McLEISH

Writer Todd McLeish found the price of conservation is blood and excrement.

For two years, McLeish, a native Rhode Islander and self-described biologist wannabe, tagged along with scientists into the habitats of more than a dozen of New England’s most endangered species.

If the roseate terns knew the purpose of his journey to their Bird Island nesting grounds in Buzzards Bay, maybe they would have spared McLeish the aerial assault. But unfortunately for him, the birds weren’t influenced by the altruistic goals of conservationists.

For his first book, Golden Wings and Hairy Toes: Encounters with New England’s Most Imperiled Wildlife, McLeish crisscrossed the Northeast, accompanying biologists to chronicle species that are disappearing — from coastal waters, to the mountaintops of Vermont, and even the cemeteries of New England. Occasionally, it was at the researcher’s own peril.

“After just three minutes on the island, I had been stabbed on the top of my head several times and defecated on more times than in my previous 43 years combined,” McLeish writes of his encounter on Bird Island.

In the book’s 239 pages, McLeish takes readers on treks into alpine forests for a glimpse of the elusive Bicknell’s thrush, or into Massachusetts’ cranberry bogs to go hunting for Northern red-bellied cooters.

With a hope of spurring action, McLeish has used his book to highlight animals and plants that have reached such critically low numbers that they warrant inclusion on the federal endangered species list — and those that may not be so well known.

“For most species, humans are largely part of their decline so it is appropriate for us to help them,” said McLeish, a publicist at the University of Rhode Island and a freelance nature writer.

One of the most desperate situations is of the North Atlantic right whale, the population of which has teetered near 350 in recent years.

About five or six right whales are struck and killed every year by ships, further hindering their ability to recover in New England waters.

While sad, the plight of the right whale is one struggle easily supported by the public.

That is not always the case, McLeish notes in his introduction: “While surveys have demonstrated for decades that Americans place a high value on wildlife preservation, open space, and a healthy environment, these topics often are not among their priority issues when it comes time to elect public officials.

“It’s even more difficult to drum up popular support when the species isn’t of the charismatic megafauna — the large or seemingly cuddly animals like seals, bears, eagles, or otters. The public is often willing to be inconvenienced for a cute fox or a stately moose, but bats, mushrooms, insects, snakes, and the like are out of luck.”

McLeish does not let the latter diminish in obscurity, profiling the situations of the Indiana bat, American burying beetle and Sandplain Gerardia, a pink flowering plant found sparsely scattered in New England cemeteries.

“These species have just as much a right to be here as we do,” the author said. “A lot of the impacts are things we don’t know about. How can we allow this [global warming] experiment to go on and not be taking some serious steps?”

While the message might be weighty, the book is written for a lay audience and has the lighthearted tone of an eager learner with a sophisticated skill for storytelling and description.

In chapter three, McLeish excitedly describes his experience holding a captured Bicknell’s thrush: “Taking her in my right hand with her back in my palm and her head between my index and middle fingers, I could feel how warm the bird was and even feel her heart racing — just like mine.

“I stared at her large, dark eye momentarily and saw my own reflection, then, as much as I wanted to hold the bird longer, I set her feet on my open left hand to release her. … It was a special moment.”

McLeish, an avid birder, said his interest in biology started when a friend introduced him to birding in college.

As someone inclined to esoteric avocations, McLeish is also a champion “joggler,” as in juggling while jogging, and can add the 1987 world title for the one-mile distance to his name.

He is already started on his next book, Basking with Horseshoes: Tracking Threatened Marine Life in New England Waters, which is scheduled for publication in 2009.

For more information on McLeish’s projects, go to www.toddmcleish.com on the web.

ngarcia@projo.com