Biography of James A. Swan, Ph.D.

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James A. Swan grew up on a 10 mile-long cigar-shaped island in Lake Erie, Grosse Ile, where he spent countless hours on Lake Erie. In high school he won awards in football, golf and archery. He began his acting career with the role of "Charlie Davenport" in the Senior Class play, "Annie Get Your Gun."

Living downwind and downstream from Detroit, where oil spills from nighttime releases from factories coated the water and killed thousands of waterfowl every year, and clouds of irritating smoke from mainland factories often filled the air, he chose a college major of conservation at the University of Michigan.

James began as wildlife management major, but two years later switched over to conservation education when he realized that environmental problems are ultimately human problems. He also played intercollegiate football and rugby (leading scorer, 1963), until knee injuries put him on the sidelines his junior year.

James received his BS in Conservation Education in 1965, and took over the position of Environmental Education Curriculum Coordinator for the Ann Arbor Public Schools, where for four years he directed a K-12 EE program that touched the lives of over 90% of the students in the system. The program was originally developed by William Stapp, and it was recognized by the White House Conference On Youth and Natural Beauty.

While running the Ann Arbor Schools program he continued on to get an MS in Resources Planning , and a Ph. D in a combined program between Natural Resources and Psychology in 1969. This was the first Ph. D In environmental psychology at U. of M, and one of the first in the nation. His committee included former Assistant Secretary of the Interior Stanley Cain, UNESCO Environmental Education Director William Stapp, Community Psychologist James G. Kelly, and futurist Donald Michael.

In Ann Arbor James also developed skills in broadcast journalism at the U. of M. TV Center, where he wrote and hosted two documentaries that were distributed world-wide. He also developed musical skills playing folk and rock music, appearing with Steve Newhouse (Doc Watson), and working with the Canterbury House coffee house to produce many of the best-known folk performers of the 1960's.

During the late 1960's James also assisted James P. Ludwig's research on gulls in the Great Lakes, which helped document the effects of DDT in ecosystems. This led to James earning a USFWS Master Permit as a bird bander.

In 1970 he was one of the producers of the nation's largest college Earth Day 1970 teach-in that drew 50,000 and included appearances by Barry Commoner, Ralph Nader, and a 12,000-person Gordon Lightfoot concert. That same year he appeared at 22 teach-ins across the US, appearing with notables including Barry Commoner, Kenneth Boulding, Euell Gibbons, Margaret Mead and others.

In the early 1970's James' research on air pollution in the Downriver Detroit area resulted in shake-ups in the public health departments of several Detroit communities. He is one of the original founders of the Division of Environmental Psychology in the American Psychological Association and helped write the definition of environmental education that is used around the world today. During this time he also consulted with the American Association of School Administrators, helping them write the first definition of environmental education used in school systems throughout the US, and worked with the US Public Health Service, developing more effective public communication programs. His work on environmental attitudes and values and mass communications won him awards from the American Public Health Association and Psi Chi Psychology Honorary.

From 1969-1978 James was a college professor, teaching both psychology and environmental studies. This included:

1969-1972 University of Michigan taught Conservation and Environmental Psychology and was a Research Associate at the Institute for Social Research, conducting studies of rioting in Detroit, mental health in Detroit Schools, decision-making in resource management agencies, and future forecasting the nations water resources, including predicting potential terrorist threats.

1972-73 W. Washington State University taught environmental studies
and environmental psychology. Studied social implications of Trans-Alaskan Pipeline.

1973-1976 University of Oregon Chairman Leisure and Cultural Services, School of Community Service and Public Affairs, Director CSPA Independent Studies program. James co-taught “Strategies of Intervention” with Norman Sundberg, and co-authored the nation's first college text on environmental education with Wm. Stapp, who later went on to become in charge of environmental education for UNESCO. He also served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Environment and Behavior.

In 1975, he produced a National Endowment for the Humanities-sponsored symposium on the psychological and spiritual aspects of sports that included a 5,000-person Professional Track Association Track meet. Michael Wiese's documentary, "Extraordinary Powers," is based on this conference.

1978-1979 University of Washington, he taught Recreation Research Methods to graduate students in the College of Forest Resources.

From 1974-1982 James maintained a practice as a psychotherapist, working with a number of national and world-class athletes. From 1979-1982 he directed a holistic health clinic in Seattle's Pioneer Square, and produced a number of lectures and workshops featuring a wide-range of health practitioners. During this time he also lectured at the medical schools of the University of Washington and University of Puget Sound, and taught classes for the National Audubon Society Expedition Institute. During this period he produced two public lectures that drew over 1000 people featuring Joseph Campbell, who encouraged him to be a storyteller.

