David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé will present a lecture titled “The Hidden Half of Nature: Microbial Roots of Life and Health,” at Orcas Island Community Church on Saturday May 7 at 4 p.m. Following the lecture will be a reception hosted by Orcas Food Co-op.

Invisible microbes are transforming the way people view nature and human bodies — and could revolutionize agriculture and medicine. Good health — for both plants and people — depends on fostering good bacteria in our soils and guts. These are the principal conclusions of a new book, “The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health,” which University of Washington earth scientist David R. Montgomery published in November 2015 with his wife Anne Biklé. They will discuss these radical insights and their ramifications for human relationship with the natural world, especially on how they could transform agriculture and medicine.

David R. Montgomery is professor of earth and space sciences at the UW, where he leads the Geomorphological Research Group. A MacArthur Fellow, he is the author of “King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon,” “Dirt: The Erosion of Civilization,” and “The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood” — all of which have won Washington State Book Awards for general nonfiction. Anne Biklé is a biologist and author with wide-ranging interests and involvement in public health, watershed restoration, and environmental planning.

This free event is sponsored by Joe Cohen and Martha Farish, donations are welcome.