Keeping the Fate
The hand of fate is often portrayed as ominous. But fate can also be kind and welcome if we only make room in our lives to invite it in.
“The Book I Was Meant to Write”
While I was writing one book, the inspiration for another unexpectedly walked through my door. It was just one of the unexpected turns the book would take (and me along with it) along the journey from transcript to completed work.
A Century Later, An Indiana Marshland is Restored
Drained in the 1910s, a once vast Indiana marsh is reclaiming its space, with the notable help of its core devotees.
Grandma Gatewood’s Life and Legacy
Grandma Gatewood was an Appalachian Trail pioneer. In 1955, at age 67, she set off to escape an abusive relationship and blazed a path that inspires women to this day.
A new project seeks to create two bronze statues of Grandma Gatewood. one at her gravesite and one adjacent to the Appalachian Trail.
How to Section Hike the Appalachian Trail
Ever think about hiking the Appalachian Trail in pieces? Here's a primer for getting started.
Finding Aldo Leopold’s Roots
Aldo Leopold introduced the concepts of game management, wilderness areas, watershed management, land restoration, and the land ethic in his remarkable life.
Steele’s Legacies
In 2024, he is practically unknown — a man who considered himself an abject failure toiling in the shadows of America's greatest triumph of its day.
No Water — In the worst possible place
In 1983, I set out with a few friends to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s hard to believe now, but it was a time when fewer than 15 people completed the trail each year. In the ’70s and ’80s, when the trail through southern California wasn’t traversing mountains on well-established tread, it dropped into desert terrain, where dirt roads, known as “Jeep Roads” became the norm.
Ernest Oberholtzer’s True North – Chapter 3
Ernest Oberholtzer, one of America's great conservationists, revisited the scene of his his greatest adventure more than 50 years after the fact.
Tales from the Cabin, Chapter 2 — The Porcupine
A four-day hike on the Appalachian Trail took a turn into the absurd, thanks to a porcupine with a yen for eating engine parts.
Tales from the Cabin – Chapter 1 — The Voyage of the Gazelle
This new podcast from author and storyteller Jeffrey H Ryan celebrates epic adventures, the joy of being in nature and tips for enjoying the great outdoors.
Finding their conservation roots
I was thrilled to be invited to contribute to The Forest History Society's "Conversations in Forest History" series. I have been fascinated by the question of "nature vs. nurture" and their impacts on the youngsters that would later become champions of conservation, which this talk explores.
New Book Explores the History of America’s Public Lands
This Land Was Saved for You...
History of the Appalachian Trail Featured on Nature Revisited Podcast
Maine author and historian Jeffrey Ryan appeared on the popular Nature Revisited podcast to discuss the history of the Appalachian Trail.
USFS Adds 2,100 Acres to Green Mountain National Forest
Facilitated by the Trust for Public Land, the US Forest Service has added 2,100 acres of habitat to the Green Mountain National Forest
This Land Was Saved for You and Me
New Hardcover by Jeffrey H Ryan follows the arc of the America's conservation movement.
Episode 2 – Howard Zahniser: A Champion for the Wilderness
Howard Zahniser's son, Ed, speaks about his father's impressive efforts to establish and protect American wilderness areas. It was a pleasure to interview him for this episode.
Happy Birthday, George Perkins Marsh!
In 1864, George Perkins Marsh's book, Man and Nature, placed the concepts of sustainable forestry, sustainable farming and water conservation in the public eye for the first time.