Welcome to my personal website, and—more specifically—my first blog post on www.kylembrooks.com. At this point in my professional life, I’ve realized that having a personal website is a necessary commodity, and with a new personal website comes new beginnings for blogging.

I’m no stranger to blogging. For seven years (2012-2019) I ran a nature blog called Ohio Nature, which was rebranded in 2017 as On the Subject of Nature. That blog covered everything from short rundowns of common spring wildflowers, to in-depth articles about the geology of famous parks, to explorations of the ethics of nature photography, and more. But after 146 posts and hundreds of thousands of views, that blog fell to the wayside early in 2019. My motivation decided to dry up, and I focused my attention on other outlets.

I’m looking to get back into the world of nature blogging, though. After that unintended, and apparently much needed, year and a half long break, I’m itching to write about the natural world again in my own outlet. I’ve spent the past few months tossing around whether to just start posting again on my Blogspot blog, but decided that since I needed a personal website anyway, I might as well start up again on there! I’m going to take a slightly different approach this time around. This blog will broadly resemble my On the Subject of Nature blog, but with a few key differences.

My Vision for This Blog

I want this blog to be a resource for those interested in the natural world, whether they’re a seasoned naturalist or just someone tangentially interested in nature. I want to dive into more complicated subjects, but present that information in a clear, concise, and approachable way for anyone and everyone.

In addition, I want to begin adding a new dimension into that exploration of the natural world: the human dimension. These human dimensions—people’s values, opinions, and motivations—influence how each person interacts with and experiences the natural world. A fuller view of the natural world requires these factors to be taken into account.

So what kinds of posts can you expect?

• Long-form, in-depth articles about all kinds of nature-related subjects, including wildlife biology, ecology, botany, geology, and more—all while being approachable to the non-scientist.
• Posts including behind-the-scenes looks at the field of environmental sciences; not just what scientists and naturalists have found, but the process to get there and the issues surrounding the field.
• Posts that examine how humans interact with their environment, and how individual values drive that interaction.

What’s Coming Next

Over the next several months, I’ve got a two general kinds of posts planned. I will be transitioning some of my favorite posts from On the Subject of Nature over to this blog. Those posts will be getting updated and expanded before being posted here. In between those posts, I’ll be making new posts. I’ve already got several planned out, so stay tuned for those.

And finally, if you’re one of my long-time readers, thanks so much for following me over to this new platform. I hope you stick around and enjoy the new twist on my content. If you’re a new reader, welcome! I hope you find some interesting nature nuggets and gain a deeper understanding, and hopefully appreciation of our world.

Until then,
– Kyle