A few weeks after wrapping up my B.A. in environmental studies at Goshen College in northern Indiana, after four years in the biology and chemistry labs and seasons spent cold and wet or buggy and sweaty in field courses as we learned to manage wetlands and forest stands, I had an epiphany. While I loved the science I'd explored in school, all I really wanted to do was tell stories about the spiders and insects and wildflowers I'd come to know in the field, and about the people who studied them.

In the years since, I've written for children and adults, working to make complex ideas accessible. I've reported on natural resource and public lands issues in the western states, worked as an environmental educator, and edited print- and web-based text for private firms and public agencies.

When I'm not at my desk, I love exploring the mountains and deserts of New Mexico.