Robert Steelquist - The Northwest Coastal Explorer: Your Guide to the Places, Plants, and Animals of the Pacific Coast

The challenge I have faced in working on this book has been to pack a geography spanning over nine degrees of Earths latitude into a small book that introduces the natural history of one of Earths most productive coaststhe Pacific Northwest. I chose to start with experienceswhat I learned from exploring the coast from Vancouver Island to northern California, and how Ive shared that knowledge with others as an interpretive naturalist, teacher, writer, parent, and friend.

For the moment, imagine were on the coast now, about to hike into the forest on a trail that will wind along a steep slope as it descends to a remote beach. We can hear the surf faintly, feel the misty breeze, and smell the salty air, fragrant and cool. Well encounter common thingsthe plants and animals that give the Pacific Northwest its particular natural character. We will see trees, shrubs, birds, and amphibians. Stepping onto the beach, our senses will be assaultedthe crash of waves, the vastness of the horizon, and encounters with things that have washed up, or that scurry away as we pass. At the far end, where the sand stops and rocks begin, well prowl tide pools, astonished at the variety of life forms that cling to the rocks or dart to hiding places in the water. This is the experience of exploring the coast. Of meeting its living residents and visitors, learning their connections to everything else and our connections to them.

Before we launch into our outdoor adventures, however, it is important to introduce the region as a whole and the forces that shape it. The introduction to this book touches on geology, climate, and the physical ocean processes that make marine life possible and so productive. It then addresses our roles as stewards of the environmentthe coast and ocean in particular.

The book then introduces major habitat types: coastal forests, rocky shores and tide pools, sand beaches, nearshore, rivers, and estuaries. Each section highlights common plants and animals that you will almost always see. Selecting these wasnt easy, as there are so many to choose from. But each species is important for many reasons. And each is connected, in so many ways, to many other species. They all represent threads in a complex tapestrythe magnificent cloth that we call life.

A getaway guide is also included as a general travel guide to areas where you can experience a variety of habitats in one tripbeaches and tide pools; forests and estuaries. Each region was chosen for its unique variations of natural features, habitats and experiences, learning opportunities, accessibility, and general proximity to the Northwests population centers. Each getaway is offered as an inspirationinformed by my own lifetime of experience in the Pacific Northwestthat can provide a head start to your own research and travel planning.

Proper gear is essential. When we step into the forest, or hike to a beach, we are encountering nature in all its moods. Proper footwear and rain protection, sunglasses and sunscreen, drinking water and snacksall are necessary.