Speaker at the Center to Host Conservationist Dana Beach

The South Carolina State Library's Center for the Book will host a book talk and signing on Thursday, May 22, from noon to 1:00 p.m. at 1500 Senate St., Columbia.

Published by USC Press, Deveaux is a reflection on the life of a South Carolina sea bird rookery, known as Deveaux Bank, at the mouth of the North Edisto River. The author and photographer, Dana Beach, has visited Deveaux regularly for twenty-five years. In his book, Beach chronicles the annual cycle of reproduction and renewal on this ephemeral sand bar, and the work of the scientists and conservationists who labor to understand and protect it. The book's stories and images provide a compelling call to action to save Deveaux and sites like it--wellsprings of the Lowcountry's natural beauty and diversity.

Dana Beach is the founder and executive director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League. He is the recipient of the South Carolina Order of the Palmetto, the James L. Dockery Southern Environmental Leadership Award, the National Wetlands Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Law Institute, and the Environmental Awareness Award from the South Carolina General Assembly. Beach is author of Coastal Sprawl: The Effects of Urban Design on Aquatic Ecosystems in the United States, a research publication of the Pew Oceans Commission.

Books will be available for purchase and signing. All Speaker @ the Center programs take place from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the South Carolina State Library located at 1500 Senate St., Columbia. Speaker @ the Center is FREE and open to the public. Bring your lunch and enjoy learning more about South Carolina. Please visit readsc.org/events for a list of additional book talks and signings.

The South Carolina Center for the Book is the South Carolina Affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book and is a cooperative project of the South Carolina State Library, the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science, and The Humanities Council^SC.