Author: James Edward Mills

Commentary / 06.10.2015

The presence of cows only made the experience more surreal. But I suppose one should expect nothing less while fishing along the banks of a Wisconsin trout stream. On the last day of the season in 2015 my friend and guide Craig Amacker deftly cast his line over a narrow bend of the Blue River. It was a Wednesday morning in September and we each relished our good fortune to have chosen professions that encouraged us to play in the middle of the work week. As the river curved...

Adventure Activism, An American Ascent, Charitable Giving, Diversity, Film preview, Madison / 28.09.2015

After almost a year of festival screenings around the country I’m very excited to announce that our film on Expedition Denali called An American Ascent is finally coming to Madison. Hosted by Edgewood College in the Anderson Auditorium on October 17, 2015 at 7PM I’ll share this documentary film that details the first team of African-American climbers to attempt a summit of the highest peak in North America. And like the expedition itself this event aims to encourage a new generation of young people to become involved in...

Adventure Activism, Charitable Giving, Fly Fishing, Outdoor Recreation, People with disabilities / 25.09.2015

United States Army Captain Michael Luckett, Retired smiled with eager anticipation. Holding a fly fishing rod for the first time he was thrilled by the prospects casting a line on a pristine Colorado trout stream. “I’ve been waiting to do some fly fishing for a very long time,” he said. “I’ve seen it and I don’t know how people actually catch fish like that. It just really interests me.” Though his eyes were covered by dark sunglasses and shaded beneath the brim of a truckers caps neither could hide his...

Adventure Activism, Destinations, Environmental Journalism, Outdoor Recreation, River Restoration, Trust For Public Land / 14.09.2015

Early on a Saturday morning I woke up near Atlanta, Georgia. The sun had not yet risen and I lay there in the dark hotel room searching in vain for an excuse not to go. Scheduled to do a presentation at the Decatur Book Festival in just a few hours paddling the Chattahoochee River should have been the last thing on my mind. But once again circumstances had conspired to create just the right window of opportunity to get there and back with time to spare. In fact...

Commentary, Destinations, Diversity, Fly Fishing, Kids in Nature, National Parks, Outdoor Recreation, Social Media / 02.09.2015

As summer draws to a close across North America I have noticed something most profound. After more than 20 years as a professional in the outdoor recreation industry I’ve begun to see more people of color than ever before venturing out into the natural world. This is of course an anecdotal observation base not in fact. But the depth and volume of stories and photographs posted to social media reveals to me that things have indeed changed. I am both encouraged and inspired by the bold exciting ways...

Adventure Activism, Diversity, Environmental Justice, High Country News, Interview, Sierra Club / 29.08.2015

Raised during the height of the civil rights and environmental justice movements, Aaron Mair, the recently elected president of the Sierra Club, is a force of social change to be reckoned with. His pedigree as an advocate for the preservation of natural spaces and for equal access to public land spans decades. And as the first African-American president in the club’s history, Mair aims to address critical socio-economic issues often neglected by the conservation community. An expert in spatial epidemiology with a degree in Southwest Asian and North African...