WildLife: Volume 4: The Wilderness Gossip Columnist

These stories are the result of Neal’s research as an historian for the Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and the wild life of a guide on the rivers of the Olympic Peninsula. Neal explains that here in Washington, it’s illegal to bait waterfowl and bears, but baiting the tourists with tall tales has been a proud Peninsula tradition since the first European arrived on our shores. In a collection of fifty-two columns taken from the Opinion Page of the Peninsula Daily News in Port Angeles and The Daily World in Aberdeen, he provides a fascinating, amusing glimpse into life on the Peninsula that includes a story about three elk hunters who learned a valuable lesson about wilderness survival, a standoff between a bear and a tourist and the disturbing news that fish are getting so smart they are able to untie knots underwater with no hands, all of which proves why it is never too late to panic when encountering challenges in the wilderness. In addition, Neal tells the story of the first salmon and why it matters today. He explains the dangers of tree hugging and fishing from a sinking boat, why the Skunk Cabbage should be Washington’s new State Flower and why taking selfies in the outhouse is not a good idea. This is the fifth book in a series by America’s only Wilderness Gossip Columnist.