Hello!
Dillon here. It’s been a while, but I’m thrilled to be sending you this announcement.
Its time for the next chapter for Learn Adventurously. I’m diving in full-time! In this email, I want to give you (and over 2000 other nature nerds!) a brief explanation for the radio silence the last 6 months and hint at what I have store for Learn Adventurously.
I also summarize everything in this 11 minute YouTube video
I sent my last email to this listserv on May 18th, 2024. 6 months ago.
I wish I could say there was a tragic email glitch or that I’ve been in your spam folder, but the reality is far simpler. I take a giant and sudden step back from everything Learn Adventurously, so that I could finish my Master’s research. I startedLearn Adventurously during graduate school in 2021. Since then, my time has been torn between creating the best educational resources for professional nature nerds and finishing my Master’s research.
Eventually, I hit a breaking point. I wasn’t making the progress I wanted on either obligation and had to make a decision. The Master’s had a finish line, but Learn Adventurously does not. I chose to drop absolutely everything that wasn’t related to my thesis. In July, I defended my Master’s Thesis on inferring geographic regions for the worlds turtles according to their evolutionary history.
You can read my thesis here, but you may be wondering: If I had finished my thesis in July, why haven’t I sent anything until November?
Two big reasons.
2 weeks after my Masters, I moved across the country from San Diego, California to North Carolina and did a seasonal gig building trails in Southern Appalachia. I’ve been planning this move for some time now. Its not for a job, its not for more grad school, and its not for any particularly rational reason.
I moved to North Carolina because it is the Salamander capital of the world.
I wanted to live somewhere with the type of nature I deeply cherish, and exist alongside my favorite group of organisms!
This move also aligns with my larger goals for Learn Adventurously.
It will help me achieve the plan that crystalized during a winter cabin-stay in East Texas years ago.
A plan that i’ve been working towards for all these years.
A plan that ill reveal in a follow up email in a few weeks 😉
But, lets talk about the present!
My field gig ended last week. I had a fantastic time working for the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards and I took that time away to recalibrate, to really think about the future of Learn Adventurously, and to prepare myself for this next step.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be highlighting an individual piece of the Learn Adventurously puzzle. We’ve done a lot in 3 years, and I want to give each portion the attention it deserves.
If you’re new to these newsletters, my goal is to make them informative, brief, and personal. I’m working on getting the past newsletters up on the website (as well as many updates). Ill send you a link when its up!
I want to take the time to thank you for being here, and for being part of this journey. I’ve been an nature educator for over a decade now, yet the community that has come around Learn Adventurously has been incredible.
I’m beyond excited to get started—and I’m grateful to have you along for this new chapter of Learn Adventurously!
Talk soon,
Dillon
P.S. If you have any feedback, hit reply and let me know! I’d love to hear how Learn Adventurously can help you, understand the world around us