Karen Reagan

Karen is a graduate student in biology at the University of Washington focusing on terrestrial ecology. Her love of nature and being out doors has led to her work with natural history and interest in strengthening ways of connecting people with the natural world around them. She feels there is a certain joy in sharing the gift of natural history with others; a spark of wonder when the ornate stigma of a flower draws someone in for the first time; a secret door that opens when neighbors stop to watch the ants battle as they swarm the sidewalk. She wants to continue to be a conduit for these connections to the natural world, drawing the attention of her community to the vast beauty of the living things that surround us.

Conversations:

• Cycling in the city
• An open door
• Artillery impact area

Workshops:

• Natural History & Society
• Natural History & Research
• Synthesis

Karen Reagan: I was really surprised. I don't think about cycling in the city as being a practice of natural history, but there was a point when I had to shelf my bike for awhile and I realized that I missed the smells of the trees blooming in the city. I missed the wind and being out in the weather. I missed all of the experience that we get of being in the world around us just by riding a bike. So that's one of the ways that I think I practice natural history, just by being out in the open world.