Shared respect for nature August 4, 2025

Much of my love for nature comes from my outdoorsy family, from casting lines into waters to stargazing while camping. I also grew up watching Bambi, and like many kids, I saw hunters as the mean, bad guys. That view could have put a strain on my relationship with my dad, who hunts. My mom gently encouraged me to go with him for a hunt one morning to see the experience through his eyes.

I had my doubts but agreed. That year I was about eight years old. I got up before dawn, and while I was groggy at first, the anticipation of what we might encounter and the stillness of the woods soon pulled me in. “Keep the noise down,” Dad whispered, but I was too curious to keep quiet; a million questions raced through my mind.

That trip changed something. I began to understand the respect and reverence my dad held for the land and its creatures. Hunting, for him, was about connection.

Since then, I’ve found my own connection to the land through education, volunteering and a career in conservation, helping build common ground in communities between their livelihoods and surrounding nature. I have also continued to hunt. Now, when I head out on the land, I go with the intention to immerse myself in the landscape. If the opportunity to harvest an animal arises, it’s done with deep gratitude. The land nurtures both people and wildlife. We all share this Earth, and I try to show up with the utmost respect.