Originally from South Dakota, my interest in nature and the outdoors started when my dad took me pheasant and duck hunting as a kid. While attending college at the University of South Dakota, I spent my summers living and working in Yellowstone Park. I closely followed the debate about the re-introduction of wolves in the Park, which finally happened a few years after my last season there.

My degree and career have been in business. I spent the 1990’s traveling to Asia & Alaska, where I managed franchise operations for Dairy Queen. I was able to explore wild country in Inner and Outer Mongolia , Alaska and Korea. But I also saw the impact large human populations in East Asia can have on wildlife. In 2001 we purchased, and continue to run the Dairy Queen store in Eagle River. Since coming to the Northwoods, my wife Diane and I have been closely watching as the wolf population slowly increased. In 2010 we became volunteer carnivore trackers for the DNR, and have continued to do this every year since. We first attended a TWIN workshop in 2014, and have since assisted with the Trees for Tomorrow workshop.

In addition to my involvement with TWIN, I have spent several seasons doing ruffed grouse drumming surveys and we are active with the Ruffed Grouse Society and the Vilas Area Silent Sports Association.