Now that I learn I might not have have the chance to meet Jag I might have to reconsider my attendence of the the SEJ conference. I'm crazy about dogs and any opportunity to meet a new one is welcome. Actually, I'm still quite excited about the event. I was happy to learn two weeks ago that I received a Michael Rivlin fellowship -- which supports freelance environmental journalism -- and I'm thrilled that quite a few people have stepped in to support my travel to and lodging during the conference. Though I've always been excited about the conference, now... Continue reading

I spent about an hour this morning meeting with a wildlands management advocate based here in Portland, Ore., during a relaxed, a get-to-know-you session. It was a chance to brush up on a variety of challenges and opportunities facing the forests, oceans, rivers and deserts of the Pacific Northwest. I wasn't working on any particular story, so we took our time meandering around diverse topics. Our conversation reminded me of why I enjoy journalism so much: I constantly learn new things, explore them and inspect them and study them. In a way, journalism offers the best things about school, constantly.... Continue reading

It was late on a Sunday night when I first started writing this. I was fretting about the workweek on a professionally bittersweet day. That morning, a daily paper across the river had published a business feature of mine. Excited by a new venue for my byline – or, my bank account says, any venue – I was also reminded that this was yet another piece not about the environment (except, perhaps, tangentially in that it discussed anti-smoking regulations). Fast forward to this morning: I woke up with the summer issue of the SEJ Journal next to my pillow –... Continue reading