Peninsula College this week welcomes Bob Steelquist as the first Studium Generale presenter of 2017.

Steelquist will read from his bestselling book, “The Northwest Coastal Explorer,” which examines the flora, fauna and hidden places of the Pacific coast, at 12:35 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, in the college’s Little Theater, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles.

Steelquist is no stranger to what creating a book entails, with this book his 13th publication.

“Writing is learning,” Steelquist said. “Your own passion and curiosity is drawing you. The challenge is in how you package that moment of discovery for the reader.”

Steelquist is a graduate of Peninsula College, writing about the outdoors at the Peninsula Daily News while a PC student.

Meanwhile, he took all the science classes that PC had to offer, seeking to combine journalism with natural resource management.

“I didn’t want to be a scientist, but I wanted to know what they knew,” he said.

While a student at PC he met a representative from The Evergreen College who said, “Look me up when the time is right.”

With his two-year degree, he transferred to Evergreen with all of the tools and skills he needed. He obtained both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental studies at Evergreen.

For many years, he worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as education coordinator for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary in Port Angeles. In retirement, curiosity, discovery and the natural world continue to inspire him.

At 65, Steelquist spends his summers in the Pasayten Wilderness as a volunteer wilderness ranger.

“(Everything I’ve accomplished) I was introduced to in my first two years at PC,” he said. “All of my aspirations and pursuits; I can trace it all the way back to PC.”

This lecture and reading is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Kate Reavey at kreavey@pencol.edu.