About Me

My passion for writing and conservation started in childhood. Growing up on the Vassar College campus in Poughkeepsie, New York where my father taught history, I spent most of my time outside, exploring woods and examining insects. My family didn’t own a car, so we walked and biked to get to our destinations, admiring the change of seasons—trees dressed up in their fall colors and flowers budding in early spring. My mom, a former journalist, gave me a lined notebook and pen to write down my observations of the natural world. That started my writing journey.

My love of communication and the outdoors propelled me into a career with the National Park Service. There, I gave public programs in sites ranging from ancient cliff dwellings in Arizona to windswept sand dunes in California’s Mojave Desert. Living across the country broadened my perspectives of different areas, cultures and environments. I observed Joshua trees bursting with creamy blooms and bighorn sheep leaping up cliff faces in a desert many considered lifeless. Writing is a way to share those experiences and give nature a voice. 

In the words of Rachel Carson: “Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.”