AmeriCorps 2020: The advantage of having a brain
The other, larger problem was that using rock bars required communication, planning, and finesse. Clay and I weren’t good at any of those things.
AmeriCorps 2020: The crowning
There are moments in life – rare ones – when you feel like you’ve made progress. Brief feelings of mastery, like when Anakin Skywalker believed he’d surpassed Obi-Wan, only to have all of his remaining limbs severed and to be burned alive. August 26, 2020 was one of those moments for me.
Big cats in the snow for Christmas: Part 4
I’ve been running this blog for six years now. I’ve written in-depth essays on vital conservation issues, educational pieces about wildlife, and interviews with scientists who are literally saving the world. But what is it that you all really want to see? Pictures of big cats in the snow.
AmeriCorps 2020: Field Trip
After I’d finished backslapping one section of trail, though, Jo had an idea. For those of you who haven’t read every post in this series (heathens), Jo was a figure of singular terror. Thus, any idea she had was likely to be laced with malice.
AmeriCorps 2020: The big wigs
August 19, 2020 was weird from the beginning. The trail we were building was obviously closed, with barricades at either end. Keeping people off the budding trail was important, because if someone were to walk by and get hit in the head with a pick axe, then we’d lose valuable time cleaning up the blood and hiding the body.
AmeriCorps 2020: The end is nigh
As I indicated in my last post, August 13, 2020 was rough. I spent the whole morning sitting in wildfire smoke, and then felt terrible for the rest of the day. August 17 was better, except that one of our crew leaders, Bonesteel, said that we might have as little as two weeks left…
AmeriCorps 2020: Smokescreen
When I arose on August 13, 2020, something had changed. While the morning air at the Joder homestead usually had a slight chill to it, today it was downright cold. But there was another change in the air that would prove to be more significant.
Q&A with photographer, photojournalist, and biologist Malini Pittet
This Q&A is with a biologist, photojournalist, and photographer who’s supported this blog since its early days. She’s travelled to many countries and had adventures throughout the world, which you can see from her extensive photo gallery. This person is Malini Pittet, and I’m thrilled to be able to feature her.
The Jaguar 