What are you reading?

I'm a nonfiction reader typically, and I guess because of my work, I usually read conservation-related books, but now that I'm on maternity time, I find myself moving toward that. One book I'm reading is "Raising Cain" by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson, and it's about protecting the emotional life of boys. ... The other is "The Mommy Brain" by Katherine Ellison. ... What she found in her research is that motherhood actually makes you smarter and more focused. ... But I couldn't stay away from my conservation background, so I'm reading an almost scary book called "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder" by Richard Louv. ... He links the absence of nature in the way that children are growing up today — what he calls the wired generation — to disturbing trends like the rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.

How did you discover Louv's book?

A mentor of mine, Laura Thompson, gave it to me for Christmas. ... On an island we definitely have to think about it: How do we protect these wild places that we love? ... And if nature has a chance of being preserved, kids need to have contact with and access to it or it's going to become just a story they see on TV or Nintendo.

Does this book reinvigorate your long-term work to promote conservation?

Yeah I think that and "The Mommy Brain" both do that. For one thing, the Northwest Hawaiian Islands was such a long, draining fight. And you get to the end of that and you need a recharge. You need something that reminds you that it was all worth it and to re-inspire you to continue. And having another child makes me think, should I be working this hard? ... This book helps me think about it in two ways, that part of protecting my kids is working to protect nature and instilling in them those values.