Category: People

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Sacred Mountains and a Beautiful Spirit

Teton Range, Teton National Park, Courtesy US NPS, J Tobiason, Photographer
Teton Range, Teton National Park
Courtesy US NPS, J Tobiason, Photographer
I collapsed in a tangled heap of rope at my campsite in the Teton’s North Fork of Cascade Canyon after summiting the Grand Teton. I was alone, unprepared, but couldn’t resist the summit climb. Why would someone of normal mind risk life and limb for such a foolhardy venture? Since that climb, I’ve summited many Utah peaks and others- including Mt. Rainier and Mt. Whitney.

Road to Denali, Courtesy US NPS-Denali NP (Flickr), Tim Rains, Photographer
Road to Denali
Courtesy US NPS-Denali NP (Flickr), Tim Rains, Photographer
“I climb because it’s there.” George Mallory’s 1923 response to “Why do you wish to climb Mt. Everest?”

Robin Pendery Climbing, Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International
Robin Pendery Climbing
Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International

Robin Pendery Overlooking Mountains, Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International Robin Pendery Overlooking Mountains
Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International

Robin Pendery in Powder, Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International Robin Pendery in Powder
Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International

Robin Pendery on Skis, Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International Robin Pendery on Skis
Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International

Robin Pendery on the Mountain, Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International Robin Pendery on the Mountain
Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International

Denali West Buttress Showing Camps, Courtesy US NPS Denali West Buttress Showing Camps
Courtesy US NPS

If you were to ask this question to the late 33-year-old Robin Pendery, my former Logan High student, dear friend, and world class climber, she may have used more descriptive terms. Robin was a very bright, boundless energy student engaged in several clubs for which I was faculty advisor. Our world always brightened with Robin’s presence.

A few days ago, when I received news of Robin’s death from plunging into a crevasse on Mt. Denali, North America’s highest, I was crushed. How could someone so vibrant, so young, so skilled and giving to all who knew her, have perished? My heart immediately went out to Kim and Bruce, Robin’s parents and dear friends of many years, who proudly kept me posted on Robin’s remarkable achievements.

A torrent of condolences and memories poured in on social media. I’ll share a few.

“Robin was my guide for several climbs early in my mountaineering career and she helped shape who I am in the mountains.”
“Tough, kind, capable, and always so stoked. Giving me confidence that women not only had a place in this world but could be leaders…this is heartbreaking.”

“I can’t hold back my tears. She was the one who presented me with my Denali Pro Patch last year, and she was one of the Denali Rangers I admired and respected the most.”

I believe Robin and I climbed for many of the same reasons: physical challenge, the spiritual high in accomplishing our goal, comradery, the incomparable, exhilarating beauty of high places, breathing in the rarified high-altitude air, dancing around crevasse-riddled glaciers, experiencing unrivaled sunrise and sunset.

I spent two seasons working in Denali National Park, occasionally finding time to ride the bus to mile 80 where one could view this mountain massif reflected in Wonder Lake, but no time nor money for this very demanding climb. Mt. Rainer in Washington state is another epic mountain Robin and I share, where one of my sons missed being swept away by an avalanche.

Both mountains hold the minds and hearts of millions from afar. “Is the mountain out today?” A phrase often heard in Seattle, Washington and Anchorage, Alaska, gladdening the heart when these lofty peaks appear above the clouds.

Both are considered sacred by numerous native tribes, their words translating to “The Great One”.

Henceforth, I will never view these iconic monuments of nature the same, adding my own sacred, shrouded in our dear Robin Pendry’s beautiful spirit.

This is Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society and I’m Wild about our sacred mountains, and the beautiful spirit that resides there.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Alpine Ascents International, Jonathon Spitzer, Director of Operations
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections and
Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman.
Text & Voice: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading Links: Jack Greene & Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Wild About Utah Pieces by Jack Greene, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

Alaska’s News Source Facebook Presence, https://www.facebook.com/AlaskasNewsSource/posts/new-a-photo-released-by-the-national-park-service-shows-robin-pendery-middle-bei/1442297047942358/ (Read some of the comments– Not the McKinley vs Denali ones, but some who knew her.)

