Tag: wildlife

A herd of caribou stands on an ice shelf, staring directly at the viewer. On a rise in the midground stands a lone bull with massive antlers, silhouetted against the distand blue mountains.

Caribou Kingdom: The Magic of Migration in The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

August 1, 2024

I crawled from my tent and stared at the ice wall along the northern horizon. It looked like something from a fantasy novel, the bulwark of some legendary polar kingdom. No escalade could scale these battlements: the shimmering bastion was a superior mirage, reflected from the Beaufort Sea eleven miles away. And this was no … More Caribou Kingdom: The Magic of Migration in The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Spotted Owl

Give A Hoot—Shoot? The Controversial Plan to Save Northern Spotted Owls from Extinction

May 5, 2024

Many human cultures have considered owls omens of death, so it’s perversely fitting that we are now arbiters of their doom. After driving one owl species toward extinction, we propose to save it by killing half a million members of another. How did we end up in this conundrum of ecological ethics? How The Spotted … More Give A Hoot—Shoot? The Controversial Plan to Save Northern Spotted Owls from Extinction

Franz Marc's 1913 painting "The Fate of the Animals", an expressionist work that depicts animals fleeing from an apocalyptic event.

The Fate of the Animals: The Art of Habitat Conservation

November 22, 2023

Red leaves, but no red cardinals. Blue sky, but no blue jays. “Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered packing my camera,” I grumbled to the autumn leaves overhead. Back in my hometown for a visit, I’d hoped to photograph favorite childhood birds, but some species seemed sparser than I remembered. New construction had further reduced their … More The Fate of the Animals: The Art of Habitat Conservation

A great horned owl peers up from a green patch of clover, vivid yellow eyes blazing through the pink blossoms.

The Fifty-Dollar Owl: Contemplating the Cost of Conservation

September 5, 2023

My overseas work contract recently concluded, but after three years of vast Australian skies and wilderness at my doorstep, I couldn’t bear returning to the congested mid-Atlantic sprawl I’d once called home. Instead, I took a job in another remote pole: Alaska! I’ve hopped hemispheres from the Great Southern Land to the Great White North. … More The Fifty-Dollar Owl: Contemplating the Cost of Conservation

An older man in a blue windbreaker, floppy hat, and sunglasses hikes along a rugged ridge towards the viewer. The edge of an island sweeps away In the distance below: azure water licking a crescent-shaped beach, and jungle giving way to an ocean horizon.

The Wild Ward: Exploring Resilience With My Father

July 2, 2023

Shuddering, and the plane pulled up from its descent and fled back over the turquoise sea. Jade mountains retreated from my tiny window, as fantastical as a storybook illustration and just as unreachable.“Aren’t we turning around?” I hissed.In reply, the pilot’s voice came over the speakers.“As you can tell, the wind’s quite strong, making it … More The Wild Ward: Exploring Resilience With My Father

The Tasmanian Tiger’s Trail, Pt I: Re-creation

March 6, 2022

Last March I visited Tasmania, a long-awaited voyage to the home of my favorite childhood animal, the thylacine. Since the trip occurred before I rebooted this blog, I didn’t post about it in real-time. This month I’ll take you on an anniversary tour, posting a highlight from my ecological adventure every Sunday. Hit that follow … More The Tasmanian Tiger’s Trail, Pt I: Re-creation