Don is a writer and speaker who advocates for the environmentally responsible use of lands and natural resources. He is a former non-profit organization manager for American Farmland Trust, for conservation districts, and for the commercial fishing industry each of whom he represented before the Washington State Legislature and in other public policy arenas. He is a former Seattle practicing attorney who served in the U.S. Navy JAGC during the Vietnam war. Don is was the builder of a 47' commercial salmon troller which he skippered in Alaska during the 1980s. Don's wife, Charlotte, is also an author of several fiction and nonfiction works available on Goodreads.