James McCommons, NMU Professor Emeritus, will talk via Zoom about his upcoming nonfiction book, The Feathers Wars and the Great Crusade to America’s Birds, focusing on the transition from shotgun ornithology to sight recognition and the simultaneous evolution of optics and user-friendly field guides that led to the popularity of recreational birding. The Feather Wars has been described as an entertaining and expansive work of American history about how disparate characters―progressive politicians, free-thinking society belles, nature writers and artists, bird-loving U.S. presidents, gunmakers, business titans, and brave game wardens―came together in the early 20th century to save hundreds of species of birds. The book, to be published in hardback by St. Martin’s Press on March 17, 2026, is available for preorder at  https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250286895/thefeatherwars/

For Zoom link, visit https://laughingwhitefishbirdalliance.com