Overview:

Chris Coyle, son of the founder of the Athol Bird & Nature Club, will be launching his new book "We Lived in the Woods" at the Millers River Environmental Center in Athol on August 24. The book details his childhood summers spent living in a log cabin with his parents in the woods near Kingsbury Pond in Maine. The 200-page book includes over 170 photos, maps, and drawings.

ATHOL – Chris Coyle, the son of Athol Bird & Nature Club founder Robert “Bob” Coyle, will speak about his new book, “We Lived in the Woods,” this Sunday, Aug. 24.

The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main St., Athol, and will mark the book’s official launch.

The Kinsbury Pond in Maine, where Chris Coyle spent his summers as a child with his family. He captures these memories in his new book, We Lived in the Woods.” CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Coyle’s book recalls the summers he spent living in a log cabin with his parents, Bob and Barbara, in the woods near Kingsbury Pond in Maine. For more than two decades, the Coyles spent their summers at the cabin. The book, according to an announcement, details Chris Coyle’s “interactions with wildlife, mountain climbing and exploring back roads, railroads and quarries as well as meeting the people of Maine.”

“As a child, I had the experience of growing up part of each year in Maine in a rustic backwoods cabin – one of the happiest chapters in my life,” Chris Coyle writes. “Although an only child with no other children to play with, I never once felt bored nor unable to find anything interesting to do. In the days before cell phones, computers, and even before my folks owned a television set, I found my own amusement and learned from the world around me.”

Athol Bird & Nature Club President Dave Small said Chris was involved with his father’s efforts to promote conservation and the appreciation of nature from an early age.

The cover to Chris Coyle’s new book, “We Lived in the Woods.” CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“I’ve known him since he was a little kid,” said Small. “He’s still a member of the club and he’s actually the club historian. When he was young, he went on a lot of field trips….he was probably 7 or 8, maybe, when he first got involved.”

“We Lived in the Woods” spans 200 pages and includes more than 170 photos, maps, and drawings. In addition to speaking this Sunday, Coyle will show slides of many of the pictures included in the book.

“It’s interesting stuff,” said Small.

“We Lived in the Woods” was published by Haley’s of Athol, and is available in print or as an e-book. It can be purchased online or locally at Petersham Country Store. Coyle will be signing books at this weekend’s launch.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.