Summer Environmental Book Club: Turning Over a New Leaf
Gunflint Falling: Blowdown in the Boundary Waters by Cary J. Griffith
On July 4, 1999, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), a bizarre confluence of meteorological events resulted in the most damaging blowdown in the region’s history. Originating over the Dakotas, the midsummer windstorm developed amid unusually high heat and water-saturated forests and moved steadily east, bearing down on Fargo, North Dakota, and damaging land as it crossed the Minnesota border. Gunflint Falling tells the story of this devastating storm from the perspectives of those who were on the ground before, during, and after the catastrophic event—from first-time visitors to the north woods to returning paddlers to Forest Service Rangers.
This book club session will be co-facilitated by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Director of Outreach and Education Programs Coordinator, Alison Thomas.
Please register with Barbara Shatara at bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov for meeting info and how to obtain the book.
About the Facilitator:
Alison Thomas has been with the department since 2011. She holds a master's degree in natural resource management, with a concentration in environmental education, from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Alison oversees the Outreach Division including information and marketing, hunter education and conservation education programs. She works with staff to develop and implement strategic communications initiatives and outreach plans. As education programs coordinator, Alison is responsible for supervising the department's two Green Mountain Conservation Camps (Buck Lake and Kehoe). She is also responsible for managing the Let's Go Fishing program, serving as the statewide coordinator for the Project WILD program, leading the Wildlife Management for Educators course, providing assistance at department outreach events, and helping to develop and support environmental education initiatives within the Agency. During her time off, Alison enjoys running, and doing outdoor activities with her family.
