Join us virtually or in person the 4th Wednesday of each month for a nature-themed book club! (Dates that conflict with holidays or are close to holidays will be changed).

Ticket sales close 6 weeks before the meeting. You only need to purchase a ticket if you need a copy of the book supplied for you. The $15 ticket fee covers the cost of the book. If you want to obtain the book on your own, please choose the free RSVP instead of purchasing a ticket.

Zoom links will be sent directly to your email when you RSVP/purchase a ticket. A link to the book club meeting will also be available on this page when the book club meeting begins.

About the book…

“When he was just a fledgling birdwatcher, Jonathan C. Slaght had a chance encounter with one of the most mysterious birds on Earth. Bigger than any owl he knew, it looked like a small bear with decorative feathers. He snapped a quick photo and shared it with experts. Soon he was on a five-year journey, searching for this enormous, enigmatic creature in the lush, remote forests of eastern Russia. That first sighting set his calling as a scientist.

Despite a wingspan of six feet and a height of over two feet, the Blakiston’s fish owl is highly elusive. They are easiest to find in winter, when their tracks mark the snowy banks of the rivers where they feed. They are also endangered. And so, as Slaght and his devoted team set out to locate the owls, they aim to craft a conservation plan that helps ensure the species’ survival. This quest sends them on all-night monitoring missions in freezing tents, mad dashes across thawing rivers, and free-climbs up rotting trees to check nests for precious eggs. They use cutting-edge tracking technology and improvise ingenious traps. And all along, they must keep watch against a run-in with a bear or an Amur tiger. At the heart of Slaght’s story are the fish owls themselves: cunning hunters, devoted parents, singers of eerie duets, and survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat.

Through this rare glimpse into the everyday life of a field scientist and conservationist, Owls of the Eastern Ice testifies to the determination and creativity essential to scientific advancement and serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty, strength, and vulnerability of the natural world.”

Questions? Call us at 715-463-2739 or email information@crexmeadows.org