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I'm a news reporter, writer and investigative journalist specializing in street news, plus Indigenous, civil rights and environment reporting.
From April-June 2009, promoted EarthKeeper Tree Project that planted 12,000 trees across northern Michigan.
Co-edited "Unafraid," second book by Author Joy Ibsen of Trout Creek, MI printed May 2009 based on her father's handwritten sermons she found in shoebox.
Zaagkii Project began second summer in June 2009
Started editing videos for nonprofit Celtic Christianity Today in May 2009.
Began career 35 years ago as teenager in Augusta, GA after moving south during middle of high school.
I was co-coordinator of the 1986 original James Brown Appreciation Day in Augusta, GA, where the Godfather of Soul was always trashed by local media who didn't report anything positive about the music icon.
Mr. Terence Dicks was the other co-coordinator and most recently served as chair of the Augusta Human Relations Commission and still a member of the Georgia Clients Council.
Mr. Brown taught us to "fight the good fight" by battling all forms of racism and evil while not uttering a bad word about those who try to block justice, respect, fairness and kindness to all.
As a child, I lived in the Harbert, Michigan home built by late poet Carl Sandburg, where the legendary author penned some of his greatest works including his Chicago works and Lincoln papers.
The four-story home had a sundeck on the top and a cool walk-in safe in the basement.
The neighborhood (Birchwood) has numerous cottages used for other purposes by Sandburg like the milk house where they milked goats.
When my parents remodeled fourth floor of the home that stands atop the Lake Michigan sand dunes/bluffs.
They found items that belonged to Mr. Sandburg concealed in the walls including prescription bottles with his name, reading glasses, & a small, thin metal stamp with his name.
I've worked for dozens of newspapers and radio and TV stations in GA and MI.
I'm volunteer media advisor for several interfaith environmental projects involving Native Americans across Upper Peninsula of MI including the Turtle Island Project, The Zaagkii Project, the Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative, EarthKeeper Initiative and the Manoomin (Wild Rice) Project.
The new three-year Zaagkii Wings and Seeds Project is restoring bee and butterfly habitat to help pollination of plants following death of billions of bees.
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community youth & Marquette teens built butterfly houses and planted 26,000 native plants that help pollinators survive.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
EHI helped organize interfaith participation across eight states for the 100 plus recycling projects (April 2008) involving recycling millions of pounds of electronic waste & proper disposal of millions of pills/pharmaceuticals.
EPA goals were exceeded by 500%. Under an EPA grant, EHI provided free media services for the cities/groups/tribes including videos & press releases.
The EarthKeeper environment projects include an annual Earth Day Clean Sweep (2005-2007) at 24 free drop off sites across a 400 mile area of northern Michigan that collected over 370 tons of household hazardous waste.
The 2007 EarthKeeper Pharmaceutical Clean Sweep collected over one ton of drugs plus $5000,000 in narcotics in only three hours. Some 2,000 residents participated and many brought in pharmaceuticals for their family, friends and neighbors.
In 2006, 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 teens to respect nature & themselves by having American Indian guides escort them to remote lakes and streams in northern Michigan to plant/care for wild rice.
The teens test water quality to determine the best conditions for the once native grain to survive.
The Turtle Island Project was co-founded in July 2007 by Rev. Lynn Hubbard of Rock Point, AR (named Ex. Dir. of the Navajo Lutheran Mission in April 2009) and Rev. Dr. George Cairns of Chesterton, IN, United Church of Christ minister & research professor for the Chicago Theological Seminary.
TIP promotes respect for culture and heritage of indigenous peoples like American Indians.
TIP is a platform for American Indians to be heard unedited by whites .
Rev. Hubbard says whites don't have the knowledge or right to speak on behalf of Native Americans.
I specialize 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" & "Jonathon Livingston Seagull."
Love to fish, hunt, camp & skydive. Belong to Delta Chi national fraternity.
I was very active in student projects: Junior Achievement, band (played cornet), cross country, track, football.