Robin’s page with Alpine Ascents International, https://www.alpineascents.com/guides/robin-pendery/

Alaska ranger dies in crevasse fall on North America’s tallest mountain, AP News, June 5, 2026,
https://apnews.com/article/mckinley-denali-alaska-ranger-dead-mountaineering-8012e601e02f26f557a9e154191065ee

Vigdor, Neil, Park Ranger Dies After Falling Into a Crevasse on Mt. McKinley, The New York Times, June 5, 2026,
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/us/national-park-service-ranger-dead-mount-mckinley.html

Romero, Dennis, National Park mountain guide dies in fall on Mount McKinley, NBC News, June 5, 2026, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/national-park-mountain-guide-dies-fall-mount-mckinley-rcna348749

Images include Robin with coworkers and plane to basecamp, Field Report – May 25, 2026, https://www.nps.gov/dena/blogs/field-report-may-25-2026.htm

Robin Pendery, NWAC–Northwest Avalanche Center, nwacus on Instragram, June 5, 2026, https://www.instagram.com/p/DZOUuTsgD60/

Denali Mountaineering Part 1: Planning Considerations, https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/expeditionplanning.htm
Mountaineering: https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/mountaineering.htm

A New Identity [and Altitude] for Denali, TERA, NASA’s Earth Observatory, https://terra.nasa.gov/news/a-new-identity-for-denali

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Participate in the Junior Duck Stamp Program

Two Mallards Flying from Forest Street, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Courtesy US FWS, Sheryl Ritter, Photographer
Two Mallards Flying from Forest Street
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Courtesy US FWS,
Sheryl Ritter, Photographer
Dr. Joseph Kozlowski
Last month, I ran a segment on how students engaging in nature-related art helps them develop appreciation and awareness for the natural world around them. Today, I am joined by Gabby Johnson, who works for the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, who is here to share her experience leading the Utah Junior Duck Stamp Contest, which encourages just that kind of nature and art appreciation.

So thank you, Gabby, for being here with us. Do you mind jumping right into a little bit of the history of this program?

Gabby Johnson
Yeah. Thank you so much for having me.

The Junior Duck Stamp Program is part of the Federal Duck Stamp Program, which started in 1934 when Congress passed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act. Every waterfowl hunter 16 and older is required to purchase a federal duck stamp each year they hunt. Since 1934, sales from federal duck stamps have helped conserve more than six million acres of wildlife habitat. Ninety-eight cents of every duck stamp dollar goes to purchasing or leasing wetlands and wildlife habitat, and the art featured on the duck stamp is chosen every year in the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest.

In 1989, the Junior Duck Stamp Program started. This program gives students the opportunity to learn about conservation and submit a waterfowl painting or drawing into the Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest. After the state-level competitions, the art is judged at the national level, and the winning art is made into the Junior Duck Stamp, which sells for $5 to support conservation education.

Dr Joseph Kozlowski
Six million acres, that’s incredible. It makes me think of that saying I’ve heard, hunting is conservation, and it’s neat to see those two communities work together to support wildlife in this sense in wetlands.

So what about a basic overview of how people might be able to participate in this program?

Gabby Johnson
Yeah. All students from kindergarten through 12th grade, whether in a public, private, charter, or homeschool are welcome to participate in the Junior Duck Stamp Program. Each state holds their own Junior Duck Stamp Contest. In Utah, the deadline to submit art each year is March 1st.

Students participating in the program learn about North American waterfowl, including ducks, geese, and swans, and the importance of wetland habitat to these animals. Students share what they’ve learned during classroom discussions, research, and planning through both the artwork and a written conservation message. There are some contest rules to keep in mind, like specific paper size, and ensuring there’s no writing on the front of the artwork. For educators interested in getting involved, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge has a variety of materials to support you. Educators can reach out about in-class programming, field trips at the refuge, or rentable art supplies and curriculum guides.

Dr Joseph Kozlowski
And I know personally as a educator who has done this program with my students, you’ve been incredibly helpful to staff at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in supporting me in getting the resources and submitting artwork in the correct way, so thank you.

What about the impact you’ve seen from participation in this program?

Gabby Johnson
Yeah, one of my favorite parts of working on this program has been getting to read the student conservation messages. Through learning about waterfowl and wetlands, creating their artwork, and taking time to write about conservation, students recognize the important role wetlands play in our environment and the ways they can have a role in conservation, and that’s clear through their conservation messages.

This year, our conservation message winner was Jason Deacon. He’s 11 years old, and his message was, for future inspiration, utilize smart conservation.

Dr Joseph Kozlowski
I think it’s so important definitely here in Utah where we face these real water questions and water conservation issues to get kids thinking at a young age how they can be aware and thoughtful of some of those practices and ideas.

Well, finally, Gabby, what excites you personally about this program?

