I am a news reporter, writer and investigative journalist specializing in environment, outdoor and civil rights reporting.

I began my career over 30 years ago as a young teenager in Augusta, GA after moving south during the middle of high school.

In 1986, I was co-coordinator (with Mr. Terence Dicks) of the original James Brown Appreciation Day in Augusta, GA, where the Godfather of Soul was always trashed by the local media who found no reasons to print or report anything positive about the music icon.

I am the volunteer media advisor for three large environmental projects across Michigan's Upper Peninsula including the Earth Keeper Initiative, the Manoomin Project and the Turtle Island Project.

The Earth Keepers and Manoomin Project are the brainchild of Rev. John Magnuson and the Cedar Tree Institute, a Marquette non-profit that has several environment projects involving youth, college students, and American Indian tribes.

The Turtle Island Project was founded in July 2007 by Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard, pastor of Eden on the Bay Lutheran Church in Munising, MI; and Rev. Dr. George Cairns, a research professor of theology for the Chicago Theological Seminary.

The Turtle Island Project promotes respect for the environment and Native American heritage.

The founders of the Turtle Island Project believe Christians - and everyone - can learn a lot about honoring nature from Earth-based cultures including American Indians, the Celts, and groups like the Iona Community in Scotland.

The Earth Keepers group has many environmental projects including an annual Earth Day Clean sweep at two dozen free drop off sites across a 400 mile area of northern Michigan. The target of the 2007 Earth Keeper Pharmaceutical Clean Sweep was all kinds of medicines and over one ton was turned in by the public during a three-hour period including an estimated $500,000 in narcotics.

In 2006, some 10,000 people dropped off over 320 tons of old/broken computers, cell phones and other electronic waste, all of which was recycled. In 2005, residents turned in 45 tons of household poisons and vehicle batteries.

The Manoomin (Wild Rice) Project teaches at-risk teens (just sentenced in juvenile court) to respect nature and themselves by having American Indian guides escort them to very remote lakes and streams in northern Michigan to plant and care for wild rice.

The teens conduct water quality and other tests to determine the best conditions for the once native grain to survive.

I have always specialized in civil rights, outdoor, environmental, cops and courts reporting thanks to my late mentor Jay Mann (Jan Tillman Hutchens), an investigative reporter in Augusta, who lived by the books "Illusions” and “Jonathon Livingston Seagull.”

Quotes to live by from Richard Bach 1977 book "Illusions - The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"

"True family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life.
Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof."

"Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a false messiah."

Earth Keeper founder Rev. Jon Magnuson has created the interfaith Earth Healing Initiative - its first project is helping the EPA and participants promote the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.

The Earth Healing Initiative will be providing faith community volunteers for projects in eight states across the Great Lakes Basin - and the faith communities are encouraging their members to participate in the e-waste and pharmaceutical collections.

In 2007 (for the second year in a row), the Cedar Tree Institute and its Earth Keeper Initiative were named one of the 13 hardest-working faith-based non-profits in America by the Acton Institute and World Magazine.

In 2006, the Earth Keeper Initative and its sister "The Manoomin Project" - both operated by the Cedar Tree Institute - were each declared two of the 15 hardest working faith-based non-profit projects in America by the Acton Institute and World Magazine.