Hemlocks to Hellbenders

Christian fell in love with Pennsylvania's parks and forests in 2021 after running a mile in all (then) 121 state parks. He began volunteering with the PA Parks and Forests Foundation and Keystone Trails Association to give back to the outdoor community. However, he wanted to do more.

So, in 2023, he created Hemlocks to Hellbenders to educate people on our incredible public lands, inspire more people to explore our parks and forests and make the outdoors a more welcoming to everyone.

Christian is a former award-winning journalist that's worked in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. In 2024, he received the "Wildlife Conservation Partnership Award" from the PA Outdoor Writers Association for his podcast episode on the Old Growth Forest Network.

Christian lives in Central Pennsylvania with his wife Abby and cats Jack and Walt.