Dorothy Richards, who lived with as many as 14 beavers at a time in her house in upstate New York, feeds one of her pets in Aug. 1975. Richards is featured in "Beaverland." Photo: Hope Ryden via NYT.

Save Saturday, June 17th at Noon for the next virtual book discussion. Our next book(s) will be about one of nature’s prime environmental engineers, the beaver. Choose one or both of the books listed below. Although with a different perspective and style, both books cover the history and life of this remarkable mammal and its impact on the landscape and human endeavors. 

Book club member, Marie Celona, shared that  “Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America” by Leila Philip is on her want to read list. Philip has received prestigious awards for her creative non-fiction and is a professor of creative writing.”Beaverland" was published in 2022 and has received favorable reviews.

The second possiblity is "Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter” by Ben Goldfarb. Published in 2018, it won the 2019 PEN/EO Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing. The author is an environmental journalist with a masters in environmental management and an engaging writer.

To receive a Zoom link to the book club meeting, please email director@gratiotlakeconservancy.org.