Oct 29, 2015

Book Launch – The Real Thing: The Natural History of Ian McTaggart Cowan, by Briony Penn

Sunday, Nov. 15^th, 2:00pm
Iris Griffith Centre

Join author Briony Penn for an entertaining afternoon celebrating the life of this remarkable scientist, naturalist, educator and quiet activist. 

Ian McTaggart Cowan (1910–2010), revolutionized the way North Americans understood the natural world and is known as the “father of Canadian ecology.” From his formative years roaming the mountains around Vancouver looking for venison to his last years co-editing the voluminous and authoritative Birds of British Columbia, Cowan’s life provides a unique perspective on a century of environmental change—with a critical message for the future. He was no stranger to the suppression of scientists or challenging pipelines, hydro projects, pesticides and industrial logging - all before most of us were even born. He pioneered nature television in its very earliest days and later hired David Suzuki. Clips from his original CBC TV shows will be played as well as readings from the book, recollections of his life and his thoughts on the future. http://cowantherealthing.com.

Briony Penn is a naturalist, broadcaster, educator, and writer well known across Canada. As a journalist, columnist and author, Briony has a publishing record of hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines as well as books, government publications and peer-reviewed journals. She is also an artist and has exhibited and published widely on natural history themes. Briony is a pioneer of community mapping and has created numerous artistic community maps that have been replicated across North America and Europe. In the last 20 years, she has also been an active community researcher on biological/cultural topics, a mentor for young activists and raised two wonderful sons. 

The Real Thing will be in bookstores at the end of October.

• Publisher’s Website: http://www.rmbooks.com/book_details.php?isbn_upc=9781771600705
• Book Website: http://cowantherealthing.com
• UVic digital collection of journals: http://www.uvic.ca/library/featured/collections/bc/Cowan.php