Remote Footprints operates as a branch of Coastal Plains Institute, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. We are based in North Florida but our scope is nationwide. Remote Footprints is an idea rooted in our concern for both the diminishing remoteness of the natural landscape and the mental and physical health of a culture farther and farther removed from the natural world. Through our activities, we hope to contribute to wilderness preservation by inspiring people and facilitating deeper relations between people and wildlands.
Ryan is a wildlife ecologist, naturalist, and outdoor explorer. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Zoology and Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida. As a wildlife ecologist, his research interests include herpetology and developing conservation strategies for imperiled wild lands and wildlife (see www.coastalplains.org). As naturalist and outdoor explorer, Ryan has journeyed through many iconic wild areas of our planet including the Outback of Australia, the Amazon basin and Guyana Shield of South America, the American West, and to what may be his favorite—the Alaskan wilderness. Ryan continually rejuvenates his vitality and well-being through frequent forays or all-out expeditions into wild areas. One of his greatest desires in life is to help others establish their own connection with the natural world.
Rebecca is a wildlife ecologist with a passion for wildlife, outdoor adventure, and food. She has a B.S. degree in both Wildlife Ecology and in Biology from Virginia Tech and an M.S. degree in Forestry from Texas A&M. Rebecca has worked with wildlife ranging from fire ants to the Florida panther but her expertise is with the amphibians that inhabit temporary wetlands. Rebecca’s love for adventure has led her backpacking all over the U.S. and beyond — from Florida to California, Costa Rica to Thailand. She loves how traveling changes her perspective on life and what is really important and she loves the feeling of waking up in a new place and knowing everything she really needs is right there in her tent (or tied up in a not-so-nearby tree). Rebecca has always loved interacting with people and one of her great desires is to help families explore their potential for outdoor adventure.
Skyla is our amazing, inquisitive daughter, born on a winter morning in 2009. She has camped and hiked from Maine to Florida and as far west as Arizona…or California if womb-adventures count. She has accompanied us on field work all over the wilder parts of Florida, playing in wetlands as we go. She has taught us that we as a family are limited only by our imagination - she is game to do just about anything!