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Musings and Explorations
M&Ms and Gratitude
Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park. February 13, 2026. PC: Jennifer Knauer One week ago I had the honor of attending the premiere of Damon Ristau’s documentary film To Kill a Mermaid: The Linnea Mills Story . Jenn and I arrived in Montana a few days early and visited the deceptively serene shores of Lake MacDonald in Glacier National Park, where my beloved daughter Linnea was killed. When we arrived the lake was calm with a perfect reflection of the mountains and peals of c
Tink Bwain, Tink!
Six-year-old Linnea helping with my snowshoe hare research When my daughter Linnea was about two and rambling fast through a story of friends and places and activities, she would sometimes stop, scrunch her face with thought, gently tap her temple with her knuckles, flash her clever smile, and firmly implore her memory to recall the factual detail: “Tink Bwain, Tink!” . As a scientist and university prof, this Linneaism would make my heart soar as much as it cracked me up. Sh
I am writing a very different kind of book….
Tiger's Nest, Bhutan, 2011 Across my career I’ve published lots about wildlife conservation science. Today I’m “spilling the tea” (a phrase my nieces taught me) about a very different kind of project I’ve been working on this year: a book about my daughter Linnea. This project has proven to be an intensely personal and healing journey. I am currently looking for the right publisher – please share your ideas with me. After 2 ½ years battling for justice, I traveled to Norway
Linnea’s Story to Premiere at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Two days ago would have been the 24th birthday of my incredible daughter, Linnea Rose Mills . So it feels extra special that today the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula Montana announced the February 14, 2026 world premiere of the documentary How to Kill a Mermaid: The Linnea Mills Story. Directed by Damon Ristau, the filmmaker father of one of Linnea’s best high school friends, the film will show at the festival’s largest venue. Here is the synopsis from the Bi
Third edition of “Conservation of Wildlife Populations” hits the streets!
In 1995 I arrived at University of Montana (UM) Wildlife Biology Program as a newbie assistant professor fresh out of professional preparation including real-world applied field research projects, an MS in Wildlife Biology and a PhD with Michael Soulé , the visionary founder of the discipline of Conservation Biology. The first class I was asked to teach at UM was a senior-level course called “Conservation of Wildlife Populations,” which up to that point was mostly a collectio
It all started with mountain goats
This photo, on my office wall for most of the past 3 decades, captures a moment that shaped my career and changed my life. After my freshman year at NC State University (NCSU), intent on becoming a wildlife veterinarian, I decided to go on student exchange the next year to University of Idaho, where I fell headlong in love with the western US. That led me to a summer biological field intern program in Olympic National Park (nestled in the mountains on the home page). And that
Life With Sonny
I’d like to introduce you to Sonny, my charismatic and unflappable “English Cream” retriever. His life has been epic, and I am beyond grateful for him Sonny came into our family’s life in 2018. Here he is on Linnea's graduation day in 2020, then after her death November 2020 he is carrying her memory at her tombstone and at Glacier National Park where Nick repeated her dive 3 years later. Nowadays, on the island in Washington State, Sonny and I are inseparable. When I get tog
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