Writing

06/08/1986
Life in the Fencerows, and Death Lurking Nearby
A red barn next to an overgrown fencerow - photo by Lucian Perkins
A red barn next to an overgrown fencerow – photo by Lucian Perkins

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“Life in the Fencerows, and Death Lurking Nearby” was published in Washington Post Magazine, June 8, 1986.

Excerpt

“‘ONE OF THE MOST time-consuming things is have an enemy,’ E.B. White …

06/01/1989
The Case for Eastern Old-Growth
An unusually old and large chestnut oak in the George Washington National Forest.
An unusually old and large chestnut oak in the George Washington National Forest.

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“The Case for Eastern Old-Growth” was published in American Forests, May/June 1989.

This is the first article to raise the issue of new old-growth in the formerly deforested East.

“Long …

09/01/1989
Unearthing Salamander Secrets
Salmander on moss - photo by Robert Simpson
Salmander on moss – photo by Robert Simpson

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“Unearthing Salamander Secrets” was published in the Defenders of Wildlife, September/October 1989.

“LONG associated with the clammy clutter in the pockets of small boys, salamanders are hard to glamorize. After all, they do live un­der …

06/24/1990
In Rural Virginia, Yogaville is Simply Divine
Yogaville retreat, photo by Kimono Loco is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Yogaville retreat, photo by Kimono Loco is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

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“In Rural Virginia, Yogaville is Simply Divine” was published in the The Washington Post, June 24, 1990.

“The shrine is shaped like a flower, but it pokes up from the meadow …

06/01/1991
Concepts of Cougar
Cover of Wilderness Magazine, Summer, 1991
Cover of Wilderness Magazine, Summer, 1991

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“Concepts of Cougar” was published in the Wilderness Magazine, summer 1991.

“In the beginning was the lion. Images of leonine power are as ancient as the first scratchings on cave walls and as ambigu­ous as the Sphinx. …

03/01/1994
The Great Forest
Creek in the Monongahela National Forest, WV
Creek in the Monongahela National Forest, WV

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“The Great Forest” was published in the Wilderness Magazine, spring 1994.

“Rage is not the politically correct emo­tion to feel in an old growth forest. Awe, veneration, respect, humility­, these are expected. But I want to …

08/01/1995
Mountain Lion: An Unnatural History of Pumas and People

Mountain Lion: An Unnatural History of Pumas and People, published by Stackpole Books, 1995.

Mountain Lion: An Unnatural History of Pumas and People examines the interactions between cougars and people across North America through the millennia.

Available from Amazon.com

Mountain Lion

Reviews

“I consider Mountain Lion an absolute must for my

07/01/1998
Communities in Crisis

Available from Amazon.com

“Communities in Crisis” is an essay that appeared in An Appalachian Tragedy: Air Pollution and Tree Death in the Eastern Forests of North America, Ed by Harvard Ayers, Jenny Hager, and Charles E. Litter with photographs by Jenny Hager. Sierra Club Books, 1998.

The assignment to

08/01/1998
The Appalachian Forest: A Search for Roots and Renewal

The Appalachian Forest: A Search for Roots and Renewal, published by Stackpole Books, 1998.

More than a biological overview, The Appalachian Forest is also an exploration of Appalachian life and its many contradictions, including the poverty of a region so rich in natural resources. From Cherokees to bear hunters,