Tom Fleischner

Tom Fleischner

The Evergreen State College, BA, 1977
Western Washington University, MS, Biology, 1983
The Union Institute, PhD, Environmental Studies, 1998

Publications

Books

• Singing Stone: A Natural History of the Escalante Canyons.
  University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City 1999.

Articles and Book Chapters

• Fleischner, T.L. "Revitalizing natural history." Wild Earth9(2), Summer 1999.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Keeping the cows off: conservation of riparian areas in the American West." In T.H. Ricketts and 11 co-editors,Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment.Island Press, Washington, D.C. 1999
• Fleischner, T.L. "Grazing practices." Pages 319-320 in Peter Calow, ed.The Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management.Blackwell Science, London.1998.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Cryptogamic soil crust." Page 167 in Peter Calow, ed. The Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management.Blackwell Science, London 1998.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Keeping the cows off: conservation of riparian areas in the American West." Conservation Assessment of the Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America.. Volume 1 - The United States and Canada.World Wildlife Fund - US, Washington, D.C. 1997.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Livestock grazing: Reply to Brown and McDonald."Conservation Biology 10: 927-929. 1996.
• Fleischner, T.L. "To search and search again: on the practice of environmental research."Whole Terrain 5: 21-25. 1996.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Grazing and advocacy." Conservation Biology9: 235-236.1995.
• Fleischner, T.L., D.E. Brown, A.Y. Cooperrider, W.B. Kessler, and E. L. Painter. 1994. Society for Conservation Biology Position Statement: Livestock Grazing on Public Lands in the United States of America.Society for Conservation Biology Newsletter1(4): 2-3.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Ecological costs of livestock grazing in western North America."Conservation Biology 8: 629-644.1994.
• Fleischner, T.L. and S. Weisberg. "Tidewater to timberline, forest to steppe: natural history of the Greater North Cascades Ecosystem." Pages 4-21 in M. Freidman and P. Lindholt, eds. Cascadia Wild: Protecting an International Ecosystem.Greater Ecosystem Alliance, Bellingham, Washington. 1993.
• Fleischner, T.L. and M.F. Riegner. "Winter birds of Bahia Kino, Central Gulf of California Coast, Sonora, Mexico." Ecologica[Mexico] 3: 29-34. 1993.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Preservation is not enough: The need for courage in wilderness management." Pages 236-253 in S. I. Zeveloff, L.M. Vause, and W.H. McVaugh, eds. Wilderness Tapestry: An Eclectic Approach to Preservation.University of Nevada Press, Reno. 1992.
• Fleischner, T.L. and S. Weisberg. "Teaching for nature: filling the need for natural history in experiential education." Clearing74: 36-37. 1992.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Will science save the world?" Wild Earth1(3): 46-47. 1991.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Integrating science and passion in conservation education." Reprinted. The Trumpeter8:144-146. 1991.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Integrating science and passion in conservation education." Conservation Biology4(4): 452-453. 1990.
• Fleischner, T.L. "In praise and defense of biodiversity." The Trumpeter7(3): 116-118.1990.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Tidewater to timberline, forest to steppe: The Greater North Cascades Ecosystem described." Pages 11-16 in M. Friedman, ed. Forever Wild: Conserving the Greater North Cascades Ecosystem.Mountain Hemlock Press, Bellingham, WA.1988.
• Fleischner, T.L. 1988. "Keeping it wild: Toward a deeper wilderness management." Pages 73-80 in M. Friedman, ed. Forever Wild: Conserving the Greater North Cascades Ecosystem.Mountain Hemlock Press, Bellingham, WA.

Book Reviews

• Fleischner, T.L. Book review:Beyond the rangeland conflict: Toward a West that works.[revised version] Wild Earth8(3): 95-97.1998.
• Fleischner, T.L. Book review:Beyond the rangeland conflict: Toward a West that works.Journal of Wildlife Management61: 582-584. 1997.
• Fleischner, T.L. Book review:Fundamentals.of Conservation Biology.Conservation Biology10: 692-693. 1996.
• Fleischner, T.L. Book review:Wilderness of the SouthwestandThe Masked Bobwhite Rides Again. Western Historical Quarterly 25: 534-535. 1994.
• Fleischner, T.L. Book review:The Practical Ornithologist.Quarterly Review of Biology66 (2): 218. 1991.

Literary Work

• Bishop, M. and T.L. Fleischner, co-editors. "Nature and Psyche" Special Issue, Alligator Juniper.1999.
• Fleischner, T.L. The Concrete Curtain. [creative nonfiction essay] Alligator Juniper,volume 2, pages 65-67.1996.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Pipit Lake." [poem] Pages 77-78 in Cass Adams, ed.The Soul unearthed: celebrating wildness and personal renewal through nature.Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York.1996.
• Grumbine, R.E. and T.L. Fleischner. "Canyon wingbeats." [essay]Earth First! Journal,21 June 1988.