Gabby Johnson
I think the lasting impact this program can have on students is the most exciting part of the program to me. When there’s a positive experience associated with learning about waterfowl, wetlands, and the local environment as a student, the hope is that the value for these resources for students increases, and they make decisions in the future that reflect that care and value.
Dr Joseph Kozlowski
Well, personally, I’m awfully grateful for this program. My students have been doing this for a couple years now, and as our implementation of this program gets better and better each year, I can see that lasting impact in their knowledge and their understanding of conservation and wetlands, so I thank you, Gabby, for being here, and to all you educators and families out there, I encourage you, get your kids involved, encourage them to try to participate in this Junior Duck Stamp Contest, and I think you’ll see a lot of benefits in their learning and appreciation for the world around us.
Dr Joseph Kozlowski & Gabby Johnson
So I’m Dr. Joseph Kozlowski.
I’m Gabby Johnson.

And we’re wild about outdoor education in Utah.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer, Used by Permission
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver
Text:     Audio converted to text using Otter.ai, Speakers: Joseph Kozlowski, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University https://edithbowen.usu.edu/ Gabby Johnson, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, US Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear-river-migratory-bird
Additional Reading Links: Joseph Kozlowski & Lyle Bingham

Additional Reading:

Joseph (Joey) Kozlowski’s pieces on Wild About Utah:

Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University, https://edithbowen.usu.edu/

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear-river-migratory-bird
https://www.facebook.com/BearRiverMBR/

Junior Duck Stamp, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, https://www.fws.gov/program/junior-duck-stamp/junior-duck-stamp-contest-information

Junior Duck Stamp Gallery, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/junior-duck-stamp-gallery

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Milking Cows – Then and Now

Holstein Milk Cow with Calf Courtesy Pixabay, ElseMargariet, Contributor
Holstein Milk Cow with Calf
Courtesy Pixabay, ElseMargariet, Contributor

Ice Cream Cone Courtesy Pixabay, Sylvia Emilie, Contributor
Ice Cream Cone
Courtesy Pixabay, Sylvia Emilie, Contributor
When I moved to Mendon in 1980, a neighbor asked me if I’d like to go along with her to feed calves at a local dairy farm. I jumped into her car and off we went.

When the calves saw us coming, holding bottles full of warm milk, they let out what sounded to me like joyous noise. And once the calves got hold of the three-inch nipples, they sucked with so much enthusiasm that I had a hard time hanging on to the bottle.

I found the whole experience deeply satisfying, and even a bit romantic. In no time I found my own job feeding calves and doing the morning milking at a small dairy farm in Benson.

By the 1980s most dairies came equipped with vacuum-powered suction cups that imitated the squeeze of a hand milker. My job was to let in five cows on each side of what we now call the milking parlor, and tug on the rope that drops some tasty grain into each cow’s feed bowl.Then I washed the teats with the warm water hose and attached the suction cups.

All the cows had names, and I soon learned them by their udders. This made it a bit awkward later when I had to go find a cow that the vet wanted to see. I had to walk through the herd, bent over the waste, peeking under the cows until I found the right udder.

All this was over 40 years ago, so you can imagine how I perked up when I heard that some of the valley dairies were switching to robot milkers. I jumped at the chance to visit USU’s new robotic setup.

Each of the cows at the USU dairy farm was wearing an ID necklace, so when she stepped into the milking chute, the robot knew exactly who was there. Immediately, the precise amount of grain she was allotted dropped into the feed bowl.

The robot moved under her udder and went to work. With the aid of its camera the robot scrubbed each teat between its wet rotating bristle brushes. The robot then realigned itself and raised a suction cup up and attached to the teat. Three more realignments, and soon all four suction cups were attached and milking the cow.

The robot was reporting its progress on a screen diagram documenting the exact amount of milk coming out of each teat. The computer was clicking along, not only reporting the cow’s performance, but also comparing it to the previous day’s. Any unexpected measurements, and the computer shot off a message to the manager’s computer telling him he better check on that cow.

I must admit I was a bit dazzled by the efficiency of the whole set up. Looking around the milking chute, I could see five cows milling around the entrance to the chute patiently waiting their turn to get milked.

Most cows voluntarily came through the chute three times a day. The top cow was currently giving 17 gallons of milk a day.

Every Monday morning, Aggie Ice Cream sends its milk truck to the USU Dairy to pick up its weekly allotment of 9000 pounds of milk.

For those of us whose happy place is Aggie Ice Cream, we now know that the journey of milk from the cow to the ice cream cone begins out on the highway near Wellsville, where two robots are milking 45 Jerseys and 65 Holsteins.

