Through Nature’s Lens: Do We Really Love Our Land and Water [With Book(s)]

What if Nature could talk to us--would we like what it has to say? What if it is already speaking to us, but we aren’t listening? These are some of the many questions addressed in Through Nature’s Lens. This latest book explores the history of nature and its impact on our lives. Important questions on the minds of all Iowans--water quality concerns, surprising cancer rates, increasing reliance on agricultural chemicals, and the fraught topic of climate change -- are addressed. Nature is the narrator, sharing its perspectives on our actions, which are particularly timely in this age of increased political extremism and federal and state actions that harm nature. The book is inspired by hope and finds it in opportunities like nature-based education, increasing citizen activism, innovative local efforts to enhance nature, and the ever-present role of land as the face of nature. Ideas on how citizens can become nature champions are shared in this latest installment of Professor Hamilton’s nature series, which includes two previous books on the land and rivers.

Neil Hamilton is an emeritus professor of law and the former director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University in Des Moines. He retired from full-time teaching in 2019 after thirty-eight years focusing on agriculture and food law. Raised on his family farm in Adams County, he attended Iowa State University for Forestry and the University of Iowa for Law. Teaching, writing, and consulting work led to travels around the globe and across the state and nation. His advice is sought by Presidential candidates, cabinet secretaries, reporters, and others looking for insight on issues involving farming, rural society, conservation, and land tenure. He has served for decades on a variety of non-profit boards including the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and Seed Savers Exchange. He lives with his wife Khanh at Sunstead Farm, a market garden oasis they created on Sugar Creek, near Waukee, just west of Des Moines. His previous books are The Land Remains and The River Knows.