Unpublished Research Reports and Proceedings:

• Fleischner, T.L.Singing stones: a naturalist in the Escalante Canyons.Ph.D. dissertation, The Union Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio.1998.
• Fleischner, T.L. "Enlarging our perspective: managing rangelands for biodiversity." Pages 11-15 in J.H. Brock, ed.Proceedings, First Conservation Symposium.Society for Range Management, Arizona Section, Prescott, Arizona, August 17-18, 1990.
• Fleischner, T.L. and S. Weisberg. Effects of jet aircraft activity on bald eagles in the vicinity of Bellingham International Airport.Contract report for DEVCO Aviation Consultants, Corvallis, Oregon, and Port of Bellingham, Bellingham, Washington.1986.
• Fleischner, T.L. Natural history of harlequin ducks wintering in northern Puget Sound.M.S. thesis, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA.1983.
• Fleischner, T.L. Social behavior of the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) at Matinicus Rock, Maine.Research report of the National Audubon Society Fratercula Fund, Ithaca, NY.1981.
• Fleischner, T.L. Fall birds and terrestrial mammals of Cape Sarichef, Unimak Island, Alaska.Research report of National Marine Mammal Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA.1980.
• Calambokidis, J., S. Carter, J. Cubbage, P. Dawson, T.L. Fleischner, J. Shuett-Hames, J. Skidmore, and B. Taylor. Chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations and the ecology and behavior of harbor seals in Washington State waters.National Science Foundation SOS Report, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA. 1978.

Selected Public Presentations

• "Ecological costs of livestock grazing," National Wildlife Federation Grazing Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah; May 1997.
• "A conservation biologist's perspective on livestock grazing," Natural Resources Law seminar, College of Law, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona; November 1996.
• "In search of the wild metaphor: on the nature of nature writing", Yavapai College Creative Writing Institute, Prescott, Arizona; August 1996, July 1997.
• Panel member, "What is sacred? What is earth? What is self?"; speaker, "Here we are! Where are we?"; Sacred Earth, Sacred Self Conference, Prescott, Arizona; May 1996.
• Panel member, "What is sustainability?", Prescott College, March 1996.
• The Forgotten Language Tour, sponsored by The Orion Society. Featured as one of six nature writers. Prescott, Arizona, April 1995.
• "Beyond Labels: Grazing", panel member, Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott, Arizona, November 1994.
• "Livestock Grazing in the Arid West: Ecological Effects and Management Implications", invited speaker, Department of Zoology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, September 1993.
• "Ecological Costs of Livestock Grazing in Western North America", contributed paper at annual meeting of Society for Conservation Biology, Tempe, Arizona, June 1993.
• "Holistic Resource Management: A Critique", Public Lands Grazing Forum, Prescott, Arizona, October 1991.
• "Endangered Species: Where Do We Go From Here?", in conjunction with special exhibit, "Survivors of Eden," by James Balog, Prescott Fine Arts Gallery, Prescott, Arizona, April 1991.
• "Keeping Wilderness Wild", wilderness management training seminar for Prescott National Forest management staff, Prescott, Arizona, January 1991.
• "Granite Mountain, A Naturalist's Perspective," Prescott College Environmental Lecture Series, December 1990.
• "Enlarging Our Perspective: Managing Rangelands for Biodiversity," First Conservation Symposium, Society for Range Management, Arizona Section, Prescott, Arizona, August 1990.
• "Conserving Biological Diversity: Crisis or Opportunity?," Prescott College Environmental Lecture Series, December 1989.
• "Teaching for Nature: Experiential Methods for Teaching Natural History," workshop presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Experiential Education, Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 1989.
• "Developing a Sense of Place," Prescott College Environmental Lecture Series, February 1989.
• Panel member: "The Future of Forestry," annual conference of the Northwest Association for Environmental Studies, Bellingham, Washington, November 1987.

Professional Affiliations and Awards

• Listed in 3rd Edition of Marquis'Who's Who in Science and Engineering, 1996
• Recipient of 1990 National Wilderness Educational Award from U.S. Forest Service
• Society for Conservation Biology
  Chair, Public Lands Grazing Policy Committee (1993-1994)
  Member, Policy and Resolutions Committee (1991-1994)
  Member, Undergraduate Student Award Committee (1993-present)

• Manuscript Reviewer:
  Australian Journal of Ecology
  Conservation Biology
  Ecological Applications
  Island Press
• Ecological Society of America
• Association for the Study of Literature and Environment
• North Cascades Institute (Sedro Woolley, Washington)
  Advisory Council (1994-present)
  Founding member, Board of Directors (1986-1994)
  
• Four Corners School of Outdoor Education (Monticello, Utah)
  Board of Directors (1990-1992)
• Granite Mountain Action (local environmental advocacy group), co-founder
• Skyview School (state chartered K-S school) (Prescott, Arizona)
  Founding member, Board of Directors (1995-1996)
• Wild Utah Forest Campaign (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  Scientific Advisory Board (1997-present)

Biographical Notes

CURRENT POSITION

Professor of Environmental Studies

Teach undergraduates in a variety of environmental studies courses, including: Natural History and Ecology of the Southwest; Conservation Biology; Conservation in America; Human Ecology; Coastal Ecology of the Gulf of California; The Colorado Plateau: Natural History and Conservation.

