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Empathy Beneath the Surface
Read more…: Empathy Beneath the SurfaceReflections from Earth Expeditions Galápagos Photo by Cosette De Ferrari Las Tintoreras remains one of the most profound memories from my time in the Galapagos. The small islet, named for the White Tip Reef Shark, Tintorera, is carved with narrow lava channels where these sharks rest. As we moved across the jagged volcanic terrain, the…
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Beyond “Doom and Gloom”: Why Hope is the New Conservation Currency
Read more…: Beyond “Doom and Gloom”: Why Hope is the New Conservation CurrencyWe’ve all been there: reading a statistic so bleak—like the fact that fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos remain on Earth—that our first instinct is to look away. For decades, the “knowledge deficit” model assumed that if we just gave people enough cold, hard facts, they would be shocked into action. But as Dr. Kathayoon Khalil,…
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Embracing the Journey: Six Years of Heart Knowledge and Connection in Baja, Namibia, and Guyana
Read more…: Embracing the Journey: Six Years of Heart Knowledge and Connection in Baja, Namibia, and GuyanaBy Jessie Schrauger A timeline of global field experiences: Baja California (2019), Namibia (2022), and Guyana (2025). When I first started Project Dragonfly in 2019, I could not have imagined that I would still be on this journey of pursuing my Master’s six years later. I see it as a real blessing and opportunity though,…
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How to Redefine “Wilderness”: From the Bronx to Mongolia with Dave Johnston
Read more…: How to Redefine “Wilderness”: From the Bronx to Mongolia with Dave JohnstonImagine driving a van across a landscape so vast it’s called the “Land of the Big Sky.” You have no GPS coordinates and no specific destination. You simply drive until you spot a white felt tent—a ger—on the horizon. You pull up, knock on the door, and ask a complete stranger, “Can we come in?”…
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The Battering Rain Drumming on the Wooden Cabana
Read more…: The Battering Rain Drumming on the Wooden CabanaReflections from my Earth Expeditions to Belize By Christian Gueits The battering rain drumming on the wooden cabana during the night was a violent soundscape. Every once in a while, a chilling call came from the surrounding shadows that hugged the structure. A warm, measly light emitted from the camping lantern the student within was…
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Threads of Renewal
Read more…: Threads of RenewalReflections from my Earth Expeditions to Australia By Shelby Elder My time on my Earth Expeditions Australia course this summer was not only a journey across landscapes but also across ideas, perspectives, and connections. Each place—Sydney, Tasmania, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, and Townsville—offered a different window into the theme of interconnectedness, which became the thread tying…
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Life Outside the Comfort Zone: Lessons from the Vermilion Sea
Read more…: Life Outside the Comfort Zone: Lessons from the Vermilion SeaMeghann McDonald is more than just the Executive Director of the Vermilion Sea Institute (VSI) in Baja California; for those who have seen her in her element in Baja, California, she is a mermaid who seems more comfortable underwater than on land. As a long-time partner for Project Dragonfly’s Earth Expeditions, Meghann has mastered the…