Biography
I grew up in the Midwest (Michigan) and became interested in natural resource management from an experience when I was still in high school. I participated in the Youth Conservation Corps program at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore located on the southern edge of Lake Superior. The participants in the program worked in cooperation with the National Park Service to do various outdoor work projects to enhance the visitor experience at the lakeshore. From this experience I knew I wanted to work in a field of natural resource management. I transferred to the University of Idaho in Moscow to complete a degree in Wildlife Resources and Range Resources. I spent several summers working for the US Forest Service in forestry, range, recreation and fire. I decided I didn’t want to work in management and obtained a research internship doing songbird research in western Utah. That experience led me to become interested in teaching (since I didn’t like research). I ended up at NIC a number of years ago and have thoroughly enjoyed teaching ever since.
I currently teach the following courses for the Natural Sciences Division at NIC:
• Biol 101 – Forestry Orientation
• Biol 115 – Introduction to Life Sciences
• Biol 221/231 – Forest/General Ecology
• Biol 251 – Range Management
• Biol 290 – Principles of Wildlife Biology
I also advise students who are interested in one of the natural resource disciplines, such as Fisheries, Wildlife, Range, and Forestry.
I also am an avid outdoor recreationist and enjoy whitewater boating, hiking, camping and cross-country skiing in the winter. I even teach a cross-country skiing course for the PE Department.
