Welcome to Swamp Boy
An environmental newsletter for grimy little muckfolk in the age of climate chaos.
Welcome, fellow critters, to my Substack.
It's 2023. It's the New Year. It's a new Substack, and this year, we're not draining the swamp. We're rewetting it.
Swamp Boy is an environmental and climate news newsletter written by Zachary Turner.
Who is he? 🤔
He is me. I was born and raised in New Hill, North Carolina, in a big blue house beside a swamp. I grew up among the cattails and Juncus, catching black snakes and eating wild strawberries. I got lost in the woods. I never knew why the chicken crossed the road, but one time I helped a snapping turtle cross when a highway fractured its habitat (the trick is grabbing them by the end that doesn't bite).
Listen to the newsletter here:
Now, I'm a master's student at UNC's School of Journalism and Media and a freelance environmental reporter. I write mainly for the radio. This past year, I covered the invasive carp problem in Lake Mattamuskeet (too many carp, not enough underwater grasses). I rode on a boat — an item on my reporting bucket list ✅ — and wrote about the mysterious oyster mortality events that plague the Carolina coast every year. For my first WUNC story, I traveled to a pocosin, a wetland that forms over layers of decomposing organic matter called peat. A statewide network of drainage ditches is transporting saltwater further inland, changing the composition of our coastal wetlands as sea levels rise. When the wetland scientists and I returned to the truck, I picked 50 ticks off my boots and jeans.
What else do you need to know about me? My current habitat is Durham. In my free time, I muck about on the piano, climb rocks, and draw pictures of fungus. I listen to Citations Needed, Sex with Emily, and outdoor survival stories. My Spotify Wrapped featured both Hippo Campus and Olivia Rodrigo. When I travel for work, I sleep in the back of my car.
What can you expect to read here?
I'm sure I'm breaking some unspoken or very-spoken-about rule of content creation by saying this, but I have no idea. I'm a graduate student; I work part-time for the Coastal Resilience Center and full-time o
n my thesis. Every day, I wake up, stretch my tired gams, and ponder how I'm going to produce the pilot episode of a podcast called SPRAWL — my thesis project — about the little outdoors that exists in every city. Who knows when I'll have time to write a newsletter and what I'll feel like writing about?
But here's what I can tell you: For the next two months, I'll research and report on urban natural spaces and sustainable cities. I'll investigate urban agriculture projects in the Caribbean, wade through wetland restoration projects in the Queen City (Charlotte), and bite off more than I can chew with urban foragers. I'll be asking a lot of questions, such as:
How can urban farms work together with traditional agriculture to promote healthy communities and food sovereignty in the American South?
How has our relationship with nature's pantry changed over time? Are we experiencing a foraging resurgence?
Why is it so hard to protect US wetlands, and what mechanisms exist for preserving these vital, poorly understood ecosystems?
Who killed Rodger Rabbit? It’s on my watchlist right after I finish rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender and catch up on The Last of Us.
An update on Avatar: After watching Avatar for the third time, I gotta say it: Zuko and Katara should have ended up together. I think they had a better arc, better chemistry, and a stronger emotional foundation for a relationship. Also, I think they did Aang dirty with the chinstrap in Legend of Korra.
When I find the answers to any of those questions, Swamp Boy subscribers will be the first to know.
How often will I post?
I plan to post every two weeks while I'm working on my thesis, which I will defend in April. After April, I'll reevaluate, see how I'm feeling, and take the temperature of the room. Are we loving Swamp Boy? What's working? Is it bogging me down? Ha.
Is the newsletter free?
Uh, yes and no. Writing and reporting is my job. I love the labor, but it's not a labor of love; we don't work for free in this house. I will keep life updates and promotions free, but my work will always be paid. In the immortal words of my friend's annoying ex-coworker, I gotta eat.
That's all for now. Remember to subscribe, share, and otherwise disseminate the gospel of Swamp Boy. Feel free to drop a comment, tell me your thoughts about what you would like to read, or share which is your favorite cover of Cher's 1998 hit single "Believe." Mine is Sammy Rae & The Friends'. You're welcome.