Dorie (Faulkner) Karl writes: “I’m having a blast in retirement, watercolor painting and following my dream of writing children’s books. I’ve specialized in informational fiction. My first picture book will be published this year and is about a gopher tortoise in Florida surviving a prescribed burn by seeking refuge in its deep burrow along with a few rowdy commensals. My sister recently moved into a bungalow next to my cabin east of Gainesville, Florida. Our brother is less than two hours away, so the Karl clan is poised to help each other cruise through the golden years. I had only minor hurricane damage in the forest this year and none to the dwellings. A tall laurel oak did fall within an inch of the power pole, taking out the transformer. The treetop brushed over my pump house, completely concealing it but not damaging anything important! I count myself lucky.”

Thomas McHenry writes: “Suey Braatz and I visited the slopes of the Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador in January 2023.”

Cilla (Whiteman) Leavitt writes: “Hello to all my old classmates. I am still working at Yale part time. I direct a wilderness program for the first-years called FOOT. Been doing it for 39 years. Yikes. I am anticipating putting 750 Yalies in the woods this year. I only get nervous when I see 15 coach buses pull up to Phelps Gate on College Street. This is my last year on the Alumni Association Board of YSE. It’s been fun to reconnect with the School.”

Mark Plotkin writes: “I have been busy with my podcast, ‘Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture, and Conservation,’ which now has over a half million downloads. And with the pandemic winding down I am focusing again on fieldwork, primarily in Suriname and Colombia.”

Gro Flatebo and Kent Wommack write: “We are in regular touch with fellow classmates in and around Maine including Ben Niles (and Anne), Tom Walker (and Katy), and Jay Espy ’85 and Lynne Espy ’85. Our three children are scattered among Maine, Montana, and Wyoming. After 34 years with The Nature Conservancy, Kent now runs the New York City-based Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation, which supports community-based wildlife conservation initiatives around the world. When not tending to granddaughters, gardens, a barn, a fleet of kayaks, and community affairs in Maine, we are relishing NYC’s theaters, restaurants, culture, and diversity.”

Shere Abbott writes: “I’m back in D.C., teaching sustainability science and policy at Johns Hopkins University (yes, and commuting to Baltimore) in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, which straddles the Bloomberg and Whiting schools. Amazing colleagues and students. JHU bought the former Newseum and is renovating it for a D.C. presence. I hope to do more science-policy work from there. One of the great advantages of D.C. is reconnecting — Maddy Pope ’83 paid a visit while in town for the wedding of Denise Schlener ’83, and Leah Haygood tolerates my lab while birding (mostly chatting) in Rock Creek Park. With a critical mass, maybe we’ll resurrect the D.C. TGIFs of the ’80s!”

Dusti (Gardner) Becker writes: “Happy 2023! Tony and I moved to a lake in northern Florida and love it, especially canoeing and watching all the birds. This will be my last year of hosting tropical volunteer projects! So here are the last chances to join me in Kenya and/or Ecuador. A two-week community-based giraffe conservation expedition with the Maasai is on offer for a donation of $3,250 and takes place June 25-July 8, 2023. My two-week tropical bird-banding training programs are only $1,850 with two teams: August 6-19, 2023, and December 4-17, 2023. Great parent-child option!”

Richard D. Bowden writes: “I am nearing completion of my 33rd year as a professor of environmental science and sustainability at Allegheny College, where I teach, research, and conduct projects on a wide variety of topics — from forest ecology and biofuels to using goats to deal with invasive plant species. When wearing my academic research hat, I’ve worked for a long time on experiments dealing with nitrogen deposition and the ability of soils to sequester carbon. Courses have involved students in projects related to using switchgrass as an absorbent for spills; developing a resilient forest management plan for the Allegheny campus; and planning promotional material for the Foundation for Sustainable Forests, a land trust that protects forestland for active, sustainable forest management. In my free time, I enjoy cross-country skiing, biking, kayaking, and putting venison in my freezer.”

Christie Anna Coon writes: “At age 80, I have retired from delineating wetlands. I miss being alone in the woods with the birds and other wildlife, but life has other outdoor activities — long walks on trails in the woods or at the beach with the dog and husband, Allen Green, or daughter Hannah. Son Scott does not live nearby, but we text every morning. Stay well and hardy, my old classmates from the Yale School of the Environment Class of 1987!”

Eric Jay Dolin writes: “I just finished my 15th book, this one on five men marooned on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812. It will be published in 2024. My most recent book is ‘Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution’ (2022). If you are interested in learning more about my books or where I am speaking, please check out my website at www.ericjaydolin.com. Although most of my books don’t have an environmental/science component, one I published in 2020 does — ‘A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes.’ And I would not be surprised if one of my future books focuses on environmental or natural history. Jenn and I live in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and both kids are out of the house. One way I stay close to nature is by doing a lot of gardening and wandering aimlessly on local beaches.”

CJ May writes: “I am not only back to in-person enviromagic performances in Waterbury schools and other locations but also to in-person field trips. Several magicians from McBride Magic & Mystery School joined me in visiting OrchardWorks in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. I can tell I am still a forester because I had my phone out and was checking the sustainability of the woods he was using!”

Melissa Grigione writes: “I am now a full professor and continue to study animals in the U.S. and abroad. My children are now approaching their college years. How time flies!” 

Peter Jenkins writes: “I remain active in environmental and whistleblower law as senior counsel at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) in Silver Spring, Maryland. I am also excited about my heavy volunteer work for the last year and a half with a new NGO called Methane Action (www.methaneaction.org), for which I am chair of the Advisory Board. Its goal is to tackle the technology and policy challenges of removing methane from the atmosphere as part of the battle against climate change.”

Judy Olson writes: “It had been too long. In 2020, a Zoom class reunion was better than nothing. But now that traveling is relatively easier, a group from the Class of 1990 and friends came from near and far to Snow Mountain Ranch, Colorado, over the long Labor Day weekend. We shared hugs and stories and photos and lots of laughs and smiles. As part of a Trout Unlimited streambank restoration project, we plugged willow whips into the banks of the Fraser River. We hiked to the scenic Columbine Lake for a picnic lunch together, and Chip Isenhart ’91 and Jill Isenhart ’91 gave us a VIP tour of their creative interactive exhibits in the new Headwaters River Journey museum. It felt unreal that 30 years has passed since we were in school together; we all look so much the same (well, maybe a few gray hairs).”

Bob Russo writes: “I so regret missing the class get-together in Colorado! Maybe we will have one on the East Coast this year? I’ve been talking to Tom Kelsch about it!”

Lisa Pagkalinawan writes: “All is going well for my family and me. I’m really enjoying my job at the Asian Development Bank, where I am working on environmental safeguards. I joined a safeguards review mission in Kyrgyzstan in June 2022, which was fascinating! I’m working on knowledge management and exploring behavior change approaches to improving implementation of our safeguards policy. My daughter is in her third year at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she is majoring in fashion. I’m glad she is putting an environmental spin on it by focusing on vintage and used clothes and exploring how to move toward sustainability. My son will graduate from high school this year and may take a gap year to study Spanish.”

Kristen Struve writes: “Hello, everyone, and greetings from the San Francisco Bay Area. I now work as an assistant officer for the Water Supply Division at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which includes working on potable reuse, water conservation, water supply long-range planning, and drought response. So it’s been busy!”