Into the Thaw: Witnessing Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis

In 2024, Minuteman National Historical Park and Walden Pond were named as among the top 11 endangered historic sites in America, in part due to climate change. The alterations to our natural environment during the climate crisis have far-reaching consequences to the preservation of historic structures like those we steward in Lexington and Concord, as well as the natural historical landscape.

More than 40 years ago, park ranger Jon Waterman took his first journey to Alaska’s Noatak River. Astonished by the abundant wildlife, the strange landscape, and its otherworldly light, he spent years of his life exploring Arctic North America on extended sea kayaking, packrafting, skiing, dogsledding, and backpacking journeys—often alone for weeks at a time. After three decades away from the Noatak, he returned with his son, and amid a now-flooded river bereft of the once-plentiful caribou, he was shocked by the changes. The following year, 2022, he took one final journey to film and document the climate crisis across the North in his new book, Into the Thaw —the subject of his October 17 image-intensive presentation.

A frequent National Geographic grantee and NEA Literary Fellow, Waterman (Lexington High class of 1974) is the author of 17 books.

$10 Lexington Historical Society members, $15 nonmembers

Host or Publisher Lexington Historical Society