Prescott College, Prescott, AZ; 1988-present

PREVIOUS TEACHING EXPERIENCE

North Cascades Institute, Sedro Woolley, WA; 1986-88

Developed and taught a variety of short courses in natural history and wilderness management to adult groups of diverse ages and backgrounds in field seminar format. Also initiated and developed backcountry field ecology program for college undergraduates. Courses credited through Western Washington University.

University of California Extension, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA; 1983-88

Developed, coordinated, and taught interdisciplinary quarter-long backcountry field programs in natural history, field ecology, biogeography, and wilderness history. Five spring programs on the Colorado Plateau and one fall program on the Olympic Peninsula.

Antioch University. Seattle, WA; 1984-85

Developed and taught an environmental studies course ("Ecology and Ethics") for nonscience majors in an adult degree-completion program.

Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA; 1980-82

Taught undergraduate biology students in lecture, laboratory, and field settings. Courses included ornithology, introductory biology for both majors and non-majors, vertebrate zoology, and biometrics.

SELECTED HELD RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Grazing Ecology Research

Co-investigator in contracted study for National Park Service, to establish monitoring of the effects of livestock grazing on plant communities at Chaco Canyon National Historic Park, New Mexico.

Prescott College, Prescott, AZ; 1999-present

Mexican Bird Research

Documented abundance and habitat distribution of marine, estuarine, and terrestrial birds in an ecologically diverse portion of the Central Gulf of California coast in Sonora, Mexico.

Prescott College, Prescott, AZ; 1989-1993

Seabird Conservation Research

Studied the behavior and ecology of Atlantic puffins, arctic terns, and Leach's storm-petrels while attempting to reestablish breeding colonies of these species to offshore islands in Maine, through reintroduction and rearing of wild birds.

National Audubon Society, Medomak, ME; 1978-80

Waterfowl Research

Investigated the courtship behavior and winter ecology of harlequin ducks wintering in northern Puget Sound, and wrote Master's research thesis.

Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA; 1982-83

Environmental Consultant

Founded a private environmental consulting firm and did contract studies of wintering bald eagle populations, in both montane and coastal environments, in relation to proposed developments.

Pacific Northwest Environmental Services, Bellingham, WA; 1985-86

Whale Research

Conducted field research on the population size and structure of bowhead whales as they migrated along the Alaskan arctic coast, and of gray whales as they migrated through the Aleutian Islands.

National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Seattle, WA; 1978-79

Seal Research

Investigated the ecology, behavior, and food habits of harbor seals in Washington State in relation to chemical pollution, as part of Student Originated Studies grant.

National Science Foundation. The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA; 1977-78

Related Experience

Program Director

Co-founded and directed successful nonprofit environmental field school. Responsibilities included initiation, planning and administration of all educational programs (field seminars, college field study programs, teacher workshops, and training seminars for resource managers), teaching, and establishment of cooperative relationships with universities and federal and state agencies.

North Cascades Institute, Sedro Woolley, WA; 1986-88

National Park Ranger (Interpretive Naturalist and Backcountry Ranger)

Designed and presented nature walks and slide programs to national park visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Initiated backcountry interpretive programs to communicate fragility of subalpine environment. Patrolled backcountry and performed on-site interpretation.

North Cascades National Park, Marblemount, WA; 1981-86

Naturalist

Led natural history walks and boat trips, and presented educational slide programs aboard an ecotourism ship along the Pacific coast of Baja California, and on the islands of the Gulf of California.

Clipper Cruise Lines, St. Louis, MO; 1994

Teacher Naturalist

Taught ecological concepts and outdoor skills to 4th-8th grade schoolchildren at a residential outdoor education center. Designed curricula and trained staff.

Otter Lake Conservation School, Greenfield, NH; 1979

Ocean Park Environmental School, Ocean Park, ME; 1976

Forestry Technician

Examined effects of spruce budworm outbreak in Douglas-fir forests of eastern Cascades.

Okanogan National Forest, Twisp, WA; 1977

Citizen Conservationist

Have been an active participant for many years in grassroots environmental politics on local, regional, and national issues. Activities have included preparation of a formal critique of proposed management plan for North Cascades National Park, founding a local county-wide environmental coalition, and testifying at a Congressional hearing on the Arizona wilderness bill.

