About me

I am a mid-western gal with fond memories of canoeing down the Upper Iowa River.

Bluffton, Iowa was the closest town to my grandpas house and the home of the annual Labor Day weekend canoe trip for my dad's Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group. There is a lot to say about how these AA canoe trips have influenced me and my connection to the driftless region. Growing up, I had never heard the words "driftless region." I did not learn how to ID birds and plants. The purpose of these trips was to enjoy the fellowship, sober. 

With the guidance of my super duper aunt and uncle, I chose to feed my nature-loving explorer wolf by pursuing a degree in Forestry. Seventy percent of the course work was outdoors, with a required 3 week trip to a National Forest. I graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Forestry in 2011. I did not have dreams of becoming a park ranger or lumberjill, I just wanted to continue learning about land management and stewardship (the human element). I found the Environmental Education field a perfect fit. The more I taught, the more I learned. My experiences as an Environmental Educator lead me to the sustainable agriculture field where I worked on organic farms in Maine and Minnesota. All while sleeping in my car at boat ramps or finding nice divorced ladies on Craigslist who wanted to rent out a room in their house for some extra cash (there are a lot of these ladies in Minnesota). My Kia Rio and I made some good memories together. 

Now, I live in Dubuque, Iowa, where I am within a couple hours drive of all of my favorite rivers. I no longer live in my car, but I still send postcards to all the wonderful people I have connected with over the years.