Beaverland

The New York Times Editors’ Choice NPR Science Friday Book Club Selection An intimate and revelatory dive into the world of the beaver–the wonderfully weird rodent that has surprisingly shaped American history and may save its ecological future. From award-winning writer Leila Philip,BEAVERLAND is a masterful work of narrative science writinga book that highlightsthough history and contemporary storytellinghow this weird rodent plays an oversized role in American history and its future. She follows fur trappers who lead her through waist high waterfur traders and fur auctioneersas well as wildlife managersPETA activistsNative American environmental vigilantesscientistsengineersand the colorful group of activists known as beaver believers. Beginning with the early trans-Atlantic trade in North AmericaLeila Philip traces the beaver’s profound influence on our nation’s early economy and feverish western expansionits first corporations and multi-millionaires. In her pursuit of this weird and wonderful animalshe introduces us to people whose lives are devoted to the beaverincluding a Harvard scientist from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montanawho uses drones to create 3-dimensional images of beaver dams; and an environmental restoration consultant in the Chesapeake whose nickname is the \