OPAS Program: The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds

Description

Guest Presenter: James H. McCommons Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. Virtual program will be presented in Rainshadow Hall, Dungeness River Nature Center Free to attend; donations appreciated Note: Come early for cookies! The Feather Wars is an entertaining and expansive work of American history, telling the story of how early Americans assumed that the land’s natural resources were infinite, including its birds, which were zealously hunted for food, game, and fashion. With the rapid extinction of the Passenger Pigeon—a bird once so numerous that its flocks darkened the sky in flight—many realized that actions were needed if other birds were to be saved. What followed was both a spiritual awakening and a great crusade to save birds and their habitat. The campaign took place on many battlefields: society teas in Boston, hunt clubs on the East Coast, the mangroves in the Everglades, and in the editorial pages of newspapers and periodicals. From many corners of the country the bird protection movement was born and brought together a remarkable coalition of people and organizations to save America’s birds. James H. McCommons is a professor emeritus at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, where he taught journalism and nature writing for 20 years. He is a veteran journalist, specializing in ecology, environmental, and travel topics. James has written hundreds of general interest magazine articles contributing to Better Homes and Gardens, Audubon, Wildlife Conservation, Organic Gardening, Backpacker, The Oregonian, St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times. His third book, The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds, was released March 2026 by St. Martin’s Press.