On Monday, January 28, 2019, the Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society book club will discuss Nature’s Temples: The Complex World of Old Growth Forests by Joan Maloof.  We will meet at the Charles Pink House next to the Port Townsend Carnegie Library from 3:30-5:00.

Joan Maloof, the director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, makes a case for the importance of old-growth forests. She describes the life-forms in an ancient, undisturbed forest—including not only its majestic trees but also its insects, plant life, fungi, and mammals—and contrasts them to the life-forms in a forest manipulated by humans. These fragile ecosystems exist only in scattered fragments, and Maloof urges us to cherish those that still exist.

The Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society book club will gather for its final 2018 session on Monday, December 3, 2018. We will meet at the Pink House next to the Carnegie Library in Port Townsend, from 3:30-5:00.

The book selected for November/December is Upstream: Searching for the Wild Salmon, from River to Table by Langdon Cook.

Upstream is a look at the intersection of man, food, and nature. Cook takes us on a tour of the areas where salmon live, from Alaska to the Pacific Northwest to the Central Valley of California. He covers all sides of the debate over salmon: the legacy of overfishing and industrial development; the conflicts between fishermen, environmentalists, and Native Americans; the modern proliferation of fish hatcheries and farms; and the longstanding battle lines of science versus politics, wilderness versus civilization.

Langdon Cook is the author of The Mushroom Hunters, which we read in October 2016.

On Monday, October 22, the Natural History Society book club will discuss Thor Hanson‘s new book, Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees.

We will meet at the Pink House (next to the library in Port Townsend),   3:30 -5:00.

Buzz is a natural and cultural history of bees.   Amazon’s description of this book states that “bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and for the most part unseen. Yet they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. Alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing.  Buzz shows us why all bees are wonders to celebrate and protect.  Read this book and you’ll never overlook them again.”

NHS book club has read two previous books by Hanson, The Triumph of Seeds and Feathers. Hanson delivered this year’s Huntingford Lecture on Thursday, September 27, at Chimacum High School.  His slides presented an overview of some of the beautiful species of bees, and during the question and answer period at the end of the lecture, he answered questions from the audience about bees.

The Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society book club will meet on Monday, September 24, 3:30-5:00, to discuss The Wonder of Birds: What They Tell Us about Ourselves, the World, and a Better Future by Jim Robbins.  We will meet at the Ilahee Preserve just off of Prospect Avenue near Kala Point.

Author Jim Robbins believes that humans’ relationship to birds is different from our relationship to any other wild creatures.  They are found everywhere and are our most vital connection to nature.  Through various stories of interactions between birds and humans, Robbins illustrates just how valuable birds are to humans, both ecologically and spiritually.  This book brings birds from the background of our lives into the foreground, showing us that we must fight to save imperiled bird populations and the places they live.

When:             Monday, August 27, 2018

What time:     3:30-5:00

Where:            Ilahee Preserve

Todd McLeish, Return of the Sea Otter (2018)

Science journalist Todd McLeish journeyed along the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska to track the status, health, habits, personality, and viability of sea otters–-the appealing species unique to this coastline that was hunted to near extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries. Now, thanks to their protected status, sea otters are making a comeback in California, Washington, and Alaska. McLeish writes of the sea otters as a keystone species in coastal areas, providing homes for a wide array of sealife.  Their comeback is an indicator of the health of the coastal ecosystem along the Pacific Ocean.