O U R FAV O U R I T E T H I N G S
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” – ALBERT EINSTEIN
3
1
Best Places to Bird in BC written by biologist Richard Cannings and his son Russell, is a collection of personal anecdotes, useful notes for birdwatchers, and beautiful photographs that explores exactly what the title suggests. The Canningses cover the many ecological regions of BC from the Rocky Mountains and Haida Gwaii, to the Okanagan and Vancouver Island, including Parksville’s Englishman River estuary. books.google. ca/books/about/ Best_Places_to_Bird_ in_British_Columbia
4
2
20 PASSIONS | WINTER 2020
Not so much a book, as it is someone interesting to follow on Facebook! The Marine Detective, Jackie Hildering, is a biology teacher, cold-water diver, underwater photographer, and humpback whale researcher living in Port McNeill. “It’s my handle under which I work to raise awareness about life in the cold, dark NE Pacific Ocean and illuminate the fragility, beauty, and mystery there. I hope the name suggests the correct humility. I want to share what I learn so that it may lead to greater knowledge, appreciation, and positive action for the Ocean to which we are all connected and upon which our health depends.” Jackie has also published an eye-spy style book for children called Find the Fish. the-marine-detective. myshopify.com/products/book-find-the-fish-first-edition
5
Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life by Brian Brett, won the Writers Trust Non-Fiction Prize in 2009. It’s a memoir about life on his organic farm on Salt Spring Island, where he raises chickens and other animals, tends extensive orchards and vegetable gardens, creates fabulous meals, and has many misadventures. This funny and thought-provoking memoir traces one day on Trauma Farm. “A witty and passionate book, this is an unforgettable portrait of the issues all farms face in this age of industrialization and homogenization.” The Sea Among Us: The Amazing Strait of Georgia edited by Richard Beamish and Gordon McFarlane (Harbour Publishing). Winner of the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Book Prize (2015), it is the first book to present a comprehensive study of the Strait of Georgia in all its facets with chapters on geology, First Nations, history, oceanography, fish, birds, mammals, invertebrates and plants. Covering everything from tsunami modelling and First Nations history, to where to find whales, barnacle reproduction, and climate change, the book is a sweeping overview of one of the world’s great waterways, now called the Salish Sea. The BC Coast Explorer by Wildcoast Publishing (Vol 1 & 2) is the quintessential resource for kayakers looking for a guide to exploring the Island’s spectacular coastline. thewildcoast.ca/collections/bc-coast-explorer-guidebooks/products/bc-coast-explorer-volume-1
