The Syz Family Nature Lending Library

We have over 2,000 books waiting to be explored,

from bird taxonomy to children’s nonfiction to tropical travelogues. The Syz Family Library is open to the public, and NBNC members may check out books. Enjoy!

Book Donation Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in contributing to our growing library. Please read the following intake guidelines and contact us before donating books.

  • Except in rare circumstances, we will only accept books published after 1995.
  • Books must be within the subject area of nature, ecology, place-based and environmental education, and related fields. See our reference system below for the categories of books we seek.
  • We cannot accept periodicals or magazines.
  • Books must be in good condition and free of dust or mildew.
  • If you would like to be recognized by name in our catalog, please include a note with your full name in each book.
  • Books must not be in our catalog already.
  • We cannot accept books for book sales, and we do not have the capacity to re-home books. Donated books not fitting these intake criteria will be recycled at the expense of NBNC and its staff.
  • Due to limited space and staff/volunteer capacity, we may not be able to accept all or part of your book donation, but please know that we still appreciate your support.
Black, Indigenous, & People of Color Authors Collection

In Spring 2022 we held a book sale of our library overstock and used the revenue to purchase a collection of nature-themed books by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) authors.  Here’s what we’ve got!


John C Robinson Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to become Birdwatchers
J Drew Lanham The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature
J. Drew Lanham Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Other Beasts
Dorceta Taylor The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection
Carolyn Finney Black Faces, White Spaces
Ibrahim Abdul Matin Green Deen – What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet
Alison Hawthorne Deming; Lauret Savoy The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World
Derick Lugo The Unlikely Thru-Hiker
Ingrid Waldron There’s Something in the Water
Lauret Savoy Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape
Chanda Prescod Weinstein’ The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter
Camille T. Dungy (Editor) Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry
Linda Hogan; Deena Matzger; Brenda Peterson Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals
Clint Carroll Roots of Our Renewal: Ethnobotany and Cherokee Environmental Governance
Wangari Maathai Unbowed: A Memoir
Sherri Mitchell Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living a Spirit-Based Change
Bobby Lake-Thom Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies
Mya Thompson Ruby’s Birds
Susan Edwards Richmond Bird Count
Carme Lemniscates Birds
Matthew BurgessShahrzad Maydani (Contributor) Bird Boy
Julie Flett Birdsong
Elise Guyette Discovering Black Vermont
Jay Griffiths Why Rebel
Joseph Bruchac Bowman’s Store
Joseph Bruchac Keepers of the Earth
Fred Wiseman Seven Sisters
Fred Wiseman The Voice of the Dawn
Michael Caduto & Joseph Bruchac Native American Gardening
Winona LaDuke All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life
Dina Gilio-Whitaker As Long as the Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock
Robert Goodby A Deep Presence
Colin Calloway The Western Abenakis of Vermont, 1600-1800
Trudy Parker Aunt Sarah: Woman of the Dawnland
bell hooks Teaching to Transgress
Paul Kivel Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice
Joe Feagin Racist America: Roots, Current Realities and Future Reparations
Judith Katz White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training
Louise Derman-Sparks Teaching/Learning Anti-Racism: A Developmental Approach
Patricia J. Williams Alchemy of Race & Rights: Diary of a Law Professor

I believe the best way to begin reconnecting humanity's heart, mind, and soul to nature is for us to share our individual stories.

— J. Drew Lantham