by Lisa Wallace, Executive Director

Did you pass the Pop Quiz last week?

Michele Prestowitz Most of us did not!

Who can help? Michele Prestowitz! She can explain to you the dynamics of erosion, watershed health, habitat recovery, water quality and even invasive species.

She does all this, and more, at our River Talks. What inspires her to be our Chief Explainer?

Partly her daughters, partly Alder Creek (a special place for her family), and partly these books:

  • The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan: “In an era that promises ever-greater natural disasters, The Worst Hard Time is ‘arguably the best nonfiction book yet’ (Austin Statesman Journal) on the greatest environmental disaster ever to be visited upon our land and a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of trifling with nature.”
  • Walden, or Life In the Woods: by Hendry David Thoreau: “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
  • The Lorax by Dr. Seuss: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”
  • All In A Day by Cynthia Rylant and Nikki McClure: “All the possibilities a day offers—the opportunities and chances that won’t ever come again—and also delivers a gentle message of good stewardship of our planet.”

So, come to a River Talk, learn about our watershed restoration work, hear Michele’s inspired stories – and get an “A” on the next pop quiz!