Join us for our free 2026 virtual book club featuring books that give us new insight into our Great Lakes. Grab some lunch and join us online for a guided discussion about this month’s book. Our April selection is Near the Forest, By the Lake: Discovering Nature Close to Home by Angela E. Douglas. Registered guests are not required to buy the book, but can purchase the book from our Museum Store. When: Tuesday, April 7 at 12 pm About the Book: In this collection of essays, Angela E. Douglas reflects on the lives and habits of the plants, birds, insects, and other creatures inhabiting the landscapes that neighbor her in upstate New York. Some essays focus on individual species, from the salamanders migrating in early spring and the butterflies of summer, to the yellow goldenrods of the fall and the rafts of ducks on the lake in winter. Others provide insight into some of nature’s mysteries, including why certain birds sing in fall and how turtles survive the winter in ice-sealed ponds. The inevitable fingerprint of human activities is interwoven into these explorations of the diversity of the living world. About the Author: Angela E. Douglas is Emerita Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria Professor of Insect Physiology and Toxicology at Cornell University. She is the author of several books, including Nature on the Doorstep, Fundamentals of Microbiome Science, and Insects and Their Beneficial Microbes.
We tell the awe-inspiring stories of the Great Lakes. 500 breathtaking photographs, 250 artifacts, 45 interactive exhibits, and a 617-foot freighter.