Sample Work

Singing Stone: A Natural History of the Escalante Canyons.

(University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City 1999.)

The Grace of Animals

ALL NIGHT LONG THE cold wind whistled through the nylon wall, and the sound of whapping cloth insinuated itself into our dreams. Before sleep we had all sprawled on the cold ground, in one of the darkest spots on the continent, dazzled by the spatter of stars. Now we awoke to an uncertain smudge-pot sky. We were camped in the open desert, just beyond the soaring Circle Cliffs, at the point where the dirt road crumbled into nothing. Our daylong trip had ended four miles before planned when we discovered the washed-out road in the dark. Now my coleader, Tim, and I rub the sleep from our eyes as we briskly walk past the dissolved road, seeking landmarks to align the map and the real terrain.

Here we are: the head of Horse Canyon. That gives us three choices. We can try forcing our way through the rough spot?after all, we've got ten college students, theoretically all good van pushers. But with the clouds bunching closer by the minute, we're concerned that we might never get back out. On the other hand, retracing the long drive our sounds very unappealing? repacking all our packs, then meticulously tying them all on the roof again, listening to the grumbles as we crowd back into the van. So we opt for the middle way: we'll hike right here, where fate deposited us ? down Horse Canyon to the river. The only problem is that this is a much longer route, with no water for most of its dozen or more miles. It's time to rally the troops for a more challenging day than anticipated.

The moment we hoist packs, the rain begins. It is four days before fall equinox; this is no spring mist. A horizontal wind slaps wet against us, and the cold stings our faces. Other problems soon become apparent: crippling blisters, forgotten gear, lethargy. It's a long walk, much of it in loose sand. The group's mood is sullen as the sky. Concerned about water, I try to hurry them along, circling back with words of encouragement and offerings of dried fruit. They tolerate me?that's all.

Then comes our first grace: at midday the clouds blow off, like the unfurling of a curtain. We have descended deep within the canyon of burnished Wingate sandstone. The students get their first look at the lovely juxtaposition of red rock and Utah blue sky. Yet if they notice at all, it's to report that they're getting hot. But shedding layers of clothing isn't a real option. The air remains sweatshirt cool even though the sun is out. Several days of rain provide a damp chill to the air. Fast hikers get stiff muscles waiting for stragglers, and slow ones get aggravated when everyone heads out just as they finally limp up.

It's now we receive the second grace of the day.

I round a bend to see one of the students running back toward me: "Tom! You've got to come here, quick!" She signals me forward and points at the wet clay in the wash bottom. Lying there, shivering on the cold mud, is a robin-sized slate-gray bird, with muscular black feet and a broad mouth. In all my years as a naturalist I've never had an encounter like this?a bird on the ground, for the taking. Recalling handling techniques from banding birds two decades earlier, I carefully pick up the bird, nestle its back against my warm palm, and brace its head between my first two fingers. Its eyes glisten with vulnerability and attention, but it remains motionless in my hand.

For the first time all day each of us is transported into the realm of something larger and more mysterious than our own emotions. Thoughts of hurt feet, dry mouths, and martyred leadership all evaporate as we gaze, silently, at the creature in my palm. Though I have studied birds for over twenty years, I am disoriented?who is this? The visceral connection between the bird's fluttering heartbeat and the nerve-tips in my fingers focuses me on this animal as an individual being, not a member of a species. This bird man or woman, stunned by the cold, stares back at me. For five minutes we all watch wordlessly. Then I feel power returning to its long wings. I carefully curl back my fingers and level my hand. The gray bird sits still for a few seconds then suddenly leaps off the ledge of skin and flaps its tall wings?once, twice, three times.

The instant it's in flight I recognize it as one of my favorite canyon birds, a white-throated swift. It circles higher and higher above us. Then, from a nearby cliff, a second swift surges toward the first; they circle together, becoming smaller and smaller, and disappear against the red cliff. The individual being has disappeared completely back into the anonymity of the species. We humans look into each others' eyes, remaining silent for a few seconds, before the questions come tumbling out.

"What was it?"

"Why was it lying on the ground?"

"How did you know what to do?"

I answer as best I can. It's a white-throated swift. I don't have any idea how it ended up on the ground, but once there, it was stuck - swifts are among the most aerial of all birds; they can only take off by launching from a ledge. How did I know what to do? I just followed my instincts, remembering the proper way to hold a bird and watching its eyes very very closely.

We sling our heavy packs back on and resume our gradual movement down the canyon, toward water. But our eyes keep scanning the cliffs for that catapulting flight of swifts. The sky trembles with a new possibility. My fingertips still carry the lingering heartbeat of fear, and the joy of refound freedom.

(pp.44-47)