Tracking wild places in a fast-growing city
Revised, expanded and improved, the new edition of “Wild in the City” is bigger, in part, because there are more parks, trails and green spaces in the Portland area than there were a decade ago. But rather than simply update the original book’s maps, the editors completely remade the book, with the help of a host of new contributors.
“Wild in the City” takes a comprehensive look at the intersection between nature and civilization in the Portland area, with maps, essays, and recommended spots for hiking, biking, boating and bird watching. The book has a literary side, including a new essay by Ursula K. Le Guin and a poem by William Stafford. It also has a scientific side, with discussions of everything from eco-roofs to river otters to invasive species. It’s also a practical handbook for getting around the area.
Over a hundred people contributed to the book, including writers, illustrators, world-famous authors and local naturalists. A collaboration through and through, the book is being co-published by Oregon State University Press and the Audubon Society of Portland. It has two editors, Michael C. Houck and M. J. Cody, who both also co-edited the first edition.
