The Lydia M. Olson Library and Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center are honored to present an evening with James McCommons as he talks about his new book, The Feather Wars and the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds. His talk will take place on Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. in the Lydia M. Olson Library Atrium. In addition, the Beaumier Center’s current exhibition, “The Conservationists: George Shiras III, Theodore Roosevelt and the Migratory Bird Act” will be open for viewing. The event is free and open to the public.

James McCommons will describe his journey of researching and writing The Feather Wars and the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds published in March by St. Martin’s Press. Early Americans assumed that the land’s natural resources were infinite, including its birds, which were zealously hunted for food, game, and fashion in the 19th century. The Feather Wars chronicles the emergence of the wildlife protection movement and the remarkable coalition of people and organizations that came together to save America’s birds.

James McCommons is a professor emeritus at Northern Michigan University and a veteran journalist, specializing in ecology, environmental and travel topics. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Audubon, Discover among other publications. He is the author of Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service, and Camera Hunter: George Shiras III and the Birth of Wildlife Photography.