Pulaski, Oswego County
Zach was born and raised in West Monroe, NY, and graduated from the Central Square school district. His earliest memories of the outdoors involved tagging along on outings with his dad around Oswego County. A hike up Snowy Mountain in the Adirondacks at 17 was when he knew for sure that being outdoors was his way of life.
After high school, Zach worked various jobs while expanding his outdoor explorations to the western United States and Alaska. During this time he began his interest in nature photography. After several months in Alaska, and another month exploring the Rocky Mountain west, he returned home with a much greater appreciation of where he came from.
He began to work in the commercial construction trades upon arriving back to Oswego County in 2006, and this is still how he makes a living. After he completed the “Winter 46”, he started to become interested in hiking trails through more remote areas, nature photography, birding, snowshoeing, camping in all seasons, canoeing, naturalist learning, and his two most current passions; backcountry brook trout fishing and big woods whitetail hunting.
Through this he became aware of a special place much closer to home: Tug Hill. Although he had a few outdoor experiences and photographed different locations on Tug Hill, it was a THTLT outing that sparked a passion for the region. Since then he has had many more explorations on the Hill where he learned that there were boreal swamps, old-growth forests, and most of the same wild animals as found in the Adirondacks.
Over the years he has shared his photography with THTLT, The Nature Conservancy, and Wildlife Conservation Society. He has also volunteered time recording wildlife tracks, and worked with trail cameras, for THTLT’s connectivity project linking Tug Hill to the Adirondacks. He has also had a large role in bringing the Tug Hill Traverse trail to fruition.
You can view some of his photography at