I am a native Michigander and a lifelong fishing enthusiast chasing everything from bluegills and bass to snappers and snook. At 14 years old, I moved to Boca Raton – a place nobody had heard of yet – and fell in love with Old Florida. Watching "progress" steal away this magical land also spawned an interest in conservation. While working my way through the academic thicket with degrees from Miami (FL), Central Florida, and University of Michigan, I found time for freelance writing. In over 30 years, I have written scores of articles in magazines, including Field & Stream, Florida Game & Fish, The Fisherman, Michigan Out of Doors, Midwest Fly Fishing, and several pieces for academic journals. I was an editor of The Riverwatch and won an Award for Conservation Journalism from The Sierra Club in 2011. I founded the Au Sable Big Water Preservation Association in 2007 and have been a member of several Michigan-based conservation organizations, often serving on the board. When not fishing, writing, or protecting wild places, I cheer for my favorite sports teams: Leicester City Foxes, Michigan Wolverines, and Miami Dolphins.