May The Rivers Never Sleep

May The Rivers Never Sleep by John McMillan. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781571884800.

Whether angler, naturalist, birder, or simply a person yearning to learn more about rivers, May the Rivers Never Sleep is a unique book that bridges observation, science, conservation, and the influence of family. As described by Bill and John McMillan, father and son, rivers are one of those places were revelations can occur and lives can be changed. Though initially drawn to rivers and salmon through angling, the family gradually transitioned to a deeper learning about the lives of rivers through snorkeling. Following in the footsteps of renowned Canadian author and conservationist Roderick Haig-Brown, the McMillans river calendar is founded in a series of monthly essays, each of which are further described through photographs of rivers, animals, birds, and insects, including several stunning underwater images of the salmons life as never seen before. The soulful writings and dramatic photography were shaped by thousands of hours angling, observing and snorkeling to document the diversity and patterns of river life above and below water. From winter steelhead to mayfly to water ouzel, their perspective is that rivers are only ever-wakeful because of the wild creatures within. As wild fish continue to diminish however, the lives of rivers remain unclear and consequently, so to does the future of the river calendar of the Pacific Northwest. This book is the McMillans wake-up call to nurture at all costs the natural resilience of wild-fish populations and breadth of life they support so that rivers remain places of revelation for future anglers and scientists, as they have for the McMillan family.