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Tickets for this event are $5 general admission or book purchase. Join bestselling author and photographer Jon Waterman to learn about his return to the Arctic after 40 years to document the changes wreaked by the climate crisis. Amidst the chaos, he reunites with the wonders of this magical—but fragile—ecosystem.
Forty years ago, park ranger Jon Waterman took his first journey into the Alaskan Arctic, to the Noatak headwaters. He was astonished by the abundant wildlife, the strange landscape, and its otherworldly light—how the “frequent rain showers glow like lemonade poured out of the sky.” Taken with a new sense of wonder, he began to explore the North on several trips in the 1980s.
After a 30-year absence from the Noatak, he returned with his son in 2021. Amid a now-flooded river missing the once-plentiful caribou, he was shocked and heartbroken by the changes. The following year, in 2022, he took one final journey “into the thaw” to document—for this lushly illustrated and scholarly book—the environmental and cultural changes wrought by the climate crisis.
Through his quest for wonder—in prose illuminated by humility and humor—Waterman shows how the Arctic can confer grace on those who pass through. Despite the unfolding crisis, as a narrative of hope, at the book’s end he suggests actions we can all take to slow the thaw and preserve what is left of this remarkable, vast frontier.
Jon Waterman has sought out an unconventional adventurer’s path since he was a teenager. As a lifelong environmentalist and writer, he has specialized in immersive journeys—often to the North—to develop a sense of place and then share the beauties, cultures, and fragilities of imperiled parts of the world. His wide-ranging expeditions include a winter ascent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali, kayaking the Northwest Passage, dogsledding into and up Canada’s Mount Logan, sailing to Hawaii, and boating the Colorado River from source to sea. He has worked as a director of a small press, an editor, a naturalist, a park ranger, a wilderness guide, a photographer, and a filmmaker. Among his many publications, Jon’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Wild Bird, Outside, Men’s Journal, Adventure, and Sailing World. His sixteen books include In the Shadow of Denali, Kayaking the Vermilion Sea, and the National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks. By taking risks and tackling difficult issues, his narratives transcend traditional outdoor yarns and have garnered numerous awards, including a Literary Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts, three Best Adventure Book Awards from the Banff Book Festival, an Emmy, a National Park Service Special Achievement Award, and the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. He lives in Carbondale, Colorado.
As a professional climber, Graham Zimmerman is one of the most acclaimed alpinists of his generation. After graduating in 2007 with a degree in geography, he focused on alpinism, a pursuit that has taken him on expeditions from Alaska to Patagonia to Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan and all over the lower 48 and Canada. Dedicated to using his platform for good, he holds leadership roles in a range of nonprofits and outdoor companies, including the American Alpine Club and Protect Our Winters. He lives in Bend, OR with his wife, Shannon, and their dog, Pebble. Find him online at grahamzimmerman.com.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
900 NW Mt. Washington Dr. Suite #110, Bend, OR, United States, Oregon 97703
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