“A passion for nature and the love of a chosen city combine seamlessly in David Williams’ sharp-eyed rambles through Seattle. The Ledger review – Lakeland, Florida September 8, 2005 “Even if you are not familiar with Seattle - I’ve been there for one relatively brief visit, so I’m definitely in that category - there is plenty to relate to in this book…Williams’ essays demonstrate that a keen eye is as useful as an unlimited travel budget in studying the natural world.” “Bird-watchers, bicyclists, organic gardeners, rock hounds, tree huggers, weather nuts, history buffs, community activists and downtown office workers - that covers just about everybody in Seattle, doesn’t it? - will find plenty to embrace in ‘The Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle,’ an inviting new book by David B. What lessons will people learn when they see public officials killing Canada geese in Seattle? What if instead citizens heard public officials challenging us to make changes in order to coexist with thousands of geese? I cannot help thinking that positive experiences with wildness in urban settings will lead to a positive land ethic in wilder places. Getting to know the urban wild will also influence how we react in wilder places. These encounters and experiences will become more important as we continue to become a more urban planet. We will have our first childhood encounter with a wild, undomesticated animal while exploring our backyards or nearby green spaces. We will develop connections with nature more often in our neighborhood parks than in national parks. I am not saying that we should substitute urban experiences for wild ones, but I recognize that most urban dwellers stand a better chance of developing a relationship with a goose than with a gorilla. Stories and nature are all around us, if we take the time to look and wonder. They fail to show that stories are in our yards, under our feet, and on the walls of our buildings. These fine purveyors of nature leave you with the distinct feeling that nature is out there, away from most people’s ordinary lives. What these stories and my adventures in Seattle confirm for me is that you don’t have to go to exotic places to find interesting natural history stories, despite what you might see on the Discovery Channel or in the pages of National Geographic. I also know that I like Seattle better after spending so much time exploring and discovering new and old places. I enjoyed writing and researching each of them. A few of them focus on topics that have long interested me, such as building stone or weather, and others arose because they simply seemed fascinating at the time. In others I chose a topic and delved deeply into it, interviewing experts, probing its history, and going out into the field with scientists. In some essays I explored by foot or bike. I simply wanted to focus on the natural world in Seattle. I did not have any preplanned ideas when I began work. I began work on this book soon after my wife, Marjorie, and I moved to Seattle in 1998. ($20.00 – includes shipping, taxes, and signature. Formerly titled The Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle
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