The Canadian Shield is a distinct ecological region that forms the evergreen, granite-studded crown stretching across two–thirds of North America. In size, it approximates western Europe with one percent the number of people. A satellite view of the region on a winter's night shows tiny, widely scattered blips of light–islands of human settlement adrift in a sea of subarctic wilderness. In age, the shield's primeval bedrock dates to the beginning of earthly time.
Shield Country unfolds a fascinating story of unrivaled Precambrian geology, of wild rivers and millions of pristine lakes, of an ecological junction where subarctic and arctic climates, plants, birds, and mammals weave a richly textured wilderness fabric.
Reviews:
"A delightfully insightful account of the Canadian Shield's last four billion years."
-- Arctic Magazine
"The author situates himself in the landscape with passion, immediacy and refreshingly sharp powers of observation."
-- Canadian Geographic
Jamie Bastedo's work is all about taking science to the streets. Well established as a popular science writer in his books Falling for Snow: A Naturalist's Journey into the World of Winter, Shield Country: The Life and Times of the Oldest Piece of the Planet, Reaching North: A Celebrationof the Subarctic and Blue Lake and Rocky Shores, he writes to inform and inspire, telling a "story of place." He also has written over 30 natural history features in magazines, including Up Here, Backpacker, and Winter Living. When not out on the land, he hangs his hat in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.
Click here to find out more about Jamie.
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