Today we were joined by two guests, Dexter Patterson and Scott Spoolman who discussed the books they will present at the Wisconsin Book Festival. In the first half of the show, Bird expert and science communicator Dexter Patterson discussed his new field guide Birds of the Great Lakes. The field guide is a small companion book which features just over 150 birds found in Wisconsin throughout the year.

Patterson is known as the Wisco Birder on social media where he shares his passion for birds and the natural world with people all over the state and beyond. Patterson emphasized that the birding community should be just as diverse as the birds they find. He hopes that sharing his bird joy with others will make birding more accessible to everyone, and just paying attention to the natural world will “open windows to wonder” for more people. Dexter will be presenting his book at the Madison Central Library on Oct 26 at 10:30am.

Scott Spoolman will be presenting his book Wisconsin State Parks: Extraordinary Stories of Geology and Natural History at the Wisconsin Historical Society on October 25th, celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Wisconsin State Park system at the Wisconsin Book Festival. Wisconsin State Parks combines historical and geographical information with concrete goals for hiking for state park enthusiasts. The book introduces each of its over 120 state parks with a story of its formation and ends with practical trail guides at each location.

On today’s show, Spoolman detailed the geological formation of Wisconsin, the rifts, catastrophic glacial flooding along with the basalt carving and erosion that formed the canyons, like the St Croix River Valley. He also highlighted Wisconsin’s driftless area (which was once an ocean) formed by the erosion of wind and flowing water. The driftless area erosion can be seen at Governor Dodge state park, the western half of Devils Lake and Tower Hill State Park among others.

Dexter Patterson: Known on social media as the Wisco Birder, Dexter Patterson is dedicated to making birdwatching welcoming for all. His energetic “You Ready? Let’s Go!” videos, featuring him finding various bird species, have amassed millions of views and captivated Instagram followers. As an educator, science communicator, and co-founder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, Dexter aims to prove that birding is for everyone, promoting inclusivity and connecting people with the beauty of nature. 

Scott Spoolman is a science writer who has focused on the environmental sciences,
especially those stories of natural science and the environment related to Wisconsin and
surrounding states. He grew up in northern Wisconsin and earned a master’s degree in
journalism with an emphasis on science reporting. He has coauthored several editions of
a series of environmental science textbooks. His recently published books are Wisconsin
Waters: the Ancient History of Lakes, Rivers, and Waterfalls, the award-winning
Wisconsin State Parks: Extraordinary Stories of Geology and Natural History, both
published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, and Wisconsin Rocks: A Guide to
Geologic Sites in the Badger State, published by Mountain Press Publishing Co.

Photo by Joshua Mayer

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