Here's a summer read of local and ecological interest for readers of Maine, “Bob Hines: National Wildlife Artist,” by Dr. John Juriga.

Why? Hines would not only create the famed 1946 duck stamp, he would also have an extraordinary partnership with Rachel Carson bringing awareness of nature and conservation to the forefront.

Bob Hines was a legend in the world of wildlife art. Although he had no formal art training, Hines became an artist whose 1946 Duck Stamp was the first to sell more than 2 million copies. In 1948, Hines left his hometown of Fremont, Ohio, and moved to Washington, D.C. to join the federal government working for the National Wildlife Service.

That is where Hines met Rachel Carson. At first he was not happy to learn his boss would be a woman. However, after a few months, Carson and Hines developed a cordial working relationship that evolved into a successful professional collaboration.

When they met, Carson was writing “The Sea Around Us.” She asked Hines to illustrate her book about marine life along the Atlantic coast.

Hines traveled with Carson from Maine to Florida Keys working with fresh, live specimens. His pencil drawings illustrate Carson’s “The Edge of the Sea.”

His biography, “Bob Hines: National Wildlife Artist,” was written by Dr. John Juriga and was published in 2012.

“During the summer of 1951, Hines joined Carson in the Boothbay Harbor, Maine, area to initiate their collaboration on what would become ‘The Edge of the Sea.’ Following the commercial success of ‘The Sea Around Us,’ Rachel had requested a leave of absence from her employment at the US Fish and Wildlife Service allowing her to travel and research her forthcoming book,” Juriga wrote. “As she made her way along the beaches of the southern states during the spring of 1952, Carson planned to meet Hines in the Florida Keys, where he was to be on assignment documenting the endangered Key deer.

“Hines overlapped his Service assignment with an opportunity to work with Carson in this habitat of mangroves and coral coastline. During their time together on the Keys, Rachel confided to Bob that she had decided to resign from her position in the Service so that she could devote her time to writing fulltime.”

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Carson's death, Hines' 20th, and the 80th anniversary of the duck stamp.

The book is available at Amazon and the publisher's website: www.beaverspondpress.com.