I am a contemporary naturalist. I am a lover of the world. 

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I am a scientist, a teacher, a poet, philosopher, and a photographer. 

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Currently, I reside in Durango, Colorado where I work as a Research Associate for a local, science based non-profit, Mountain Studies Institute.  I also serve as an adjunct professor of biology at Fort Lewis College. My studies are rooted in the ecological sciences focused on plant and soil ecology. Given the arid and fire prone nature of the southwest, I have an emphasis on research that helps us understand drought and fire and how we can make communities more resilient.  As a result, I also work as support for prescribed fire programs giving me the opportunity to play with flames in the woods. 

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Prior to being in Durango, I obtained my PhD in mycorrhizal ecology from Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry. My dissertation sought to understand how plant-mycorrhizal relationships change under global change scenarios including warming and drought as well as potential plant migrations. I focused my work on blue grama and ponderosa pine. While living in Flagstaff, I fell in love with the Grand Canyon and the San Francisco Volcanic Field. 

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Having grown up in the Denver Metro area, Colorado has always been home. Moving to Durango back in 2007 to pursue my bachelors degree in Environmental Biology was a dream come true. First, academically I was a dismal performer at best and declared my major as Economics. I was set to become a businessman. Durango was alluring for mountain biking, and what I got was exposure to outstanding science faculty that revealed the splendid delight of the natural sciences. Geology and ecology became my musings, and what better place than southwest Colorado. Being in Durango, the Colorado Plateau and adjacent San Juan Mountains became the landscapes of adventure and the geography that built a love for learning and an infinite curiosity. 

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After graduating college, I worked on a remote ranch 45 minutes from Pagosa Springs, Colorado where academic freedom to implement forest prescriptions was granted to me by the ranch owner. This formulate time built work independence but also forced me to grow. I lived and worked alone, isolated from the pace of society. I then moved to Alturas, California to work with the Bureau of Land Management in assessing Sage Grouse populations and habitats. The community of Alturas exposed me to a new demographic of people that held different values to my previous exposure in Colorado. The experience also lended the opportunity to fall in love with the Cascade Mountains and the costal forests of the the Northwest. 

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It is difficult to write about oneself, but I hope to have shared some of my journey to simply state that I am enamored with the world, its ecosystems, its people and how they all interact. The geology and tectonics that are the engine of Earth processes give rise to magic that transform into infinite beauty, and I aim to explore and be a student to the world. 

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Please see my CV for more details - 

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Cheers

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Collaboration is a core piece of my work style. I tend to have broad general interests and thus depend on experts in specific fields for the details of research and interpretation. 

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Currently, I am fascinated by the overlap of social science and ecological sciences in collaborative based land management. 

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Please contact me if you would like to work together!

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Other great websites to visit:

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Bowker Lab Research Group