About

Howdy, and welcome aboard!

My name is Aislin and I’m a third-year student at Reed College in the vibrant, verdant, veritable demi-rainforest of Portland, OR, hailing originally from the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Through a President’s Summer Fellowship I spent the summer of 2019 traveling around sites along the northern and central California coast to create a guide to its ecosystems and natural features, and reflecting on the ways in which people move through, relate to, and ultimately identify ourselves within the natural world. I particularly sought to consider how uniquely American traditions of naturalism and individualism are reflected in the attitudes and appeals of conservation-related media. Through this examination of individual and nature, I investigate where, how, and why we draw the bounds we do.

This blog is where I post some of my findings, writings, photos, and sketches from throughout this project and beyond, and where I hope to create an ongoing multimedia archive for the creatures, sites, and stories I encounter.

Happy trails!

– asls