Sierra Joy

In the Light of a Blood Moon

The sun set behind the distant ridgeline and left a yellow glow on the horizon. I had returned to the ridge where we watched the... Read More
Walking at the Bottom of Trinity Lake

Curious about the capped spigots in the campground I wandered into the Coffee Creek ranger station. A young looking ranger with piercing blue eyes and... Read More
Hungry Bear: A Circle of Eating

The thin branches of a huckleberry tree[1] fluttered slightly, then shook unexpectedly; teardrop green leaves brushed each other with a soft rustling as their delicate... Read More
De-Oxy What Now?

Most people think of climate change in terms of warmer average global temperature, melting glaciers and more extreme storms. But what about the oceans? Carbon... Read More
Can Ocean Temperatures Aid Disaster Relief?

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a natural climate cycle of fluctuating ocean temperatures and changing storm patterns over the tropical Pacific and is... Read More
One Bird! Two Bird! Big Bird! Blue Bird! All the Birds of Lake Naivasha, Kenya

We departed from Vish and Sunita’s house while the morning sunrays were still soft and long. Nairobi quickly faded behind us. Dwayne navigated the roads... Read More
Big Men in Gray Suits: Diving with Great White Sharks, Gansbaai, South Africa

Shark! Coming in from the front. Divers get ready— Divers down. Five eager tourists stuffed into neoprene suits pushed on the bar of the metal... Read More
Ostriches on the Beach? Must be in Cape Town!

I am in love with Africa, although it’s probably too soon to say that. I am in love with Africa the way teenagers fall in... Read More

November 12, 2016December 14, 2016

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Carter Niemeyer: Meeting the Man Himself

“The Man, the myth, the legend.” I took Carter Nimeyer’s outstretched hand. He gave a chuckle. I had been trying to track down Carter since I first learned of his existence back in June. Over the summer a handful of people—then it began to seem like everyone—I talked to in the wolf business, and in... Read More

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016

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The Life and Death of a Bison Calf

I have spent the last two months in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem working on a book about public lands, wildlife and people’s connection to ‘wild’ spaces. I’ve had countless conversations with strangers about the famous... Read More

October 26, 2015May 14, 2016

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In the Light of a Blood Moon

The sun set behind the distant ridgeline and left a yellow glow on the horizon. I had returned to the ridge where we watched the moonrise the previous night. Soon the moon would rise again,... Read More

June 25, 2015September 9, 2015

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Crystal Lake Reflections

This morning I arose with the sun, or shortly there after, which is an anomaly for me, a night owl who is more likely to see 2:00 AM than six—even seven—in the morning. I wanted... Read More

February 29, 2016March 1, 2016

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Two Species: Swimming with Galapagos Sharks, Oahu

Fifteen minutes into the open ocean from Oahu’s north shore the great Pacific rolled beneath a gray sky. The warm, moist air was smooth and smelled of salt and diesel fumes from the boat’s rumbling motor. The motor puttered to a hush as Nick secured the bowline to the mooring and the sound of light... Read More

March 11, 2015February 29, 2016

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Hotspot for Fishes! Researchers Find More Than Half of All California Fish Species in La Jolla

A new study by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, marine biologist Philip Hastings and colleagues reveals that over half of the fish species found in California waters have been found in the immediate vicinity of... Read More

January 28, 2015November 12, 2016

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Hungry Bear: A Circle of Eating

The thin branches of a huckleberry tree[1] fluttered slightly, then shook unexpectedly; teardrop green leaves brushed each other with a soft rustling as their delicate homes shifted up and down. A moment of stillness, then... Read More

December 12, 2014February 29, 2016

— 2 Comments

De-Oxy What Now?

Most people think of climate change in terms of warmer average global temperature, melting glaciers and more extreme storms. But what about the oceans? Carbon polluted into the atmosphere also enters the oceans and is... Read More

May 23, 2013May 28, 2015

— 1 Comment

One Bird! Two Bird! Big Bird! Blue Bird! All the Birds of Lake Naivasha, Kenya

We departed from Vish and Sunita’s house while the morning sunrays were still soft and long. Nairobi quickly faded behind us. Dwayne navigated the roads with a slightly terrifying confidence: the safari van’s top-heavy nature wobbled around the turns as we rose along a winding road, northwest to the edge of the Great Rift Valley[1].... Read More

May 21, 2013July 17, 2015

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The Good and the Ugly: A Lesson in Humanity from Rwanda

A country known in the western world for having one of the most horrible genocides in recent history blew my expectations out of the water with its beauty, cleanliness and infrastructure. Plastic bags, the long-lasting... Read More

May 18, 2013May 28, 2015

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San Bushmen, the Oldest People on Earth

In the heart of the Kalahari Desert live a small, strong people with slanted eyes, wide noses and caramel skin. Their slender bodies are adapted to moving through this arid yellow land. Women gather nuts,... Read More

May 4, 2013April 15, 2016

— 3 Comments

Big Men in Gray Suits: Diving with Great White Sharks, Gansbaai, South Africa

Shark! Coming in from the front. Divers get ready— Divers down. Five eager tourists stuffed into neoprene suits pushed on the bar of the metal cage and submerged their faces in the icy water, ready... Read More