English Professor Paul Lindholdt’s book “In Earshot of Water” is, at the outermost level of description, a collection of literary nonfiction essays about the flora, fauna and ecology of the Pacific Northwest, including areas of Seattle, eastern Washington state and northern Idaho. At the innermost level, the book is the story of a man searching to understand his life-long experiences with nature, including some not-so-eco-friendly acts, and the tragic deaths of his father, an avid outdoors man and hunter who taught him a great deal, and his adult son, who accidentally drowned while kayaking. In-between those two levels is a passionate commentary, part of what scholars call the “ecocriticism” literary movement, which implicitly assumes that doing damage to the environment is not only morally wrong, but an act that threatens the survival of the human species. Tying all three of these levels of analysis together is a narrative that is as poetic and absorbing as nature itself: “Late one day in May, songbirds had yet to lay their eggs, and winds still agitated Williams Lake — harsh habitat for creatures that adapt somehow and even thrive. ... Near the mouth of a stream that flows from the lake, my father (Harold) and I had set up camp. ... Eutrophication — the dizzy demand for oxygen placed on plant growth by aquatic ecologies — strangles streams and lakes. ... What kind of a son was I to concern myself with water quality when my father was burning up with cancer? Harold, I reminded myself, taught me to fight for fish and birds and ecosystems. ... But I am worried about this land. So many of us view the planet as a simple steppingstone to heaven, a phase of life to be endured and overcome, like some protracted battle against unknown forces, or a run of rotten luck.” -Review by David Demers