About the Reviewer:
Gary Dutra is a post-bachelor student (senior) in the College
of Education. He is a native Californian who grew up in the
San Francisco Bay Area. He has lived in Arizona for the last
ten years, mostly in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he earned his
bachelor's degree in geography at Northern Arizona University,
and attended graduate school in rural geography. Previously,
he was a wilderness ranger for the United States Forest Service
including the Superstition Wilderness of the Tonto National
Forest in Mesa and Globe Ranger Districts. During the last three
years he has been a substitute teacher in the metropolitan Tucson
region, primarily for grades kindergarten through six. He became
interested in elementary education while assisting elementary
school-aged children to learn about the environment when he
was working as a seasonal ranger in the White Mountains of east-central
Arizona. Track and cross-country were his favorite sports in
high school. He is an avid nature photographer and naturalist.
Presently, he is editing text for a 710 color slide image interactive
CD-ROM of wildlife, plants, and landscape features of Glacier
National Park, Montana. His favorite memories are of summer
vacations with his schoolteacher parents during his childhood,
which inspired him to have a greater respect for nature and
the outdoors. He would like to pass his love of nature and the
outdoors onto the children of the future so that people can
learn to respect and preserve the fragile environment. Singing
songs about nature and the outdoors is one of his favorite hobbies,
especially with elementary school students. He plans to student
teach in sixth grade in Tucson in fall 2000. (April, 2000)