Meet the Pack: Spring 2026 Contributors
Get to know some of the talented writers and photographers behind the Spring 2026 issue of National Wildlife magazine
- By Laura Tangley and Jennifer Wehunt
- NWF News
- Mar 26, 2026
Clockwise from top left: Nicole J. Caruth (photo courtesy of Nicole J. Caruth), Schaun Champion (photo courtesy of Schaun Champion), Collin O'Mara (photo by NWF), Anne Readel (photo courtesy of Anne Readel)
We are honored to introduce a handful of the contributors who helped make our Spring 2026 issue of National Wildlife® magazine an insightful, inspiring read.
NICOLE J. CARUTH relocated to Baltimore from the Bay Area while working on “Spreading the Joy: Pollinator Gardens Feed Baltimore Ecosystem.” “I got the sense that neighbors take care of neighbors here,” she says, “and urban farming is part of that.” Having just bought their house, “My wife and I had conversations after every reporting visit about possibilities for our little patch of land. The farms gave us ideas for how we could support pollinators in our neighborhood.” A 2025 fellow with both the Pulitzer Center and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Caruth has written for Civil Eats and Inside Climate News. Read more of her work.
SCHAUN CHAMPION didn’t set out to obscure her identity. “I just found common ground with photographers who wanted to remain behind the lens,” says the Baltimore artist and photographer who prefers not to be pictured. “I wanted the work to be about the work.” That includes past efforts for the National Aquarium, Atmos and i-D, as well as “Spreading the Joy: Pollinator Gardens Feed Baltimore Ecosystem.” In visiting urban farms last fall, she especially appreciated “the ability to slow down,” she says. “I had to focus, to be patient, allowing me to see things: the colors, the smell of the goldenrod, all that honey. That was really beautiful.” See more of her work.
COLLIN O’MARA, the National Wildlife Federation’s president and CEO, began his lifelong love of nature as an avid reader of Ranger Rick® magazine in his childhood. Since taking the helm of NWF in 2014, he has been a leading proponent of “big tent” collaborative conservation that unites Americans of all backgrounds to drive durable progress for wildlife conservation, climate action and environmental justice. A respected voice in Congress, O’Mara successfully has advocated for numerous legislative initiatives. When not working, he says, “I’m outdoors hiking, fishing and loving every minute with my wife and three young daughters.” Read his column in this issue.
ANNE READEL, a full-time lawyer, somehow finds time for “writing and photographing on the side,” publishing in diverse outlets, from Smithsonian magazine to Ranger Rick. “I began photography in 2019 and quickly decided I wanted to move beyond simply photographing wildlife to using photos to help conservation efforts,” she says. Readel proposed “Habitat Fit for a Queen Bumble Bee,” after realizing “we don’t focus nearly enough on queen bumble bees, despite the fact that they are the foundation of the colony.” She hopes her story “convinces people that small changes to their yards can have huge impacts on pollinators.” See more of her work.
