#EnvHist Worth Reading: August 2026

Scroll this

Every month I carefully track the most popular and significant environmental history articles, videos, audio, and other items making their way through the online environmental history (#envhist) community. You can read all of our past #EnvHist Worth Reading lists right here. Here are my choices for items most worth reading from August 2026.

1) “Unlocking a 400-year-old mystery in a Nova Scotia marsh” – CBC Nova Scotia

This CBC article Moira Donovan shares the work of amateur American historian Mark Borton and a research team that are using historical maps, satellite imagery, lidar technology, and radiocarbon dating to locate North America’s oldest known gristmill, built along Nova Scotia’s Allains River in 1607. “What we’re looking for is the oldest mill in North America. It’s also the beginning of industrial power in North America. So it’s an enormous inflection point,” states Borton. By overlaying Samuel de Champlain’s 1607 map onto modern topography, Borton identified a potential mill foundation, early dikes, and an ancient Mi’kmaw fishing weir. Collaborating with Saint Mary’s University and Mi’kmaw archaeologists, the project highlights early European industry alongside thousands of years of Indigenous land use. Ultimately, Donovan writes, researchers hope these findings preserve this shared historic landscape.

2) “Globalizing Wildlife” – New Books in History

In this episode of New Books in History, Jacob Ward speaks with Raf de Bont about his new edited collection, Globalizing Wildlife, edited with Vanessa Bateman and Tom Quick. Globalizing Wildlife (UNC Press, 2026) examines how wild animals actively shaped globalization’s trajectories from the 1870s to the present, rather than serving as passive bystanders. Through diverse case studies—such as grey parrots traded globally as pets, rats spreading via shipping networks, and sea otters relocated for oil transport—the volume merges globalization studies with historical animal studies.

3) “City Summer, Country Summer” – Outside/In Radio

I missed this episode of Outside/In when it first came out, so I’m glad they reissued it. It features an interview with author Kiese Laymon about his children’s book, City Summer, Country Summer. Laymon explores Black boyhood, identity, and nature through the lens of city versus country living. Reflecting on his Mississippi roots, family history, and his book, Laymon highlights how exploring differences within the natural world fosters a profound sense of safeness and love.

4) “Arctic Dispatch – Trimble Gilbert” – Threshold

In this episode of Threshold, Amy Martin sits down with Trimble Gilbert, a 91-year-old traditional chief from the Gwich’in community of Arctic Village. Trimble reflects on the drastic changes he has witnessed in his homeland, from the loss of permafrost and local wildlife to shifts in the migratory patterns of the Porcupine caribou herd, which is vital for Gwich’in survival. He emphasizes the importance of preserving the land for future generations and warns that the unchecked pursuit of profit through fossil fuel extraction will have severe consequences for nature and humanity.

5) “I Tracked Down the Company Ruining Fruit” – More Perfect Union

This report from More Perfect Union examines the corporate and agricultural history of the berry industry in North America, specifically it does a deep dive into the rise of Driscoll’s, the well-known berry brand that, turns out, doesn’t even grow its own berries. The current form of the company can be traced back to 1989 when Driscoll’s established a goal to supply berries year-round, which fundamentally changed consumer expectations for seasonal fruit. Interestingly, it was the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that was a turning point in enabling Driscoll’s to scale its operations into Mexico, transforming the Mexican berry market from a niche industry into a major global export hub.

Feature Image: “Buy Australian Fruit.” Circa 1926-1934. Credit: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1983-27-257.
The following two tabs change content below.
My Instagram profile

Jessica DeWitt

NiCHE Editor-in-Chief, Social Media Editor at Jessica M. DeWitt: Editing and Consulting
is an environmental historian of Canada and the United States, editor, project manager, consultant, and digital communications strategist. She earned her PhD in History from the University of Saskatchewan in 2019. She is an executive member, editor-in-chief, and social media editor for the Network in Canadian History and Environment (NiCHE). She is the Managing Editor for the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and Associate Editor for Environmental Humanities. Closer to home, she is the President of the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society, a Coordinating Team member of Showing Up for Racial Justice Saskatoon-Treaty Six, and a Conservation Advisory Committee member for the Meewasin Valley Authority. She focuses on developing digital techniques and communications that bridge the divide between academia and the general public in order to democratize knowledge access. You can find out more about her and her freelance services at jessicamdewitt.com.

Call for Papers – A World of a Thousand Cuts: Forests, Wood, and Industrialisation Across the Globe in the 19th and 20th Centuries

NiCHE encourages comments and constructive discussion of our articles. We reserve the right to delete comments that fail to meet our guidelines including comments under aliases, or that contain spam, harassment, or attacks on an individual.