This is Mary Hears, and I’m wild about Utah.

Credits:

Images Courtesy Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/photos/ice-cream-summer-cornet-cone-scoop-770994/
https://pixabay.com/photos/calf-cow-moederzorg-cows-meadow-5047986/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Freesound, https://freesound.org/people/spurioustransients/sounds/513565/?#comments & Anderson, Howe & Wakeman,
Text: Mary Heers, https://cca.usu.edu/files/awards/art-and-mary-heers-citation.pdf
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah, Mary Heers’ Postings

Aggie Ice Cream, https://www.usu.edu/aggieicecream/

Teichert, Bronson, Dairy Robotics and Economics: New Milking Barn at USU Changes More Than Equipment,S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Utah State University, https://qanr.usu.edu/cultivate/spring18/dairy-robotics

From Cow to Cone: Utah State University, Holstein Association USA, Inc.

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Nature and Art

Mallard Drake Bird Guide Card, Student Art from Second Grade, Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
Mallard Drake
Bird Guide Card
Student Art from Second Grade,
Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

Dark-Eyed Junco Bird Guide Card, Student Art from Second Grade, Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer Dark-Eyed Junco
Bird Guide Card
Student Art from Second Grade,
Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

As an educator focused on outdoor experiential learning, I’m always looking for ways to integrate nature’s aesthetic beauty into my teaching. Aldo Leopold wrote, “Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language.” This quote epitomizes some of my own progression with noticing, with understanding quality, and with art. As someone, who, throughout life has dodged the necessity to engage in art, I would have never thought that my love for birds and my increased awareness of them, would one day help me appreciate the capacity for anyone, even an untrained artist like myself, to enjoy and value art.

I try to foster this appreciation for art through a routine and rigorous integrated series of bird sketches and colored pencil drawings with my second-grade students at Edith Bowen Laboratory School. Students study a unique bird species each week, and as a culminating artifact, create a Bird Guide Card. On this card they record the bird sound, size, habitat and an interesting fact. Additionally, they carefully sketch, color, and label notable identifying characteristics of the bird. This artistic portion of the week’s lesson has so many powerful learning benefits that I’ve seen develop in the kids.

First and foremost, students’ attention to detail is greatly enhanced. In the beginning of the year, students’ birds have an oval body, wings outstretched like an airplane’s, two stick legs dangling down like two grandfather clock pendulums, and a pointy triangle beak. However, as their perception of detail increases over the year, they begin to notice the subtle details that in fact, provide insight to the scientific principles of life; such as the change in angle after the hinge-like joints midway through a bird’s wing, the different textures of flight-feathers vs. down-feathers, or the various structures and shapes of beaks based on what diet is of primary concern.

Second, students’ patience and attentiveness in increased, which I think we can all agree are much needed traits in this world. Students who were so eager to outline a bird sketch and then scribble it with color at the beginning of the year, now are seen fastidiously sketching and erasing, thoughtfully blending various colors, and even seeking counsel from other classmates on whether this or that tweak would improve their artistic masterpiece.

Finally, I have seen my students develop an appreciation for diversity in peer artwork. Let’s face it, some people have a natural artistic proclivity, and some have to work a bit harder. However, my students no longer giggle or make snide comments about bad art. Instead, I hear kids say things like “Wow, Jim! That’s your best bird yet! I love the way you did the feet!” or “You got the colors just right on the tail feathers, Emily!” Instead of seeing students as bad artists, they respect their contribution and acknowledge beauty in various forms.

So I challenge you. Grab a pencil, paper, eraser, and colored pencils. Find a picture on the internet of a bird you’ve seen in the last week, and then zoom in! Start with a pencil sketch. Look for detail, notice, wonder. Try to capture those observations in your sketch. Then, move to colored pencils and attempt to shade, color, and blend until you’ve represented what you want. I hope you find, like I have, that whatever turns out, whether you realize you’re the next John James Audubon or your bird looks more like something that came straight out of Sesame Street, you will have entered a special thinking place where your focus on nature’s beauty enhances your ability to perceive quality.

I am Dr. Joseph Kozlowski, and I am Wild About Outdoor Education in Utah.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer, Used by Permission
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver and including contributions from Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman.
Text:     Joseph Kozlowski, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University https://edithbowen.usu.edu/
Additional Reading Links: Joseph Kozlowski & Lyle Bingham

Additional Reading:

Joseph (Joey) Kozlowski’s pieces on Wild About Utah:

Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University, https://edithbowen.usu.edu/