I recently was in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I had a bit of extra time so I decided to visit Seven Islands State Birding Park. This day-use park is in Kodak which is a 20-minute drive from Knoxville.¹ Founded in 2013, it’s the newest Tennessee State Park, and it’s the state’s…

I recently achieved a life goal. As a self-proclaimed doughnut connoisseur, I have always wanted to judge a doughnut competition. And last week, I had the opportunity to be one of the judges for the Sweet Goodness Donut Challenge at Knoxville’s Tennessee Valley Fair.

This past weekend, I went kayaking at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, Tennessee. This park has a beautiful lodge and restaurant, several hiking trails, villas for rent, campsites for tents and RVs, backcountry camping, and a golf course. I’ve visited this park several times as it’s only 45 minutes…

I challenged myself to hike in all 26 Middle Tennessee State Parks in a year and discovered a passion. — This article was originally published in the September/October 2021 issue of The Tennessee Conservationist magazine and was entitled “Middle Tennessee State Parks Hiking Challenge.” “We should hike more often.” For years, this is as far as my fiancé and I got in reviving our hiking hobby. …

9/10/22 This originally appeared in the Winter 2021 issue of Metro Nashville’s Get Rowdy Recycle newsletter; it was entitled “Zero Waste Tips for Sustainable Toothbrushes.” Finding a more environmentally friendly toothbrush can be overwhelming. Below is an overview of alternatives ranked from most to least similar to traditional toothbrushes. Recycled…

9/9/22 This article originally appeared in the Winter 2020–2021 issue of Tennessee Wildlife magazine; it was entitled “Northern Migration.” I have only made a few minor edits here. Dead armadillos have become a common sight on Tennessee roads. Unlike the three-banded armadillos in South America, these nine-banded armadillos cannot roll…

8/30/22 I was reminded recently that Christmas is less than four months away! So I’m publishing here a short piece I wrote about more sustainable gift ideas. It originally appeared in the fall 2020 issue of Metro Nashville’s Get Rowdy Recycle newsletter. Refuse, Reduce, and Reuse When Giving Gifts As…

3/1/22 In Leave No Trace in Our Parks: Part 1, I discussed how Tennessee State Park visitors can apply Leave No Trace Principles to help preserve our parks. I explored these Principles in the context of four visitor behaviors that can harm the parks and wildlife and impair others’ enjoyment…

2/16/22 If you resolved to learn new skills this year, visit Cordell Hull State Park in Byrdstown. Rangers at this park regularly offer classes on crafts and skills and have even held open hearth cooking demonstrations called Appalachian Test Kitchen. Last year, I attended two classes at Cordell — soapmaking…