Inspired and fortified by the beauty of nature, I have spent my life pursuing work that keeps me close to the earth. At a young age I began interpreting nature for groups of people at Heard Natural Science Museum and have continued throughout my adult life as a trail guide at numerous parks and preserves in North Central Texas. After a time serving as the naturalist for the Dallas Nature Center (now Cedar Ridge Preserve), my wife and I started an environmental education and ecological consulting business, Wild Vision - Adventures In Observation. For many years the focus was on environmental education for all age groups. It has since transitioned increasingly to ecosystem management services including: Creation of and restoration-of-dynamic-balance in backyard ponds; wildscape/permaculture design and implementation; trail creation & maintenance; mapping services; selective elimination of invasive, alien species within preserves; and biodiversity inventories of conserved land. After serving as a retained agent for Connemara Land Conservancy, focusing on the ecological health of over 1,500 acres of protected wild land in North Central Texas, a lengthy sidestep sucked me deeply down a rabbit hole of research in the field of algorithmic biomimicry.
Now in 2022, with Wild Vision in its 27th year of operation --
I am once again returning my attention to land stewardship issues. I am excited that iNaturalist provides a robust platform to facilitate increased understanding of the various ecosystems of our world with all of their fascinating inhabitants.