Eye to Eye with a Humpback
Shortly after dawn, in the calm Au'au Channel between Maui and Lanai, wildlife biologist Douglas Chadwick watched a colleague lower a hydrophone over the side of the boat so they could listen to a humpback singing, and then followed his guide into the Pacific, where he found himself treading water less than a yard from the nose of a curious and garrulous forty-ton leviathan. So began his first "interview with a whale."

The just-published book that resulted, The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with Whales, includes detailed portraits of five whale species that represent a cross-section of the forms and lifestyles of cetaceans worldwide -- the humpback, northern bottlenose, blue whale, minke whale, and orca. You can hear Chadwick read from his book and discuss why he chose to write about whales (and how little we still know about them) in this free audio excerpt.

An Insider Deal
The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with Whales has a regular retail price of $24.95, but Insider subscribers can buy it for a special price of $19.96 by using the special offer code "INSIDER" when ordering online.

Supreme Court Ruling Weakens Clean Water Protections
Almost 35 years ago, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to protect our lakes, rivers, tributaries, and wetlands from pollution. But now the landmark legislation responsible for cleaning up our water is in jeopardy.

A recent Supreme Court ruling threatens the federal government's power to enforce the Clean Water Act and puts more than half of America's river miles at risk by making it harder for agencies to determine what bodies of water qualify for protection.

This ruling puts enforcement of the Clean Water Act on a case-by-case basis that works in favor of polluters. Additionally, this ruling will undoubtedly slow protective action and lead to endless administrative proceedings and multiple legal challenges in the courts.

We need your help to safeguard vital clean water protections from the anti-environmental direction of the Supreme Court.

That's why we are asking you to support our efforts to ensure that Congress passes the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act (HR. 1356 & S. 912), and help us reaffirm the broadest possible protections for our nation's waters.

We can protect our nation's lakes, rivers and wetlands -- but only with your help.

View previous editions of the Sierra Club Insider at the Insider Archives.

Subscribe to the Sierra Club Insider.

Know someone that would be interested in the Sierra Club Insider? Help spread the word by using our online form to tell your friends, family, and co-workers about the Insider or simply forward this Insider on. (Some email clients strip the links out of emails when forwarded. If your email does this, you can also direct friends, family, and co-workers to our online version.)