“In your backyard is where you begin”
About
I am a botanist in love with the Earth and her creatures.
In my professional life, I was an academic scientist. I specialized in riparian plant ecology and spoke for the needs of the trees. My research, published in scientific journals, helped guide those who worked to restore and protect rivers and the ecosystems they support. In my retirement, I have become a tender of the land. A farmer, of sorts. In the desert city of Phoenix, Arizona, my partner and I inhabit a co-created oasis that serves as food forest, tree-climber’s playground, habitat for birds, and mitigator-of-heat.
In my academic life, I generated information that could be used to guide ecosystem restoration and preservation of riparian habitat. But all the data in the world won’t help if too few care. Today, my mission is to help city-dwellers form loving and respectful relationships with the plants, wild and domesticated alike, who sustain them.
Too many of us have lost connection with nature. If we see ourselves as integral parts of the local (and global) ecosystem, we gain agency. When we find joy and beauty in the rich worlds that exists outside of our walls and digital screens, we are more prone to make choices and take actions that sustain the life around us.
My writing style has evolved over the years, shifting from unemotional scientist to unabashed friend and passionate ally. My recent books are joyful journeys that interweave ecological concepts with personal experience to provide a compassionate and sustainable way forward.
Many of us are thirsty for a new way of being.
Please check out my books or blog posts to learn more.
Background & Awards
I am a professor emeritus, having retired from Arizona State University in 2018 after 30 years of service. I earned my PhD from Arizona State University in 1988. My Master of Science (1981) and Bachelor of Science (1979) degrees, both with specialization in botany, are from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
While at Arizona State University, I was an active researcher, authoring or co-authoring 105 peer-reviewed journal articles. My grant funding came from government agencies and non-profits including the Arizona Nature Conservancy, Arizona Water Institute, Arizona Water Protection Fund, National Science Foundation, U. S. Department of Agriculture, U. S. Department of Defense, and U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. I was chair or co-chair of 37 graduate student committees (MS and PhD).
I bridged the gap between science and policy by serving as a member of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Recovery Team (1988-2002), as president and board member of the Arizona Riparian Council (1992-2007), as member of the (Arizona) Governor's Riparian Area Advisory Committee (1992-1994), and through other such collaborations. I served as editor for several journals including Ecological Applications, Landscape Ecology, Restoration Ecology, and Wetlands.
In 1994, I received the Joseph Woods Krutch Award for Environmental Stewardship from the Arizona Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. In 2000, I received a Certificate of Appreciation for Superior Service from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I was named an Outstanding Mentor in 2001 by the Arizona State University Graduate Women's Association. In 2009, my co-edited book on Ecology and Conservation of the San Pedro River was deemed one of 5 Southwest Books of the Year by the Pima County Public Library.
Articles & Publications
