An unforgettable journey into the waters of the Pacific Northwest!

Blessings of the Waters: From Glaciers to the Sea is photographer James K. Papp's stunning and deeply felt homage to the waters in and around Washington state, where he has lived and worked for several dec-ades. In addition to being a celebration of the waters' beauty, Blessings of the Waters is an effort to alert residents and others to the perilous situation of Washington's water as well as illustrate its vital importance to the diverse communities that depend on its abundance.

The book includes informative and heartfelt essays by the author, who also has had a long career in the maritime industry, award-winning poet and writer Rena Priest, a prominent member of the Lummi tribe, Margaret Baumgartner, an environmental advocate, and Mike Moore, the former longtime Captain of the Port of Puget Sound. Together they provide historic as well as contemporary perspectives on water in Washington, and illuminate the complex issues caused by the continual reduction in annual rain and snowfall, both of which are the direct result of climate change. Cities and towns large and small as well as industries ranging from subsistence to corporate agriculture and fishing to maritime commerce and trade are all adversely affected.

The Blessings of the Waters is an essential book for our times. Not only is it a beautiful book of stunning photographs and essays that inform and enlighten, but also a clarion call to readers no matter where they live to consider their own relationship to this essential resource and how they might find effec-tive means to conserve it at a time when demand is on the rise and availability is on the decline due to a changing climate.