About

I am a father, husband, son, brother, friend, teacher, writer, and citizen who absolutely loves being in wild places. As long as I can remember I have been obsessed with the natural world and outdoor adventures. As a teenager, I kept a list of birds I had seen and wrote about the animals in my backyard. My heroes were backpackers.

My career began as a naturalist in residential outdoor education centers. From there I became an elementary school teacher on Long Island. After 11 years I resigned to start Salamander Solutions, an environmental education consulting business and be a stay at home Dad. When my children entered school in 2004, I returned to the classroom as a 6th grade science teacher at Friends Academy.

In forty plus years of backpacking I have been to the Rockies, Sierras, and the Red Rock canyons of Utah and Arizona. In the Northeast my trips have taken me to the Adirondacks, the Catskills and Vermont, among other places. When I became a father, my two sons, Zack and Scott joined me on outdoors strolls, walks, hikes and multi-day trips. I plan is to do a lot more in the future!

My writing credits include, A Sense of Place, Teaching Children about the Environment with Picture Books and Think Green, Books and Activities for Kids, as well as over 100 articles on environmental education and essays about my personal experiences in the outdoors.

I live in Bayville, NY on the north shore of Long Island with my wife, Karen. Whenever possible I spend time in wild places backpacking, hiking, walking and sometimes simply sitting and observing.