MBC sponsor Eric Herman collecting data on the Desert Tortoise in the Sonoran Desert near Lake Pleasant, AZ.
Eric Herman formally launched his biology career in 2004 when he became an environmental planner/biologist for an engineering and environmental company in Phoenix, AZ. But his passion for biology and nature began at a very early age when his family, who lived in a suburb of Chicago, would take backpacking trips out West.
Even in the big city, Eric had an affinity towards nature. He says, “I was always drawn to nature. Outside of Chicago there were ravines running into Lake Michigan. They were like big canyons. I was attracted to the mystery of nature. I would run around and explore rocks, water, birds, trees and plants. I’d see man-made and nature-made objects. In a word, I saw adventure! This set my pattern in life.”
Eric lives between Sonoita and Patagonia, Arizona. He gives to several local nonprofits, donating both his time and financial resources, because he believes that helping, giving and sharing is what keeps the system growing.
It was partly Mat Bevel Company’s (MBC) work with children that prompted Eric to recently become a sponsor. “Children are our future,” he says. “Any changes we need to make as a community come through educating our children. Mat Bevel Company does this in a super creative way that’s different. These kids may not even realize what creative problem-solving skills they’re learning until they’re older, but those skills will be vital to their success and ours as a society.”
Eric received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Ripon College in a small Wisconsin town. He received his Master’s degree in Environmental Planning from Arizona State University and became a resident of the state he fell in love with as a child during visits with his family to the Sonoran Desert.
Eric collecting wood in the Sky Islands at Temporal Canyon, AZ.
“I love the Sonoran Desert. She’s a fierce but gentle lover if you pay her your proper respects,” he says. “With the desert, resources are scarce, but she’ll provide enough water, food and shelter if you take the time to learn from her.”
Eric launched his environmental business AtoZec in 2014 first and foremost to share his passion for wildlife. If you ask him what his company’s mission is, he’d say: “Passion. Period.”
He says, “I saw in niche in the market for passion-oriented accurate science. Often decisions are driven from the business end, but I lead my business with passion. I start with no assumptions. This helps me find and implement solutions without biases.”
In his line of work, Eric understands that solutions are always a compromise between the environmental and development. This can only be achieved through communication. He says, “I find ways to communicate so that we can work together. That’s how we solve our problems. You will never solve the worlds’ problems without reaching out and communicating.”
As a scientist, Eric’s sponsorship supports further development and implementation of The Universe Within world-building course. Eric sees the curriculum as the intersection of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with super creative art which is really important to him. He says, “There is a massive artistic side of my brain that’s always trying to speak to me. I feel like an artist when I’m on the land.”
Eric’s Nature Board for the Greater Roadrunner using found-object art from Cochise Stronghold, AZ.
And like MBC founder Ned Schaper, Eric is also a found-object artist: “I enjoy crafting with repurposed wood. I love finding treasures in nature, sometimes in bizarre places. These relics have a story. I may not know the story, but my art provides a window to the past. I call these nature crafts, random projects that become functional walking sticks or decorative items.”
In retirement, Eric has a strong desire to create a wildlife rescue facility. He’s done a lot of raptor rescue volunteer work for Wild At Heart in Phoenix, rescuing and building habitat for raptors that were rescued with the goal of releasing them back into the wild.
Eric also enjoys a simple wonderful lifestyle. He says, “I like to kick back and enjoy the quiet. I like feeding the birds. I try to make sure that I’m living that simple life, keeping the noise low so that I can hear the quiet.”
As far as what advice he’d give young people, he says, “I would say, love your self, love your life and enjoy it. Kids are driven into career and the system too much and too early. If you find what you love, then your career will follow.”