Rough Cut: Lessons from Endangered Species

by Rick Wood

Rough Cut combines the journey of an environmental film-maker with stories of endangered marine wildlife. Author Rick Wood has been filming in the wild for years, focusing his lens on human threats to marine life. His work includes three documentaries, and Rough Cut touches on Wood's experiences with filming all of them. "Journey on a Mission to Save a Species" (2013) brings attention to the plight of sea turtles and their rehabilitation in Florida. "Fragile Waters" (2014), made in collaboration with the Orca Network and film-maker Shari Macy, describes the perils facing Pacific Northwest orcas and salmon. "Deconstructing Eden" (2017) tells of the sea otters who live in the unique ecosystem of Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay, California, threatened by pollution and other human impacts on the surrounding land. Written in Wood's personable and accessible style, Rough Cut touches on turtles, orcas, salmon, sea otters as well as the many other creatures who share our oceans. The author's scientific insight draws attention to the many ways that human actions on land threaten the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. More than that, it is Wood's call to arms for those who love the planet as he does to take action while there is still time to save it.

214 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2017

About the author

Animals and nature have always been a source of wonder for Rick Wood. From his earliest days, growing up in Germany, South Korea and the U.S., he developed an admiration for all creatures and a thirst to know how they behaved and what they did when people weren’t watching.
During his adult life, Rick worked as an “animal cop” and investigated cruelty and neglect of animals ranging from rabbits to horses. Later, as a journalist, he was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease and took up hiking to help regain balance lost from the vestibular disorder. It was during those hikes that Rick, always with camera in hand, began to capture unique images of seals, eagles, Orca whales, foxes and bears.
Currently, he resides in Washington State, where he is active in volunteering for marine mammal stranding responses.