Outdoor Science

Steve Rich writes books based on his experiences as an educator, nature enthusiast, animal lover, and as a father. Dr. Rich has been published by NSTA Press, NSTA Kids, and Carson-Dellosa. His earliest work, The Migration of Monty Stevens, was first published in condensed form by the University of Alabama Integrated Science Program. His mother often tells the story of finding frogs, snakes, lizards, and turtles resting peacefully in the bottom drawer of a chest of Steve's clothes in his childhood bedroom. Steve grew up with the animals he collected and with his sister - where his favorite outdoor adventures were arriving by boat on Georgia's barrier islands leaving the first footprints of the day on the beach. He uses simple objects like bird feathers, egg shells, and bugs to heighten interest in science and nature - and to share his love of learning. Some call him Georgia's "butterfly man" because of his "love affair" with the Monarch butterfly and his passion for restoring habitats for butterflies and other pollinators. In the spring of 2013, Steve was instrumental in helping former First Lady Rosalynn Carter establish the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail, a series of butterfly gardens in Plains, GA, at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. Together with Steve and the National Park Service, Mrs. Carter planned the first garden on the trail which is at the Carter's home. Steve captures the story of how the trail began in his NSTA Kids book, Mrs. Carter's Butterfly Garden - a 2016 Children's Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children.