In March 2019 the Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society book club will read What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz.  We will discuss the book at our meeting on Monday, March 25, to be held at the Charles Pink House (next to the Carnegie Library in Port Townsend), from 3:30-5:00.

Renowned biologist Daniel Chamovitz presents an intriguing look at how plants themselves experience the world―from the colors they see to the schedules they keep. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, he takes us into the inner lives of plants and draws parallels with the human senses to reveal that we have much more in common with sunflowers and oak trees than we may realize.  Covering touch, sound, smell, sight, and even memory,  What a Plant Knows offers us a greater understanding of botany and science and our place in nature.

On Monday, February 25, the JLT Natural History Society book club will discuss Orca: How We Came to Know and Love the Ocean’s Greatest Predator by Jason Colby.  We will meet at the Charles Pink House next to the Carnegie Library in Port Townsend, from 3:30 – 5:00.

Orca is a definitive historical account of how the common view of the fierce “killer” whales was transformed into that of the beloved “orca.”

Author James Colby, who grew up in Bainbridge and now lives in Victoria, BC, draws on historical records as well as his own family history. He begins by telling how orcas were killed by the thousands when they were viewed as dangerous predators.  Then in the 1960s a Seattle entrepreneur captured a “killer whale” and began to perform with it.  Human encounters with these captive orcas changed American values and influenced environmental activism. In the years to come, this marine predator has become an icon of the Northwest.

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.