Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature

I’ve now published some 180 of these Great Blue Heron Blog Posts on Nature-Inspired Life and Living: https://stevejonesgbh.com/blog/

Over the course of the nearly three years represented I’ve maintained fidelity to the original theme, tenets, principles, and purpose, which I’ve developed far more comprehensively in my three books:

• Nature Based Leadership: Lessons for Living, Learning, Serving, and Leading (2016)
• Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading: Revealing and Applying Nature’s Wisdom (2017)
• Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (2019; co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit)

During the same period, for the first time in my life, I’ve distilled my Nature-rooted philosophy, beliefs, and practice to my own Mission Statement: Employ writing and speaking to educate, inspire, and enable readers and listeners to understand, appreciate, and enjoy Nature… and accept and practice Earth Stewardship.

And a resultant Vision:

• People of all ages will pay greater attention to and engage more regularly with Nature… and will accept and practice informed and responsible Earth Stewardship.
• They will see their relationship to our natural world with new eyes… and will understand more clearly their Earth home.

 

Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits

The three book subtitles synthesize the elements incorporated in my Mission and Vision. In fact, as I think about the Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits (WS&SS) subtitle, I am struck that each of my Blog Posts is, in fact, a Story of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature! My entire life is a several volume set of chapters, each an episode of such passion for place and everyday Nature. How perfectly fitting that I refocus my professional career, after serving the Mission of a series of employer organizations (a Fortune-500 company and nine universities), to my own ultimate Mission.

I’m a shameless evangelist for informed and responsible Earth stewardship. If you are reading these words, I know you share my deep passion. I encourage you to obtain a copy of WS&SS. Dr. Wilhoit and I describe our joint effort as a collection of Nature stories seeking to inspire deeper relationship with and care for this beautiful Earth. Weaned and Snowy represents a labor of passion and purpose on behalf of humanity and our precious pale blue orb. I know you will enjoy our tales… and find inspiration for this world of Nature’s beauty, magic, wonder, and awe!

Or from Amazon, LifeRich, or most any online book source.

My two previous books likewise comprise collections of Nature stories seeking to inspire deeper relationship with and care for this beautiful Earth. Both are available at Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=nature+based+leadership and https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=nature-inspired+learning+and+leading

 

 

Contact me to learn more about what I can bring to your organization or business through speaking (or niche consulting) related to my mission and vision: steve@stevejonesgbh.com.

I draw from a rich lifetime of related education, leadership, avocation, and practice. Here’s just a quick photo portfolio from the past 15 years:

 

On the Road for Nature-Inspired Life and Living

I am blessed to have experienced life and Nature across 13 interstate moves, 12-year employment with a Fortune-500 paper and allied products manufacturing company, nine universities, chairing the governing Board of The University of the Arctic, and diverse international travel. Please find below a brief portfolio of my somewhat recent immersions in Nature.

August 2019 half-day Academic Leadership Workshop with executive team at Kimep University in Almaty, Kazakhstan

 

Kolsai Lakes National Park in Kazakhstan

 

Charyn Canyon National Park in Kazakhstan

 

Old Faithful 2019

 

With two of our grandkids at Rocky Gap State Park in Maryland 2018

 

Commencement Address at Fairmont State University in West Virginia 2018

 

Fall 2017 at base of large yellow poplar at a West Virginia State Park

 

After delivering keynote address to 2018 Environmental Educators Association of Alabama annual meeting, Cheaha State Park

 

With Sam the Pelican at Alabama’s Gulf State Park 2019

 

Alabama’s Gulf State Park 2019

 

Rovaniemi, Finland 2006 after chairing the UArctic Council during the International Polar Year; north of the Arctic Circle

 

March 2007 snowshoeing on the Nenana River near Denali National Park at 37-degrees below zero

 

Cypress swamp 2016 at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge with two of our five grandkids

 

Aborted Mount Washington summit attempt January 2015; I’m the guy to the far left

 

That morning before the attempted ascent

 

McConnell’s Mill State Park in Pennsylvania with three grandkids and our son

 

Great blue heron photo in my Fairmont State University office 2017

 

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge 2016

 

At 3,000-feet mid-June 2012 Mount Verstovia, Sitka, Alaska

 

Mid-June 2012 bay-side at Sitka

 

Valley Falls State Park West Virginia in August 2017

 

Monte Sano State Park Alabama 2018

 

National Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Kansas 2018, when I key-noted the annual meeting of the Kansas Natural Resource Professionals

 

Enjoying Nature from the skies above northern West Virginia 2017

 

Early autumn at Dolly Sods Wilderness at 4,000-feet in north-central West Virginia

 

 

My Great Blue Heron logo

 

My three books on display — obtain the full set!

 

The thrill of opening my first shipment of Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits

 

I bring my lifetime passion for Nature, a 40-year career, a BS in forestry and a PhD in applied ecology, 13 interstate moves, international travel, and still-increasing Nature enthusiasm to my speaking and writing. May Nature Inspire Your Life!

 

Thoughts and Reflections

I wrote my books Nature Based Leadership (2016), Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017), and Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (co-authored with Dr. Jennifer J. Wilhoit; 2019) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature. All three are available on Indiebound (https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=weaned+seals+and+snowy+summits) and other online sources.

Inhale and absorb Nature’s elixir. May Nature Inspire and Reward you!

If only more of us viewed our precious environment through the filters I employ. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied untold orders of magnitude:

Mission: Employ writing and speaking to educate, inspire, and enable readers and listeners to understand, appreciate, and enjoy Nature… and accept and practice Earth Stewardship.

Vision:

• People of all ages will pay greater attention to and engage more regularly with Nature… and will accept and practice informed and responsible Earth Stewardship.
• They will see their relationship to our natural world with new eyes… and will understand more clearly their Earth home.

Tagline/Motto: Steve (Great Blue Heron) encourages and seeks a better tomorrow through Nature-Inspired Living!