Michelle Nijhuis

Michelle Nijhuis, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Michelle Nijhuis
Freelance Environmental Journalist, www.michellenijhuis.com
Paonia, CO
September 11

We met Michelle at the High Desert Institute for Sustainable Studies, which she co-founded with her husband Jack Perrin. She joined us in the chair circle just outside the newly built cob structure that houses the Institute’s interns, squinting slightly in the hot morning sun. Her left hand was decorated with simple silver bangles and rings, her right hand markedly bare, the sign of a frequent writer.
Michelle Nijhuis has resided in beautiful Paonia, Colorado since 1998. She has been a contributing editor for High Country News, based in her hometown, for many years. She also writes for Smithsonian, and has had work published in a plethora of other prestigious publications, including National Geographic.
Michelle spoke to us about the history of environmental journalism, and helped us develop techniques for writing podcast scripts. Her creativity and excitement shone through as she described to us the thrill of writing “the first draft of history” as a journalist, detailing the unique characters, stories, and issues of the American West. Her creativity and excitement for telling stories surely rubbed off on us, a wonderful thing for us to gain as we head out on our next adventures.

By Molly Simonson