About Me

Hello, and thank you for stopping by.

My name is Alex Harper, and I’m the creator of Nature in Mind. This project grew out of a personal turning point in my life, and it reflects both my professional work in ecology and conservation and my own journey toward a healthier relationship with attention, purpose, and the natural world.

For much of my early career, I worked as a field biologist and wildlife technician, collecting data on birds and other wildlife across the American Southwest. The work took me to remarkable places and allowed me to spend long days outside studying ecosystems I care deeply about. In many ways it was the career I had imagined for myself as a young naturalist.

But at the same time, something felt out of balance. Although I loved aspects of the work, my deeper passion for education, guiding, and helping people connect with nature wasn’t being fully expressed. I was also struggling personally. Despite having a job that allowed me to travel and explore the outdoors, I often felt mentally overwhelmed and disconnected from the people and priorities that mattered most to me.

During that period, I began a process of change. A major part of that change came through practicing mindfulness, particularly through regular meditation. Spending time in stillness helped me observe my own patterns of attention and thinking more clearly. Over time, that practice created space for better decisions, greater self-awareness, and the confidence to take a different path.

I realized that what energized me most was not just studying nature, but helping other people learn to see it.

Nature had always been central to my life, but I began to recognize something important: many of us spend time outdoors while still being caught in our own thoughts about the past or the future. Mindfulness helped me rediscover the power of attention and presence, and it deepened my experience of observing wildlife and ecosystems.

That realization eventually led me to create Nature in Mind.

Through Nature in Mind, I combine my background in ecology, birding, conservation, and education with practices that help people cultivate attention, curiosity, and awareness in nature. My programs are designed to help individuals and organizations develop stronger observation skills, a deeper understanding of ecosystems, and a more meaningful relationship with the natural world.

Over the years, my work has taken me from the deserts of the American Southwest to the Amazon rainforest and the coasts of Alaska. I have worked as a wildlife field technician, birding guide, expedition naturalist, educator, and conservation professional. Along the way I’ve helped lead citizen science programs, developed educational curriculum, guided travelers in remote landscapes, and worked with conservation organizations to expand their outreach and impact.

Today, I’m still on this journey myself. Mindfulness and nature are both lifelong practices. But I’ve come a long way from where I started, and I believe deeply in the possibility that people can reconnect with themselves and with the living world around them.

That connection is not only good for our own well-being. It is also one of the most powerful foundations for conservation.

My goal through Nature in Mind is simple: to help people slow down, observe more carefully, understand nature more deeply, and cultivate the sense of wonder and responsibility that leads to caring for the planet.