Book Event: The California Naturalist Handbook, Second Edition

Join Point Reyes National Seashore Association, Point Reyes Books, and author Deborah Stanger Edelman for a conversation about the new second edition of the The California Naturalist Handbook . A donation of $10-$25 is encouraged for entry, which will support PRNSA's conservation, education, and community builiding work. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Deborah Stanger Edelman is a cofounder of the California Naturalist Program and has over 30 years of experience working in natural resource restoration, conservation, and education programs.

About the Book

The go-to guide to California’s natural history, now updated with fresh insights on stewardship for a changing climate and diverse naturalist perspectives.

The California Naturalist Handbook offers a fun, science-based introduction to California’s natural history, emphasizing observation, discovery, communication, and stewardship. This accessible guidebook explores geology, native plants and animals, freshwater resources, forest and rangeland resources, conservation biology, and the effects of pressing environmental issues. Aspiring naturalists will learn how to keep a nature journal, practice participatory science, and improve ecosystem resilience.

Used statewide for the California Naturalist Program, this updated edition includes:

• Updated overview of California’s unique ecosystems and plant and animal communities
• Expanded discussions of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship
• Contributions by diverse naturalist leaders including women, Indigenous peoples, and naturalists of color
• A deeper dive into southern California’s urban and desert ecologies
• Current climate change information, including fire and forest management, drought, flooding and groundwater issues, and recognition of climate grief
• Higher quality images showing a more diverse range of habitats

Please email questions to Ashley Hebert at ashleyh@ptreyes.org.