Marlene McTigue

Founder

Marlene McTigue is the voice behind Old-School Naturalist, a body of work rooted in careful observation, lived experience, and a deep respect for the individual lives that make up the natural world. Based in her home in the foothills of the Catskills in upstate New York, she writes about wildlife, nature, and the changing seasons through the lens of a modern naturalist grounded in place.

Her perspective was shaped early on by the work of Beatrix Potter, not only by the stories themselves but by the characters that inhabited them. Those animals were not background or decoration. They were individuals with presence, behavior, and identity. That influence stayed with her and quietly formed the way she would come to see the natural world.

Over time, that way of seeing became a practice. Through long walks in the forests and fields of the Catskills and Hudson Valley, Marlene began to recognize animals not as part of the scenery, but as individuals moving through a shared landscape. What began as observation deepened into a belief that attention carries responsibility, and that compassion toward wildlife is not separate from nature but part of it.

Old-School Naturalist is an extension of that belief. It is an invitation to slow down, to look twice, and to engage with the natural world in a more meaningful way. Through her writing, wildlife photography, and field observations, Marlene encourages others to notice what they might have once passed by and, when the moment calls for it, not to turn away.