nature & environmental writing

Susan M. Brackney pairs professional relationships with climate scientists, entomologists, and others with her own practical experience to deliver environmental coverage readers can really use.

Some areas of Susan’s expertise include:

Nature and conservation

• General species profiles—owls, hawks, and other birds of prey; frogs and toads; common diseases affecting specific wild animal groups; disease mitigation
• Endangered and threatened species issues
• Invasive species —exotic animals and plants; their environmental effects and mitigation
• Citizen science project overviews; interim findings; participation pointers
• Hands-on, how-to activities—recording and photographing wildlife responsibly; finding, sanitizing, and safely dissecting owl pellets; tracking and preserving wild animal prints; etc.

“Greener” living

• Operating zero-waste households
• Canning and preserving veggies and herbs
• Effective, homemade laundry detergent, toothpaste, and household cleaners
• Recycled papermaking
• Greener gift-giving ideas and how-tos

General gardening/homesteading

• Seed starting and plant propagation—scarification, cold stratification, and other seed-starting techniques
• Growing veggies, herbs, and fruits—organic methods; integrated pest management; heirloom varieties
• Marketing and selling homegrown goods
• Greenhouse management and operation
• Composting—setting up a pile from scratch; common composting mistakes; remediating problem piles
• Beekeeping—integrated pest management; Langstroth and other hive configurations
• Keeping chickens

Specialty gardening

• Climate change gardening—xeriscaping; rain gardens; native plantings
• Wildlife attraction—gardening for native species; migratory birds; establishing biohedges and other specialized habitats
• Invertebrate pollinator conservation—plantings for honey bees, native pollinators, and other beneficial and/or threatened insect populations
• Monarch butterflies—establishing habitat; common captive-rearing mistakes; citizen science projects

See some of Susan’s writing samples here.