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Freelance Journalist | Specializing in science, the environment, and the American West | |
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Articles
Ecology and Conservation September 01, 2010 A Crude Awakening in the Gulf of Mexico Published by Smithsonian Magazine. Scientists are just beginning to grasp how profoundly oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill has devastated the region. 
June 01, 2010A Puffin Comeback Published by Smithsonian Magazine. Atlantic puffins had nearly vanished from the Maine coast -- until a young biologist defied conventional wisdom to bring them back. Smithsonian's June 2010 cover story. April 13, 2010 Shafted Published by The Atlantic. Runoff from abandoned mines poisons Colorado's rivers. So why are environmental groups trying to stop locals from cleaning it up? 
February 05, 2010Prodigal Dogs Published by High Country News. On a huge ranch in northwestern Colorado, a wildlife biologist has found evidence that gray wolves may have returned to the state, and are here to stay. The Knight Science Journalism Tracker calls the story "epic" and "enormous in soul." Also see this update. 
August 01, 2009River of Riches Published by Smithsonian Magazine. An unsung Alabama waterway is one of the most biologically diverse places in the nation, home to rare flora and fauna. With gorgeous photographs by Beth Maynor Young. June 01, 2009 Is Bamboo for You? Published by Scientific American Earth 3.0. It's not just for tiki torches anymore, but does bamboo really make for greener floors and other products? 
March 30, 2009The Price of Power Published by National Geographic. "A decade ago, when I first moved to a small town in western Colorado, coal kept me warm at night." An essay from National Geographic's special energy issue about the environmental and human costs of energy booms. 
December 01, 2008What's Killing the Aspen? Published by Smithsonian Magazine. The signature tree of the Rockies is in trouble, and scientists say climate change is the likeliest culprit. 
August 26, 2008Friend or Foe? Crows Never Forget a Face, It Seems Published by The New York Times. Crows can recognize, and remember, individual human faces -- including yours. (This story inspired a Listener Limerick Challenge on NPR's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!") 
July 22, 2008Where Research and Tourism Collide Published by The New York Times. At long-term research sites, ecologists must decide whether to study human impacts, or fight them. November 26, 2007 Beetle Warfare Published by High Country News. What happens when an exotic beetle is used to fight an exotic weed? Winner of the 2008 Media Award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences. October 01, 2007 A Downside to Downing Dams? Published by High Country News. Freeing stopped rivers isn't always the panacea conservationists expect. September 01, 2007 Dead End Published by Audubon. What border barriers mean for wildlife. August 20, 2007 Bonfire of the Superweeds Published by High Country News. In the Sonoran Desert, good intentions combust. Winner of the 2008 Media Award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences. March 05, 2007 Wish You Weren't Here Published by High Country News. Quagga mussels -- a relative of the ferociously invasive zebra mussel -- have a new home in the West. Dealing with them will be anything but a vacation. Endorsed by the Knight Science Journalism Tracker. March 01, 2007 Scarface Published by Audubon. Photographer Cameron Davidson skims above the Appalachian landscape, and zooms in on mountaintop coal mining. September 01, 2006 Selling the Wind Published by Audubon. Dissecting the controversy over wind power and wildlife. August 21, 2006 The Lure of the Lawn Published by High Country News. Turfgrass is the largest irrigated crop in the United States. What's behind its persistent appeal? An abridged version of this story appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. June 01, 2006 Wrecking the Rockies Published by OnEarth. Colorado hunting guide Laura Amos wonders if her health is an uncounted casualty of the natural-gas boom. Cited as a notable story in the Best American Science and Nature Writing of 2007, edited by Richard Preston. November 01, 2005 Between Hoofprints Published by Orion. The Quivira Coalition searches for true common ground in the West's grazing wars. A feature with lovely photographs by Lisa Hamilton. Contact me for full text. September 01, 2005 Madame Butterfly Published by Sierra. I made a foray to Florida to profile MaVynee Betsch, a savvy activist who passed away in September 2005. Winner of the 2005 Best Profile Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors. August 08, 2005 The American Dream, Sans Gasoline Published by High Country News. An essay about the joys of biodiesel. March 01, 2005 The Accidental Wetland Published by Orion. A journey into the Colorado River Delta of northern Mexico, with gorgeous black-and-white photographs by John Trotter. Please contact me for full text. November 29, 2004 Send the Coyotes to Congress Published by High Country News. New representation for the West on Capitol Hill. August 19, 2003 Down on the Pharm Published by Salon. Colorado farmers rebel against genetically modified "pharmaceutical" crops. April 13, 2003 Change Comes Slowly to Escalante Country Published by High Country News. How one woman paid the political price for Utah's newest national monument. October 28, 2002 Shadow Creatures Published by High Country News. Urban critters reflect who we are, and what we've lost. Included in the Best American Science Writing 2003, edited by Oliver Sacks. February 26, 2001 Return of the Natives Published by High Country News. In Idaho, the Nez Perce have become the first tribe to oversee the statewide recovery of an endangered species, the gray wolf, an experience that is energizing the tribe's own political and spiritual recovery. July 03, 2000 A River Resurrected Published by High Country News. The Colorado River Delta gets a second chance. June 19, 2000 Accidental Refuge Published by High Country News. The Salton Sea became the Salton Sea in 1905, when human accident flooded the desert; now its survival is uncertain. May 24, 1999 The Last Weird Place Published by High Country News. Eccentric desert rats and clean-cut park rangers meet in a culture clash over how to manage one of the hottest, driest and strangest places in North America -- Death Valley National Park. |
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Follow me on Twitter Listen to my interview with the founder of conservation biology, Michael Soule, on wolves and Colorado Watch a slideshow and hear an interview based on my High Country News essay "Township 13 South, Range 92 West, Section 35." Listen to my 2008 commencement address at Reed College
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