Employee co-op takes over Wilton publisher

Last year, Wilton-based Earth Sky + Water founder Steven Lewers, 77, began thinking about retirement, but was concerned about the company he would be leaving behind.

“A part of my thinking was, of course, my legacy; I want the company to do well after I leave, and I also felt an obligation to my employees and to the community we’ve worked in all these years,” Lewers says via email.

Earth Sky + Water — which now will be owned and operated by its employees — publishes nature-themed materials like books, posters, more than 700 customizable greeting cards, and user-friendly, multi-paneled, plastic-coated foldable nature identification guides using scientifically accurate illustrations. Titles cover everything from helping people identify seashells, to learning about differences between birds or trees.

Lewers first saw the possibility of selling laminated nature guides while director of the Peterson Field Guide Series at Houghton Mifflin. Earth Sky + Water launched in 2000, with Lewers its sole employee.

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