Hello world!

Welcome to my little corner of cyberspace. As the name would imply, I expect this space to serve as an online journal, a place to share my thoughts and experiences on a variety of my interests. First, a bit about me-

As my bio notes, I was born and grew up in southeastern Mexico, in the northernmost reaches of the tropical rain forests. I grew up exploring the natural world. My bedroom might as well have been a natural history museum. I collected anything I’d find, put it in a jar, and display it on one of several shelves that served to display my collections. Fast forward to college, where I earned degrees in Wildlife Biology and Photojournalism at the University of Wyoming, in Laramie. Later, I went to grad school where I earned a master’s degree in Conservation Biology at the University of Maryland in College Park. Along the way I’ve worked in environmental education, public safety, video production, web design, and environmental conservation. I currently work for a large environmental conservation NGO, with a panda for a logo. I suppose this is where I’m obligated to say that none of what happens in this journal reflects the views of my employer.

Outside of work, a big part of my life is volunteering in wilderness search and rescue. I am the training officer for Maryland Search and Rescue, a member of the Search and Rescue Tracking Institute and the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group, and the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference. I'm certified in SAR tracking, search management, and I'm an Emergency Medical Responder. As all that would imply, I also enjoy spending time outdoors- hiking, camping, backpacking, and all that. In the past I've done quite a bit of SCUBA diving, and at one point I even used to be a DJ. While I’ve never quite made a career out of photography (yet), it’s still something I enjoy and something I do on a regular basis. As you can see from my online portfolio, my preferred subject matter is wildlife and landscape photography.

So, what can you expect from this space? I’m not entirely sure. I’m not making any promises about the subject matter or even to a cadence of publishing content. All I know is that if there’s something I find interesting or worth sharing, you’ll find it here. I would expect topics to range through everything I mentioned above- photography, biology, nature, the outdoors, tracking, search and rescue, and that sort of stuff. Ultimately, my aim is to share and cultivate an appreciation for our natural world, and to encourage people to enjoy it and share their experiences as well. I hope you join me on this journey.

-DB 12.11.22