{"product_id":"pre-order-bad-naturalist-by-paula-whyman","title":"\"Bad Naturalist\" by Paula Whyman - Signed copy!","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGet your signed copy of \u003cem\u003eBad Naturalist\u003c\/em\u003e by Paula Whyman! \u003c\/b\u003eTLC's featured speaker for our 2026 Annual Celebration! Books are available for pick-up at the TLC office on Dean St. in Woodstock or email Lisa Maier \u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003elmaier@conservemc.org\u003c\/span\u003e for a shipping quote.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBad Naturalist\u003c\/i\u003e is a journey of humor, humility, and awe as one woman attempts to restore 200 acres of farmland long gone-to-seed in the Blue Ridge Mountains, facing her own limitations while getting to know a breathtaking corner of the natural world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen writer Paula Whyman climbs to a peak in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in search of an empty-nester home in the country, her plans for a tidy backyard ecology project quickly morph into a massive endeavor. Just as quickly, she discovers how little she knows about hands-on conservation work. In \u003ci\u003eBad Naturalist\u003c\/i\u003e, Whyman struggles with conflicting advice from experts, an influx of invasive species, delayed plans, and the occasional rattlesnake—but none of it dampens her irrepressible passion for protecting this place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaula Whyman is the author of \u003ci\u003eBad Naturalist \u003c\/i\u003eand a finalist for the Philip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award. Her writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe American Scholar\u003c\/i\u003e, and in journals including \u003ci\u003eMcSweeney’s Quarterly, Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Hudson Review\u003c\/i\u003e. Her earlier book, \u003ci\u003eYou May See a Stranger,\u003c\/i\u003e is an award-winning linked short story collection. She has been in residence at MacDowell, Yaddo, VCCA, The Studios of Key West, and Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Her work on this book was supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council. She spends her time on a mountain in Virginia with her husband and a mercurial standard poodle. You can find her at\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com\/s\/4VlxCADX9DSvAl70hGfyCGvHlD?domain=paulawhyman.com\/\" title=\"https:\/\/url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com\/s\/4VlxCADX9DSvAl70hGfyCGvHlD?domain=paulawhyman.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com\/s\/4VlxCADX9DSvAl70hGfyCGvHlD?domain%3Dpaulawhyman.com\/\u0026amp;source=gmail\u0026amp;ust=1775238923790000\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw3pT9PpW8lDTncOGdunuPsf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003epaulawhyman.com\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cu\u003e,\u003c\/u\u003e and keep up with news from the mountain via her \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com\/s\/MzEkCBBXRBHg5REqH6h9C2fbaE?domain=badnaturalistnewsletter.beehiiv.com\/\" title=\"https:\/\/url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com\/s\/MzEkCBBXRBHg5REqH6h9C2fbaE?domain=badnaturalistnewsletter.beehiiv.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com\/s\/MzEkCBBXRBHg5REqH6h9C2fbaE?domain%3Dbadnaturalistnewsletter.beehiiv.com\/\u0026amp;source=gmail\u0026amp;ust=1775238923790000\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw32I_5uwP3K4RiV-jrgxEad\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBad Naturalist newsletter\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cu\u003e.\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Land Conservancy of McHenry County Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51294267703460,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0516\/3427\/4468\/files\/BadNaturalist_1.png?v=1775153855","url":"https:\/\/store.conservemc.org\/products\/pre-order-bad-naturalist-by-paula-whyman","provider":"The Land Conservancy of McHenry County Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}