Botanical gardens and arboretums offer numerous benefits to the public. Outside of just offering a beautiful and calming space to enjoy nature, they provide education and can even serve as … Read more
Get Outside
Rooted in Place: Lessons from a Wildlife Refuge
Growing up in northwest Pennsylvania, I was surrounded by the rhythms of rural America. Farmers tended their fields down the road from me, my family headed out for hunting trips, … Read more
Three Unexpected Places to Find Refuge in Nature Near Denver, Colorado
Colorado is known for its sweeping landscapes, recreational opportunities, and iconic wildlife. Any visitor or resident who is online searching for, “Things to do in Colorado,” is soon inundated with … Read more
Connecting to Wild Florida and the Gulf in an Era of Climate Change
Florida has always been a land of profound changes. Seas have naturally risen and fallen over thousands of years, greatly expanding and contracting the peninsula. A key difference now is … Read more
Earth Month Bingo!
We’re well into Earth Month—April, that is! The love for our shared planet couldn’t be contained to just one day. Globally, there’s so much action happening around climate change, land … Read more
Postcard from the Pacific Flyway: Willapa National Wildlife Refuge
The Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is a broad network of interconnecting waterways, coastal forest, estuaries, sloughs and riparian and river ecosystems. This rich mix of diverse habitat provides refuge for … Read more
Glowing in the Dark: The Secret UV Lightshow in Your Backyard
Somewhere outside your window right now, animals are glowing. You won’t see it without help, but shine an ultraviolet flashlight into your backyard on a warm night and you might … Read more
National Wildlife Refuges: A Birdwatcher’s Paradise
Birding sits at the intersection of so many of my interests: the solitude of nature, the beauty of wildlife, and the excitement of discovery. Blend in my longtime love of … Read more
Teaching Collegiate Students the ‘Why’ behind Prescribed Burning
Higher education is an essential component of natural resource careers. However, it’s one thing to learn in the classroom; it’s another to get outside. For the next generation of fire … Read more
Public Lands Support American Families, Including Mine
When my wife and I adopted our son and daughter, it was not amusement parks that bonded us as a family in those early fragile days. It was public land—parks, … Read more
