John Read

About John

• Grew up interested in playing outside, exploring rocks, catching lizards-says he just never really "grew up."
• Went to school to study geology but discovered that rocks "really weren't his thing," he preferred animals.
• Did a project studying the effect of a mining operation on an ecosystem and decided to start getting into conservatism.
• Says that white Australians' lack of understanding of the land led to overgrazing, introduction of species that were harmful to the environment.
• At the Arid Recovery Project, they purged a piece of land of all foreign species and started restoring it to its original state.
• The property has already started to recover; he estimates that in 20-30 years, it'll be back to its natural condition.
• Grew up in a city in Australia and now lives in the remote Outback, but he calls the move "liberating," rather than intimidating.
• Doesn't think he's where he's at "for good," he sees his life continually changing and estimates he'll still make big changes down the line.