For 3 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with 2 incredibly accomplished partners & friends – photographer (& more) Brian Walsh and environmental leader Dr. Mindy Roberts - on a book about Puget Sound. The result is an intimate portrait, in words and images, of the NW’s inland sea, its people, its cultures, its nature, and its future. Now I can report some news:
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WE ARE PUGET SOUND: DISCOVERING & RECOVERING THE SALISH SEA is in the final stage of pre-production, and will soon go to the printer, for release this fall.
It is a both a book & a multi-year, multi-media education & public engagement campaign by Mountaineers Books (Braided River series) and the Washington Environmental Council. It was Mindy’s vision & leadership that led to this remarkable collaboration.
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The publishers engaged an exceptional team of additional contributors to the book:
~ Martha Kongsgaard, environmental champion and Puget Sound advocate, has written an evocative foreword.
~ Mountaineers Books / Braided River Publisher Helen Cherullo, with Mindy (WEC’s People for Puget Sound program director), wrote a compelling introduction.
~ Brian and many other renowned Northwest photographers have contributed awe-inspiring photos of the Sound, its people & its creatures.
~ With the help of many Puget Sounders who shared their stories and knowledge, I wrote chapters on “Our Puget Sound,” “Extraordinary Nature,” “The Human Connection,” and a “Brief History” timeline.
~ Leonard Forsman, chairman of the Suquamish Tribe and president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, teamed up with Mindy to challenge us all with a motivating chapter, “Future of the Salish Sea,” plus “Ten Things” we all can do to protect & recover our inland sea.
~ Brian Cantwell, retired Seattle Times travel & outdoors editor, wrote an inviting, well-illustrated chapter revealing more than 30 destinations for “Exploring & Enjoying Puget Sound.”
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MANY SUPPORTERS WORKING TOGETHER FOR OUR SOUND:
Production of this high-quality, high-impact book is made possible through seed money from Mountaineers Books based on future book sales—plus approximately $50,000 in donations by more than 100 individuals, businesses, partnering nonprofit organizations, and foundations.
We’re proud that the book will be printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, and that carbon mitigation for the book’s production & shipping has been generously donated by Forterra, a regional organization that secures land for a sustainable future.
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In its pages, you can meet inspirational people of diverse generations, cultures, genders, and points of view who love our inland sea & who do their part to make it healthy. I’m thankful they shared their unforgettable stories with Brian & Mindy & me so we could pass them on to you in a very special book.
Photo by Brian Walsh, Olympia, WA