JOEL SALATIN

Describing himself as an “environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer,” Joel Salatin has been dubbed “the high priest of the pasture” by The New York Times. Adamant about rebuilding the soil as the first step toward creating a sustainable farm, he is a bold advocate for changing from conventional to organic farming. Goods from Polyface Farm, his organic enterprise in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, reach 3,000 families, 10 retail outlets and 50 restaurants. Among his books are Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal and, just out, Folks, This Ain’t Normal, with practical ideas about how small changes in our lives can have tremendous impact. In his talk, Salatin will apply his sharp wit and down-home experience to the Bay Area agricultural landscape.

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WADE DAVIS

Personal and scientific curiosity draw Wade Davis to remote cultures, where an astonishing fund of knowledge exists about plants and animals, at least until the culture itself disappears. In association with the Harvard Botanical Museum, he spent three years in the Amazon and the Andes collecting more than 6,000 botanical specimens to research the region’s biodiversity. Later work took him to Haiti and beyond, inspiring his best-selling book The Serpent and the Rainbow. Hailed by National Geographic as one of the “Explorers of the Millennium,” he is the author of 13 books, recipient of countless awards and a highly sought-after speaker. Join this renowned explorer, scholar, photographer and filmmaker as he defends cultures, languages and the natural world from which they spring.

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ELIZABETH KOLBERT

Elizabeth Kolbert traveled the high Arctic visiting top scientists to get at the heart of the debate over global warming. Field Notes from a Catastrophe, the best-selling book based on her findings, asks what can be done to save our planet. She draws parallels to lost civilizations, separates science from politics, and speaks for the people most immediately affected—those living near the poles. Kolbert was a reporter for The New York Times for 15 years before joining The New Yorker in 1999, where she covers climate change and writes profiles. Winner of a 2010 National Magazine Award and the Sierra Club’s 2011 David R. Brower Award, she is currently at work on a new book about mass extinctions that will weave intellectual and natural history with reporting in the field.

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FRANS LANTING

One of world’s foremost nature photographers, Frans Lanting returns to POST’s lecture series with new images from his latest projects. Lanting, who lives in Santa Cruz, often records striking images outside his own front door. He current work documents the migration of Monterey Bay shorebirds and the birthing of elephant seals. His awards include the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the Sierra Club’s Ansel Adams Award for conservation photography. His photos appear frequently in National Geographic, and he has been knighted in his native Holland. Lanting will talk about the rich wildlife of Monterey Bay and give a sneak preview of his part in documenting mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

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The Wallace Stegner Lectures feature writers, artists and thinkers who explore important issues related to land, nature and conservation. Proceeds fund POST’s work to protect open space on the San Francisco Peninsula. Read about the series history.