The ferry pulled out of the Portland, Maine, harbor, turning toward the blue-sky horizon to begin the 6.5-hour journey to Nova Scotia. Though I lived in Maine for most of my life, I had never made the trek to our Canadian cousin to the east, a region home to an impressive history of fishing in…
Month: August 2017
Duke Nicholas School – Restoration and Education
The kids jumped out of the bright yellow bus one by one, landing on the ground with a sharp thwack and scurrying over to the grass of Mattie Kelly Park in Destin, Florida, waiting for the rest of their friends. The bus would take two groups of students that day from their summer programs at the Boys…
Nat Geo – Planting a New Shoreline
It was already hot by the time mid-morning rolled around the Florida Panhandle. Light sparkled off the surface of Joe’s Bayou, reflecting a bright blue sky clear of clouds. My co-workers and I waited at the edge of the water, 12 plastic tubs of soil sitting next to us. It was time to plant a…
National Parks Traveler – Diving Fowl Cay National Park
My newest piece on diving Fowl Cay National Park in the Bahamas has been featured in the National Parks Traveler Essential Park Guide for Fall 2017! Check it out below (page 36). Click here to read full magazine.
Duke Nicholas School – Why You Should Buy a Duck Stamp
Every year since 1934, hunters hoping to go after waterfowl or other migratory birds have been obligated to buy a Duck Stamp. Once purchased, 98 cents of every dollar spent on the stamp goes to buying wetland and wildlife habitat, which in turn goes back into the National Wildlife Refuge System. The idea is simple: hunters…
Voices for Biodiversity – Studying Sea Otters
I stood atop Yampah Hill with Kerstin Wasson, Research Coordinator for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR). A large tidal creek wove through the marsh grass, its arms snaking this way and that, filling additional pockets with water that reflected the blue sky above. From where we stood, Wasson pointed out the long, dark forms…
Duke Nicholas School – We need a TV series featuring amazing scientists
I know a lot of scientists. Most are in the field of ecology and spend their days chest-deep in marsh mud, scrambling up mountain slopes, pulling themselves up tree trunks, diving to the depths of seagrass meadows and so much more. They set out on ships for weeks at a time to study deep-sea creatures…
Duke Nicholas School – Nearly 1.5 million people respond to national monument public comment period
In 2015, I stood at the edge of the East Branch of the Penobscot River in the North Woods of Maine. Chickadees tittered in the trees above my head, hopping among the green leaves just barely tinged with the gold and red hues of the incoming autumn season. My husband and father waded chest-deep in…
