Your Knowledge is Their Existence
Karl grew up tromping around the hills and rivers outside his family’s back door in rural northern Michigan. Throughout high school and college he funded his extracurricular adventures working as a first mate on a salmon boat, a fly fishing, canoeing, and hunting outfitter and guide, and as a consultant during the development of wildlife management and research programs. Karl’s interest in nature, conservation, wildlife, and protected area management led him to study the role of nature reserves in harboring large carnivores in southwestern China for his PhD in Wildlife Ecology, which he completed in 2011 through a joint appointment with the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
Karl’s professional interests include ecological research, applying science to natural resource management, and promoting the connections between people and the natural world. He has taught about the relationships among humans, wild land, and wildlife in the U.S. and abroad, and has developed and hosted international conservation workshops for global business leaders, conservationists, and political leaders. Karl’s writing and photography have appeared in various outlets including Natural History Magazine, Backcountry Journal, The Pope and Young Ethic, Ruffed Grouse Society Magazine, Trout Magazine, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Bugle. Karl also hosted a 2013 television series, Invasion, featured on the Animal Planet Network. In his free time Karl, his wife Shoshana, and their daughter Clara enjoy exploring wild spots off the beaten path with their bird dogs, fly rods, and backpacks.