terry Williams.