J.K. Ullrich's Blog

Writing the Future: A New Chapter

I woke this morning to light streaking the dark sky. The aurora borealis had eluded me through two autumn visits to Iceland and my first winter in Alaska. Now it swept over my neighborhood like cosmic fireworks for New Year’s Day. I stepped onto the snowy balcony in my bathrobe, catching my breath at the … More Writing the Future: A New Chapter

Caribou Kingdom: The Magic of Migration in The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

I crawled from my tent and stared at the ice wall along the northern horizon. It looked like something from a fantasy novel, the bulwark of some legendary polar kingdom. No escalade could scale these battlements: the shimmering bastion was a superior mirage, reflected from the Beaufort Sea eleven miles away. And this was no … More Caribou Kingdom: The Magic of Migration in The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Kayaking Aialik Glacier, Where Geology Mirrors Psychology

My Laddie’s mother came to visit us in May, and since she’s fond of kayaking, we took her to Seward for a paddling excursion at Aialik Glacier. I’d watched the weather forecast all week and booked just a few days ahead, choosing the lone sunny spot in the meteorological lineup, It didn’t disappoint. Mountains rose … More Kayaking Aialik Glacier, Where Geology Mirrors Psychology

Three Hidden Wildlife Walks Outside Olympic National Park

Almost three million visitors flocked to Washington’s Olympic National Park in 2023, but the biome doesn’t stop at the park gates. The surrounding areas offer many lesser-known gems. On our recent trip to the Olympic Peninsula, my Laddie and I explored three local sanctuaries full of wonderful wildlife (and unlike many of the popular hikes, … More Three Hidden Wildlife Walks Outside Olympic National Park

Give A Hoot—Shoot? The Controversial Plan to Save Northern Spotted Owls from Extinction

Many human cultures have considered owls omens of death, so it’s perversely fitting that we are now arbiters of their doom. After driving one owl species toward extinction, we propose to save it by killing half a million members of another. How did we end up in this conundrum of ecological ethics? The dilemma’s roots … More Give A Hoot—Shoot? The Controversial Plan to Save Northern Spotted Owls from Extinction

Unconstrained By Form: Three Poets Who Studied Nature Through Verse

Science rescued poetry for me. Verse had charmed me as a child. Dad often read kid-friendly poems aloud; I can still recite The Owl and the Pussycat and How Doth the Little Crocodile. Mom encouraged us to write haiku, limericks, and other forms as part of our homeschool education. My whole family loved Shel Silverstein’s … More Unconstrained By Form: Three Poets Who Studied Nature Through Verse

Where There’s Smoke: EPA Air Quality Indices Ignore Deadly Wildfire Pollution

Cold air cleansed my lungs as my crampons bit the ice, hungry for the trail after weeks in the garage. February’s frostbite-inducing temperatures had confined most of my runs to the treadmill’s miasma of rubber and sweat. Once the mercury crept into the teens, I pounced on the opportunity to run outdoors again, inhaling the … More Where There’s Smoke: EPA Air Quality Indices Ignore Deadly Wildfire Pollution

The Vanishing Vagabonds: Crossing Paths With Bohemian Waxwings

Too often I forget that Nature is more than a postcard: an exotic destination like Arctic glaciers, desert canyons, or Pacific coral reefs. It’s not a place we visit, but a realm we inhabit. Even in the humblest urban landscape, natural phenomena can take us on a journey. I got a good reminder of that … More The Vanishing Vagabonds: Crossing Paths With Bohemian Waxwings

Vanishing Vagabonds: Crossing Paths With Bohemian Waxwings

Too often I forget that Nature is more than a postcard: an exotic destination like jungles, deserts, or coral reefs. It’s not a place we visit, but a realm we inhabit. Environmental phenomena can whisk us on journeys even in the humblest urban landscape. Still we chase the thrill of terra nova, like earlier this … More Vanishing Vagabonds: Crossing Paths With Bohemian Waxwings

Seeds of Change: Cultivating a Sustainable Food System

I leaned over the stewpot and laughed into the fragrant steam. “When did we start eating like peasants?” It wasn’t a complaint, but a cheeky observation on our evolving household diet. Five years ago I rarely made soup unless someone was ill, and then it came from a can. Now the remains of a rotisserie … More Seeds of Change: Cultivating a Sustainable Food System