Author, naturalist, and environmental educator Robert Steelquist will visit Eagle Harbor Book Company at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 18 to discuss his new book, “The Northwest Coastal Explorer: Your Guide to the Places, Plants, and Animals of the Pacific Coast.”

The magnificent coastline of the Pacific Northwest is one of the most spectacular corners of the planet, with its breathtaking terrain, unique plants and abundant wildlife, making it an explorer’s paradise. Steelquist’s book is a fun, engaging, full-color guide to the marine life or Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

Organized by habitat — such as coastal forests, rocky shores, tide pools and beaches — the book profiles easy-to-find plants and animals in each environment and reveals insider location tips (including where to find bald eagles or wild stands of specialized plants).

There are weekend trip suggestions that will be a hit with locals or visitors.

The book has already received high praise from the Seattle Times: “If wandering ocean beaches and coastal forests is part of your love affair with the Pacific Northwest, here s a new guidebook to pop in your day pack. ‘The Northwest Coastal Explorer,’ by Robert Steelquist, is a handsome softcover usefully organized by habitat area … it s a little bit of everything, spotlighting what you ll see most often.”

Steelquist is a native Pacific Northwest naturalist, author, photographer and environmental educator. He has led nature walks, backpacking trips, river floats, teacher workshops and archaeology field schools. He lives in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains.

Visit www.eagleharborbooks.com to learn more about this and other upcoming author events.