New to SERSTM 2016 and located in the open exhibitor/vendor area, The Author’s Niche, will showcase and promote the top selling publications of the meeting’s two keynote speakers, Dr. Wallace J. Nichols and Dr. Carl Safina, along with other significant authors, Anne Ake with Larry Ogren and Dr. Blair and Dawn Witherington. Open during the Exhibitor/Vendor hours and at various posted times in the agenda and on the area’s message board, attendees and visitors will be able to purchase the featured books and have the books personalized.
The authors are attending the SERSTM and will be available throughout the meeting to sign and discuss their books as well as share their views on sea turtle issues and conservation challenges.
Featured Authors:
Anne Ake – Turning Turtles in Tortuguero: Stories from the Origins of Sea Turtle Research
* A lifelong champion for sea turtles and a true friend of the sea turtle community, Larry Ogren (pictured with Anne) passed away January 20, 2016. The Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Network will be honoring Larry Ogren’s memory at the Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Meeting.*
In Turning Turtles In Tortuguero, readers learn about Dr. Archie Carr, Larry Ogren and the world’s longest running sea turtle research station established in 1955 in Tortuguero, Costa Rica by Dr. Carr. The next season Larry Ogren arrived to man the station alone. The experience was life-changing for Larry and this book is based largely on his experiences in the early years. Larry and the biologists who joined or followed him came to learn, but fell in love with the turtles, the people, and the culture of the wild Caribbean coast. They stayed to save both the turtles and the people who depended on them. Readers experience life in an isolated primitive village and follow its evolution into a colorful thriving ecotourism destination. Its namesake, La Tortuga—the turtle—is still the defining element of life in the village.
Wallace J. Nichols – Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, Or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do
Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our minds and bodies at ease? In BLUE MIND, Wallace J. Nichols revolutionizes how we think about these questions, revealing the remarkable truth about the benefits of being in, on, under, or simply near water. Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with compelling personal stories from top athletes, leading scientists, military veterans, and gifted artists, he shows how proximity to water can improve performance, increase calm, diminish anxiety, and increase professional success.
BLUE MIND not only illustrates the crucial importance of our connection to water – it provides a paradigm shifting “blueprint” for a better life on this Blue Marble we call home.
Carl Safina – Beyond Words; What Animals Think and Feel
Weaving decades of field observations with exciting new discoveries about the brain, Carl Safina’s landmark book offers an intimate view of animal behavior to challenge the fixed boundary between humans and nonhuman animals. In Beyond Words, readers travel to Amboseli National Park in the threatened landscape of Kenya and witness struggling elephant families work out how to survive poaching and drought, then to Yellowstone National Park to observe wolves sort out the aftermath of one pack’s personal tragedy, and finally plunge into the astonishingly peaceful society of killer whales living in the crystalline waters of the Pacific Northwest. Beyond Words brings forth powerful and illuminating insight into the unique personalities of animals through extraordinary stories of animal joy, grief, jealousy, anger, and love. The similarity between human and nonhuman consciousness, self-awareness, and empathy calls us to re-evaluate how we interact with animals. Wise, passionate, and eye-opening at every turn, Beyond Words is ultimately a graceful examination of humanity’s place in the world.
Blair and Dawn Witherington – Our Sea Turtles: A Practical Guide for the Atlantic and Gulf, from Canada to Mexico
Blair and Dawn Witherington intimately reveal the lives of sea turtles in Our Sea Turtles: A Practical Guide to the Atlantic and Gulf from Canada to Mexico. The book’s pithy, well-organized sections are lavishly illustrated. It is a guide for anyone who is the least bit curious about these fascinating marine animals. Bite-sized installments harmonize with multiple images on each page to make this book a unique and entertaining resource. The story it tells covers understanding, experiencing, and saving our sea turtles, with descriptions of how these endangered animals contribute to our happiness and why they deserve a helping hand.