Ru Mahoney
RU MAHONEY is a freelance Science Impact Producer based in Seattle, WA. She works at the nexus of conservation, education, and storytelling to catalyze interdisciplinary approaches to increasing science literacy and engaging public audiences. Her research on science communication has been supported by the National Science Foundation, and she has been a contributor to Jackson Hole WILD, Science Media Awards and Summit in the HUB, Utah Public Radio, TEDxHunstville, and the National Children's Forest program. Ru is currently a research and impact production consultant on two feature-length documentaries.
3 words to describe Nature?
Primal. Nostalgic. Restorative.
3 things Nature taught you?
That change is inevitable, that those who adapt thrive, and that if you make Nature your home you can be at home anywhere.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Lake Superior is powerful. I spent a lot of summers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. If I could buy a lake cottage tomorrow, it would be somewhere along the coast of Superior.
The west coast of Scotland is stunning. My father's family emigrated from there, so I'm a little biased. But there's a reason the drive from Glencoe to the Isle of Skye is world-famous. I'll keep going back as long as I'm living. It's all my favorite colors and landscapes in a beautiful day's drive. Even if it's cold and rainy, which is often.
Pololu Valley on The Big Island in Hawai`i is worth getting up before dawn for. It's wild north shore waves, stacked mountain cliffs, and moss covered trees all in one. Plus the trail down gives a perfect vantage for watching the sunrise so the sea cliffs slide through gradients of pink and gray light. It's really special.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Dangerously prone to immediate wanderlust.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Present. This is my happy place and where I go if I need clarity and peace.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Insignificant. I recently had the chance to be very close to gushing lava and my reaction was surprisingly visceral. I often feel a sense of belonging to nature. Like it knows me, and if I'm respectful I will be safeguarded. (That's not really true of course, but that feeling makes me careful but brave.) With the lava I felt a strong sense of not belonging. It was an interesting first for me.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Really conscious of time passing, and a determination to make the most of it.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Calm. Happy calm. That might sound counter-intuitive, but I grew up in Florida where thunder was frequent. I think it triggers a sense of nostalgia and well-being for me. It's definitely the best soundtrack to sleep to.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Introspective. Like change might be coming, either outside or inside myself.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mostly forest for sure, but forest near the ocean. The smell of salt in the air is one of those simple things that make me feel grounded and deeply satisfied. I recently moved to the Pacific Northwest and I can't get enough of being near beautiful forests that smell like salt and earth. It's definitely where I feel most like myself.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10! It's an enormous part of my identity and the catalyst for most of my self-knowledge.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
My family spent quite a lot of time outdoors. My parents where both school teachers and we lived out of a van in the summers, usually heading north to the Boundary Waters, into Canada, sometimes taking trains further north when there weren't any roads to take. I didn't know the term "dirtbagger" then, but we were living that lifestyle to the max every summer of my life. It fundamentally shaped who I am.
One summer we were camping near Au Train, MI and there were northern lights. I was pretty young - maybe six or seven? - but I remember my parents waking me up and giving me a big blanket to wrap up in. Then my dad put me up on top of our van and I remember sitting up on the roof watching the aurora and thinking the world was full of magic.
