In 1973-74, I was a freshman at Hendrick Hudson High School, in Montrose, New York. My English class was team-taught by Susan Soph and Patricia Krysinski, two young teachers who had moved to the area from Texas. One requirement of their class was that we turn in two handwritten pages of writing every week. It didn't have to be an original piece; their thinking was that even the act of copying two pages of a published work would improve our skills. But I eagerly took on the assignment as an excuse to write more creatively about natural history.
I wrote 23 essays in total, and they're all transcribed here. I've edited them only to correct errors in spelling or punctuation. You won't find any brilliant writing here, but some of it is quite good from the pen of a 14- or 15-year-old.
Here's a list of all the essays in the "Naturalist's Notebook" series:
| 1. A Naturalist's Notebook: September 10, 1973 | 13. Bird Census Report: December 19, 1973 |
| 2. The Arrival of Autumn: September 18, 1973 | 14: Log Cabins: January 2, 1974 |
| 3. Screech Owls and Grackles in Fall: September 26, 1973 | 15: Timber Wolves: January 8, 1974 |
| 4. Autumns Past: October 2, 1973 | 16: Snakes: January 16, 1974 |
| 5. Autumn at Brinton Brook Audubon Sanctuary: October 10, 1973 | 17: Unusual Experiences: January 23, 1974 |
| 6. Harvest Moon: October 18, 1973 | 18: Winter Journal: January 30, 1974 |
| 7. Hiking with Maps: October 24, 1973 | 19: Places to Hike: February 6, 1974 |
| 8. Shatamuc, Part One: November 7, 1973 | 20: Croton Reservoir: February 27, 1974 |
| 9. Shatamuc, Part Two: November 14, 1973 | 21: Early Spring: March 6, 1974 |
| 10. On Barns: November 29, 1973 | 22: A Salute to Spring: March 14, 1974 |
| 11. "Dead" of Winter?: December 5, 1973 | 23: Spring, A Season of Firsts: March 20, 1974 |
| 12: Bird Census: December 12, 1973 |