One morning in early summer, 2012, I was guiding a group of tourists in Grand Teton National Park when we spot a herd of elk cows herding their calves across a bend in the Snake River. The calves couldn’t have been more than a couple of months old and had probably never been in water before, but out in nature, you learn to be a quick study. These moms only have a year before their young are ready to have calves of their own. There’d been a particularly heavy snowfall that past winter, making the river that summer run high and fast. About half of the elk made it across to the neighboring embankment. The remaining half of the herd determined the water was too treacherous and turned back to the shore they had just left. Their precaution, however, would not be rewarded. Just as the last elk reached the edge of the riverbend, a grizzly bear leapt from the bushes and charged after them into the forest and out of our view. Normally these bears move in concentric circles that time of year, looking for prey, rarely getting meat, but when opportunity knocks, grizzly bears know how to answer and elk calves are too good a source of needed protein to pass up, even if the bear only has a narrow window of opportunity to take advantage of it.

Moments like this one are why I write about nature. It is beautiful, dramatic, and real. It doesn’t have heroes or villains; its stories are ongoing. I have been fortunate in my career to have been able to devote myself to studying and writing about ecological conservation in ways that have meaningful impacts on our natural environment. Thanks to my master’s degree in Wildlife & Fisheries Science and my current work as a Senior Forest Ecologist for the Prospect Park Alliance, I have a solid scientific background in biodiversity that helps me understand natural environments in a comprehensive way. My work with conservation nonprofits like Wolves of the Rockies and The Turtle Survival Alliance have allowed me to take my knowledge base and apply it to real-world issues and affect wildlife management practices going forward. I have traveled the world and written numerous published articles that not only inform people about the natural world around them, but get them invested in its future.

In addition to writing articles, blogs, newsletters, and grants in support of nature conservation, I am also a nature photographer and public speaker. When I am not turning over rocks on a hike looking for newts I am playing with my own domesticated wolf: a gentle hound, Nela.

I’ve find that no two clients are alike. Contact me today for a free consult on how my skills can best work for you.