Jay

What does Jay love most about nature?

Jay loves everything that grows and is alive around us. He loves seeing how things have changed and evolved, how animals find their food, their mates, how they raise their babies. How trees and land and waterways and rocks move and shift and change over time. He loves that it is all connected to each other, to us, to earth. There isn’t a plant or creature he doesn’t hold fondness for and want to protect.

What is Jay's favorite animal—and why?

It's hard for him to choose only one. He loves birds—specifically larger ones like ostriches. And he loves turtles, whales, and sharks. For birds, it’s the connection to dinosaurs and the evolutionary pathway to their current status that he loves to research. For sharks and whales, it’s the sheer size and unique qualities they have. Turtles have that same uniqueness he loves, but all have an ancient quality and he loves that.

What is Jay's favorite outdoor activity?

Jay loves to explore. Getting his hands and eyes on anything outdoors is so fun for him. From feeding giraffes to spotting orcas at his grandparents' house. From hiking in mountains and islands, searching for arrowheads in riverbanks, holding and releasing starfish, gathering plants and rocks, making bucket lists of places to see and animals that live there, if he can do it outside, he will choose to. The idea of searching around and exploring a natural area he hasn’t seen before is a thrill.