In 1979 I served as a volunteer naturalist on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.  I was 19 years old, a sophomore geology major at the University of Rochester.  My summer internship was sponsored by the Student Conservation Association, still helping young adults find fulfilling work in our state and national parks, historic landscapes, and wildlife refuges.  The Grand Canyon Natural History Association was the local non-profit partnering with the NPS to land me and the other volunteers at the Canyon, and it continues today as the Grand Canyon Conservancy.

I was provided with a uniform, a ranger hat, and a plastic name tag with the SCA logo on it.  Best of all, I was presented with a $50 gift certificate to the Conservancy’s book store.  I’ll never forget the excitement of picking out my titles, not knowing how powerful an impact this decision would be for me.  I selected the Ballantine edition of Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac and Barry Lopez’s Desert Notes.  I spent many hours that summer reading those books under the Ponderosa along the Western Rim Trail, the early mornings deep on the Tonto Platform, and while resting along the old BA North Rim trail.

My study that began under the pines has never stopped, and shortly after I moved to Cayuga County I became a certified Aldo Leopold instructor.  I used Leopold’s essays on conservation as the intellectual scaffolding for a college course I once taught, and I’ve added some of the assignments I created while teaching at our local Cargo Cult College to this site.  By “Cargo Cult College” I’m referring to one of those small community colleges run by overpaid, politically correct morons, but staffed by adjunct and full-time faculty with the best of intentions.  My time at my local cargo cult ended badly, caught as I was between three unions in a foolish effort to secure decent wages and benefits for adjuncts.  Hopefully the years I spent crafting these assignments may be of benefit, and they are free for you to download.  If you do use them, please assign credit where credit is due, and reference me as a source.  Please do not try and screw me out of the basic respect and recognition my local cargo cult college refused me.