Landscapes of the Interior: Re-Explorations of Nature and the Human Spirit

by Don Gayton

'Landscapes of the Interior' is an eloquent antidote to the separation that people are feeling between themselves and nature. Its seventeen essays take the reader on a unique journey that plumbs the depths of the human connection with nature. It spans the scientific, the poetic and the spiritual.

Genres: Nature

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1996

About the author

Don’s writing is inspired by unique and wide-ranging life experience. Growing up on the US west coast, he attends a multi-racial high school in Seattle, followed by a hitchhiking stint around Europe. After two years of university he joins the US Peace Corps, working with peasant farmers in rural Colombia. Returning to the US in the late Sixties, he joins student protest movements against the war in Vietnam. Finishing an undergraduate degree, he works on cattle ranches in eastern Washington. Persisting in his opposition to the Vietnam war and the draft, Gayton and his young family immigrate to Canada, beginning a new life in Saskatchewan. After finishing his Master's degree at the U of S, Don works with small farmers on the Indian Reserves.
In 1990 Don and his family move to Nelson, BC, where he works as a range manager for the BC Forest Service. During this time he deepens his lifelong association with grasslands, and acquires a new interest in fire ecology. After retiring and moving to Summerland, in the BC Okanagan, Don starts a new career as a consulting ecologist.
Don's first novel, Columbia Son, will be published in summer 2026.

Reviews

[Megan Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

nathan gave me this book shortly after we started seeing each other, as he wanted to give me a portrait of the land he grew up on in the interior of bc. gayton, a draft-dodger who has long been resident in nelson,bc is a forester and naturalist who writes with clarity from both a scientific and social perspective about the histories of place and development in our increasing alienation from the natural world. in this book of essays, gay

[Kris Kennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appeals to my praire roots. Great imagery.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Started out pretty great, though the quality of the meanderings vary. Lots of food for thought, even if I didn't agree with it all. I'd recommend it.