We are deeply honored to share that Backcountry Press has received the 2026 California Book Award Gold Medal for Contributions to Publishing from the Commonwealth Club of California for publishing San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History by David D. Schmidt.
For a small independent publisher dedicated to natural history, ecology, and place-based storytelling, this recognition is profoundly meaningful.
The California Book Awards, established in 1931, are among the state’s oldest and most respected literary honors. For nearly a century, the Commonwealth Club has celebrated books and publishers that contribute to California’s cultural and intellectual legacy. The awards recognize works that help readers better understand the landscapes, histories, and communities that shape California.
California Book Award
At the heart of this recognition is San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History, a sweeping exploration of one of the most dynamic and influential landscapes in North America. Through careful research and compelling storytelling, David D. Schmidt traces the long relationship between people and place across the Bay Area—from Indigenous stewardship and early settlement to urbanization, conservation, ecological transformation, and the continuing challenges of environmental change.
The book reminds readers that the Bay Area is more than a collection of cities and infrastructure. Beneath the highways, neighborhoods, and shorelines lies a living landscape shaped by tectonic forces, tides, fire, fog, rivers, forests, wetlands, and generations of human interaction.
David brought extraordinary depth, curiosity, and perspective to this project. His work bridges environmental history, ecology, and public understanding in a way that feels both scholarly and accessible. We are incredibly grateful for his trust, collaboration, and dedication throughout the creation of this book.
“This award reflects the kind of work we believe deeply in at Backcountry Press,” said Allison Poklemba. “Books rooted in place help people build relationships with the landscapes around them. David’s work captures the complexity, beauty, and history of the Bay Area in a way that invites readers to see these environments with fresh eyes and greater care.”
Regional Publishing Matters
This award also affirms something we strongly believe at Backcountry Press: regional publishing matters. Books grounded in specific landscapes help communities understand where they live and how those places came to be. They create connections between history and stewardship, between science and story, and between people and the natural systems that sustain them. Independent publishing plays an essential role in keeping these stories alive.
We extend our sincere thanks to the Commonwealth Club and the California Book Awards committee for this recognition. We also thank the editors, designers, printers, booksellers, educators, and readers who continue to support independent environmental publishing and help books like this reach the communities they were created for.
This recognition also marks an important milestone for Backcountry Press. It is the second California Book Award received by the press. The first came in 2023, when The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History received a California Book Award Gold Medal, further affirming the importance of regional environmental publishing and the power of books rooted deeply in California landscapes.
