This week’s issue highlights a handful of Northwest field guides recommended by naturalist and Coast Weekend outdoor columnist Rebecca Lexa. The books, and Lexa’s columns, are reminders of a varied and ever-changing landscape on the borders of the Columbia River.

Here, within the span of just a few miles, one can wade through tide pools filled with colorful sea life, wander along trails that weave in and out of dune grasses and search for fungi hidden among the mosses of a rain-soaked forest floor.

As the seasons change, this region we call the Columbia-Pacific houses shorebirds, songbirds and raptors, as well as deer, elk, migrating whales, seals and sea lions.

Among those are species considered to be threatened or endangered, including many found within wildlife preserves like the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, like the western snowy plover and marbled murrelet.

Others, such as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon, are now common but were listed as endangered in decades past.

The last week of December marked the 50th anniversary of the federal Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973. The decades since have seen progress and setbacks in conservation, while new discoveries continue to add complexity to the topic.

In the first weeks of the new year, take some time to explore the plants and wildlife in local parks, wildlife preserves and neighborhoods near you. Send us your favorite books and guides on local wildlife and nature at editor@discoverourcoast.com.