The buffalo move like cloud shadows on the prairies around us. Heads down, they graze slowly. We are enveloped by a herd. The boys, Ian (10) and Teo (8), are transfixed with wonder. The Hayden Valley of Yellowstone is bright and clear. White clouds punctuate a too blue sky. [...]
I have a confession. As a strong citizen proponent of renewable energy, I admit that I have been naïve. On my journey of understanding what can be done to promote the use of clean energy, I’ve learned two things. The first is that the messaging is simple and clear. [...]
A bald eagle wings southeast across blue skies on the north shore of Yellowstone Lake. We are just inside the east park boundary. Ian (10) and Teo (7) are playing in a snow field just over a pass. Being from Atlanta, they have almost never seen real snow up [...]
Wyoming. Two brothers, 7 and 10. Rolling plains ahead. 350 miles to Yellowstone. No electronics. Boredom. Someone said there is no sibling rivalry without parents. It is either a Darwinian or biblical battle going on in the back seat. So I wonder if the boys will kill each other, [...]
A Republican, a Democrat, a utility executive, and a construction manager walked into a bar. They had been invited by a lobbyist. There’s no punchline. This is what actually happened. I was at a renewable energy seminar in the Twin Cities. There were four people on the panel plus [...]
I grew up in the forest. I was a feral child. Alone, but connected to the earth in some ways I didn’t understand. So the forest became a haven, a parent and a teacher. That was the way it was, until I fell in love. I fell in love [...]
There is an attack against renewable energy and the environment in this country. It is being conducted by large utilities, coal, and oil companies. The impact will affect our energy policies, manufacturing, economy, and environment for decades. It is abetted by Republican state and federal legislators that are being [...]
I am camped on the Colorado outside of Moab, Utah. The river winds past willows just a few feet from my tent reflecting the red rock canyons. Unfortunately, I learned too late that across the river and upstream several hundred yards is a radioactive uranium mining tailings dump. The [...]
Pooh Bear is at the top of the stairs. Christopher Robin has him by the foot and Pooh is about to be bounced down the stairs on his head. He wonders if there is a better way to descend the stairs, but by the time his head hits the [...]
Night in Chaco Canyon Coyote willow in the wash Saltbush on the flats Grace notes of a vireo Red sunset on the rocks Ancients in their kivas Certain desperate stars Ragged upon the world The black cold desert night While the Lyrids play An effervescent game Who will ever [...]
