Kirk Watkins comes to The Mountain- Ear with a degree in Global Journalism and Digital Media (from Webster University in St. Louis). Talk about “global” – Webster has a program in Cha-Am, Thailand, where Kirk cut his teeth on international journalism as a reporter and photographer.

It’s a long way from Thailand to the Bar-K Ranch in rural Boulder County, where he has lived with his family since 2015. His four children have attended Boulder Valley or St. Vrain schools, and he’s been on the District Accountability Committee as a representative for the Jamestown Elementary School for a number of years.

Kirk began writing for The Mountain- Ear a little over two years ago. “I like to write about local interests, people, arts and culture, equity and access, wildlife, ecology, education, government, etc.,” he says. Surprisingly, he also says “ I love a good long meeting, and being able to break it down is fun for me…. I’m really interested and curious about life and all of its phases.”

He considers himself a photojournalist, traveling the Peak to Peak with his trusty iPhone and a Canon Mark IV 5D camera. This gives him the opportunity “to interact with unique, interesting, sometimes eclectic, never boring, communities. Also, the freedom to use my soapbox in my own way is a privilege I don’t forget.”

There are “so many things about the mountain towns and the communities [that] interest me. Having lived in mountain towns most of my life, and being a multigenerational native of Colorado, this is and has always been my home. Therefore, I take very seriously the communities, their health, and wellbeing.”

When he’s not running around gathering information for The Mountain- Ear, Kirk involves himself in fly-fishing – “an obsession for me” – and, depending on the season, basketball, snowboarding, and hiking. He loves music and plays percussion. He also meditates.

Kirk smiles as he adds, “I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to write for such a wonderful publication, and to have my children grow up in such a unique, inclusive, progressive, talented, kind and sharing community along the Peak to Peak.”