If you’ve stayed at the Maritime Hotel in New York, you probably noticed the blocks of yellow spines on the suite’s bookshelves—full sets of National Geographic magazines. But they’re not just there to look pretty, or because hotelier Eric Goode snagged them on the cheap from some yard sale. Oh no, there’s actually a much more earnest reason behind the reading material.

Goode’s mother was a conservationist and when he was growing up she had every issue of National Geographic ever printed. Goode is also a turtle nut, and has long had a thing for nature. His ’80s nightclub, Area, even had natural history exhibits featuring live bats and sharks.