Salmon: A Scientific Memoir investigates a narrative that is important to the identity of the Pacific Northwest Coast – the salmon as an iconic species. Traditionally it’s been a narrative that is overwhelmingly about conflict. But is that always necessarily the case?The story follows John Steinbeck’s advice: the best way to achieve reality is to combine narrative with scientific data. By following ecologists, archaeologists and fisheries biologists studying salmon, humans...

An unintended experiment teaches real-life lessons about life’s intricate interconnections.In the 1800s, the American government decided to eliminate threats to livestock near Yellowstone National Park. By 1926, there were no gray wolves left in the park. This set off a cascade of devastating changes to virtually every part of the park’s ecosystem, and the once-thriving landscape was soon in distress. Then, in an effort to reverse course, gray wolves were reintroduced in 1995. In t...

Leo rides his beloved red bicycle to school, soccer practice and everywhere in between. He is devastated when he outgrows Big Red. But when Leo learns of a bicycle donation program, he perks up — someone who really needs his bike can give it a new life. Little does he know that Big Red will change other people’s lives, too. Follow the bike as it travels to West Africa, where it helps people in Burkina Faso bring goods to the market, and serves as a makeshift ambulance, proving that an ordi...