biotic profile
Hello! My name is Elliot Maxwell. I have a varied background, with roots in environmental anthropology and archaeology, and branches reaching for restoration ecology and conservation. I love writing, research, and art and have a lifelong passion for learning. I hope I never stop learning.
By combining my BA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Anthropology with my MNR from Auburn University in Natural Resources, I hope to help bridge the gap between human history and culture and forest ecology, especially in Southern Appalachia.
Some books that helped me to get to where I am...
- Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
- Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World by John Valliant
- Erosion by Terry Tempest Williams
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl
- The Ecology of Freedom by Murray Bookchin
- The Day the World Stops Shopping by J. B. MacKinnon
- and for my ever growing list of books 📖click here
the heartwood
I view ecological restoration as both an art and a science. I value conservation, restoration, and making the world a better place for future generations because there is no Planet B. Accordingly, I will always pursue opportunities to improve our human and natural communities, educate those who wish to learn more about our world, and strive to encourage the same in my community.
future growth
My goals and directives for 2026:
- Volunteer Wilderness Ranger Patrols - Sipsey Wilderness, 2026
- Project Safe Flight Monitoring - Downtown Birmingham, 2026
- Graduate from Auburn University with MNR - Auburn University, 2026
- Eastern Fire Network Summer Graduate Fellowship - Tall Timbers, Tallahassee, Summer 2026
- B-Sawyer Certification - Wild Alabama, Timeline TBD
- Alabama Master Naturalist - Alabama Extension, Timeline TBD
- Wilderness First Aid and CPR - Red Cross, Timeline TBD
- Trail Safe Course - NPS, Timeline TBD
- Leave No Trace Level 1 - LNT, Timeline TBD
equipment bag
- 2-Person Crosscut Saw
- Rescue Saw
- Axe
- DBH Tape
- Spot Device
- Dendrometer
- ArcGIS Pro/Mobile
- MATLAB
- UNIX Shell
- Microsoft Office Suite
- REDCap
- Adobe Creative Suite
- HTML and CSS
- Restoration Ecology
- Forest History of the Southeast
- Forest Stand Dynamics
- Fire Ecology
- Disturbance Ecology
- Scientific Illustration
- Museum Studies
- Volunteer Wilderness Ranger with Wild Alabama
- Traditional Tools Trail Maintenance with Wild Alabama
- Surveying for Window Strikes with Alabama Audubon
- Longleaf Pine Fire Data Collection
- Setting up Clip Plots
- Measuring Duff Depth
- Project Learning Tree Certified
- Leave No Trace 101
- Outdoorist's Oath and Leave No Trace
- Alabama Master Naturalist ~in progress~
- Restoration Ecology Graduate Certificate ~in progress~
the archives
career data packets:
💾CV.PDF- 💾Pyrophiles and Pyrophytes: Unique Fire Adaptations in the Fungal, Plant, and Animal Kingdoms
- 💾A Gaze-Contingent Display Framework for Perceptual Learning Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
- Lost Giants of the South: The Tale of Chestnuts and Hemlocks
- Restoration Ecology Efforts in Madagascar
- Effects of Climate Change on Inupiat Traditional Practices in Northwest Alaska
Here are some of my papers:
Coming soon: