I’m a rangeland and riparian ecologist. I’ve worked, studied, performed research, and played in the cold desert ecosystems of the western United States and the temperate rangelands of the Pacific Northwest and Canada since 1984. The Great Basin is a place exemplified by extremes in elevation, climate, soils, and vegetation with long distances between gas stations and towns. Like the landscape, the people are hardy and interesting and have deep history of caring for the land. I am fascinated by the magnitude and diversity of this desert ecosystem and the challenges faced by both private and public land managers. I want to understand the ecology of this amazing place well enough to assist land managers by providing useful, science-based knowledge and tools for adaptive management.