Portfolio
This page samples my versatile writing, drawing on work done as a local reporter, a public historian, and an essayist.
Local Reporting and Storytelling
Going for a triple win with Farm to School programs
Schools win, kids win, and farmers and communities win with fresh, local food from thriving Farm to School programs
Amy Nelson
Rewards and Challenges of Local Sourcing — Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland
Since opening in 2015, Farmstrong Brewing Company in Mount Vernon has kept its approach to beer-making simple and direct as reflected in its motto: Grown Here, Malted Here, Brewed Here. Such a statement celebrates Skagit’s agricultural community and commits the brewery to the local economy. However
Guest User
Still on the Trail of the Common Good
How public lands retirees use their experience to protect the nation’s legacy
Panning for local history gold at Darrington Ranger Station | HeraldNet.com
In assembly line fashion, historians meticulously sifted through photos, letters and records that could be headed for federal archives.
Local News
Public History (features and commentaries)
- “On This Disputed River, Progress May Mean a Return to the Past.” Smithsonian Magazine, May 25, 2023.
Op-Ed: How the U.S. came to protect the natural world — and exploit it at the same time
One 1872 U.S. law aimed to preserve the natural world, establishing Yellowstone park. The other, the General Mining Act, sacrificed public lands.
Adam M. Sowards
The Slaughter of Elk at Yellowstone National Park - JSTOR Daily
And how it changed Park Service policy.
Elizabeth Winterhalter
America’s National Parks Were Never Wild and Untouched | Essay | Zócalo Public Square
In 1872, Congress created the first national park, Yellowstone, so that its scenic features would be “dedicated and set apart as a public park or
Adam M. Sowards
Essays
- "Seeking Elk," South Dakota Review, no. 3 (2024): 92–98.
Adam M. Sowards — Barzakh
Wild Times
Barzakh Mag
Issue 23: Gallery 2
- "Stones in a Stream," Talking River Review, Issue 53 (Fall 2022): 125
