Jon Schwedler

Hi, I'm Jon Schwedler (aka The GreenNeck), Sierra Sportsmen Organizer. As someone who has fished since he could walk, I'm thrilled to be your host for Sierra Sportsmen.

I grew up in Maryland, a state blessed with many kinds of water (and thus many different kinds of fishing). I fished the fresh water of the upper Potomac River; the brackish arms of the Chesapeake Bay; and from the ocean beaches of the Eastern Shore. I wasn't above lining for blue crab with chicken necks, either. In fact, those are some of my fondest family memories.

Growing up in Maryland it was hard not to be acutely aware of the health of the environment. The Chesapeake Bay dominates the state and its history- 95% of the state lies within the Bay watershed. Yet the Bay is not what it once was.

In colonial times Captain James Cook (the fellow rumored to have been saved from execution by Pocohontas) wrote of catching dinner by dipping a frying pan into the Chesapeake. Today, in contrast, the area's largest seafood chain gets its crabs from Thailand instead of the Bay, and there is serious talk of introducing a non-native oyster to replace the anemic population of once bountiful native oysters.

The story of the Chesapeake Bay is the shameful story of what happens to a natural resource when conservation is not a priority. The devastation isn't just ecological; it's shattering economically and culturally, too. So growing up, my love for playing in the outdoors was balanced by a very real sense it also needs to be cared for.

I attended college along the Chesapeake at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and kicked around a bit after I graduated. I sold kites; I worked in a bone marrow clinic; I became a retirement specialist at a financial institution.

But my path was eventually drawn home to conservation. I was with The Nature Conservancy of Maryland for a handful of years, then made a big move out West to a carnivore conservation group in Montana, and more recently worked on cougar and jaguar conservation in the Southwest.

Along my travels I've been blessed to hunt and fish in some of the most incredible country our nation has to offer. Not bad.

Today I live in New Mexico with my wife and young son (middle name Orion, "the hunter"). Locally I am active on the board of the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation (started by one Aldo Leopold) and the Tijeras Canyon Safe Passage Project. Every now and then I sneak out to catch a side of rugby with the local team.

As Sierra Sportsmen Organizer, I've got the best job in the world. I am working to build a community of conservation-minded sportsmen who will make the difference for our wildlife, wild country, and our (wild) kids who will inherit this beautiful planet.

I invite you to join me in this effort. Please feel free to cast me a line whenever at jon.schwedler@sierraclub.org with your outdoor stories, tips, and ideas how we can build this community together, and I'll keep you in the loop as we get rolling.

Yours in the Field,

Jon Schwedler
Sierra Sportsmen Organizer
Albuquerque, New Mexico
jon.schwedler@sierraclub.org
505-903-7287