A few thoughts about what I do I write about natural history, whether it is ecological recovery at Mount St. Helens, a journey to find salmon in Seattle, or an essay about seeing and holding first editions of On The Origin of Species. I see my work as a cross between science writing and environmental journalism, both of which are a bit too restrictive to describe what I hope I am doing. A central goal in my writing is to encourage people to look more carefully at the natural world around them. I hope that my essays and articles will provoke the reader to ask more questions, to go outside and investigate, to delve deeper into the subject, to reevaluate what they may have taken for granted. I have written for publications as diverse as Smithsonian, Geotimes, Northwest Palate, and American History.
My most recent large project is my book The Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle. It is a collection of personal essays of mine about natural history in Seattle. It mixes personal musings, bits of humor, natural history observations, and scientific facts into a multitextured fabric of the city. The chapters range from geology to weather to birds to plants to bugs. A few details about me (if you really want to know) After getting my bachelor's degree in geology, I was fortunate to live in Moab, Utah, for nine years. Between 1987 and 1992, I taught and coordinated natural and cultural history workshops to people from 7 to 70 at Canyonlands Field Institute, a non-profit educational organization based in Moab. I also spent three years as an Interpretive Park Ranger at Arches National Park. During this time, I expanded my knowledge of geology, while also developing an interest in plants and animals. After a short interlude in Boston, where I worked at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, in Brookline, Massachusetts, my wife and I moved back to Seattle, where I grew up. I have been freelancing full time since 1998. I teach children's programs at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle and am a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the Northwest Science Writer's Association, the Society of Environmental Journalists, and the Northwest Independent Editors Guild.
Here are a couple of pictures of our dog, Taylor, who is far more interesting to look at than I am.