Moving to California in the early 1980's, James began this next phase of his life developing the environmental health program for the Government of American Samoa and producing conferences on Information Age human issues (featuring Sam Keen and Donald Michael), the Gaia Hypothesis (for National Audubon Society, featuring James Lovelock, Mary Catherine Bateson and George Wald)) and Gaia Consciousness.

From 1988-1993, James was an Associate Professor of socio-cultural anthropology at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

In recognition of his pioneering work in environmental conservation in 1994 he was a Distinguished Guest Lecturer at the University of Maine, appearing with Peter Matthiessen.

He has been a Research Adjunct at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology for over a decade, working with clinical psychology doctoral students who study environmental questions.

The Swan family tree immediately runs through Scotland and ultimately traces to the Saami (Lapps) of northern Scandinavia. The Swans were originally the Sweyns, who were known as keepers of the animals. Perhaps this is why in the 1970's James began studying native cultures American Indian, Inuit, and Asian.

Integrating his interests in psychology, native cultures and entertainment, between 1988-1993 James and his wife, Roberta, produced five landmark Spirit of Place symposiums in the US and Japan, seeking to explore the modern significance of ancient wisdom about the unique qualities of place. These programs attracted 10,000 participants, featured 375 speakers, including Thomas Banyacya and Don Eduardo Calderone and featured performances by Paul Horn, Anna Halprin, R. Carlos Nakai, Steven Halpern, and the Japanese rock band Earth Spirit, as well as participation from members of 20 American Indian tribes, Eskimos, African, Australian and Asian traditional cultures.

In 1991 he launched a national program to promote buffalo restoration on Indian lands including concerts by Maria Muldaur and R. Carlos Nakai that included producing a half-hour television documentary "Buffalo Restoration On Indian Lands" featuring Tantoo Cardinal and Kimberly Norris Guerro that aired on public television stations in the US and Canada.

From 1990-93 he returned to music, performing as "Recycleman," the rock and roll recycling clown, fronting an all-star band (Muruga Booker (Stevie Wonder) on drums, James Gurley (Big Brother) on lead guitar, and Jack Prendergast (Buddy Rich) on keyboards; opening for Pride and Joy and Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Before the band recycled in 1994, they appeared on ABC World News and United Airlines In-Flight News, and were featured in a children's music video produced by Scott Foresman.

James' screen acting career began by accident as an extra in the movie "Tucker: The Man and His Dream(1988) when he was placed in a scene with Martin Landau who encouraged him to pursue acting. Since then he has appeared in 18 feature films and 3 dramatic TV series, and over 40 commercials, industrials and print ads.

In 2003, his song, "The Solution to Pollution", won “Best Country Song” in the ZAP Pollution Solution national contest.

He has appeared as a featured guest on “Donahue,” CBC, NHK and “Good Morning America,” and has been a writer/consultant and on-camera expert on the “Sightings,” “Modern Marvels” and “Ancient Mysteries” series.

The author and co-author of 11 non-fiction books and one novel that have sold over 200,000 copies and are published in five languages; two of which have been Book of the Month Club selections, and another won a national award from the Sustainable Futures Society, James has published over 300 articles in popular magazines and written over 500 columns for ESPNOutdoors.com, National Review Online, North American Hunter, and The Herbalist. He was a Senior Columnist for ESPNOutdoors.com from 2001 to 2011, which at the time was the widely read electronic outdoor magazine in the world.

He has also written over 100 outdoor TV shows for Bushnell's Secrets of the Wild, Sports Afield TV and Engel's Outdoor Experience. A 2003 show that he wrote for Engel's Outdoor Experience, "Harlequins On The North Wind," won a Golden Moose (Outdoor Channel Emmy equivalent.)

In 2002 James and his son, Andrew, founded Snow Goose Productions, LLC, as a full-service audio-visual production company. They have since produced: a 56-minute documentary narrated by British War Museum Curator David Penn, "A Question of Balance," about a 2003 historic London firearms scholars symposium (that James also spoke at); PSA's for the Alaska Moose Federation and the Mendocino County Blacktail Association; educational shorts for the California Department of Fish and Game; a pilot for a series on energy conservation, "Green Comfort," hosted by Golden Globe-nominated actress Darleen Carr; and in 2009 a 66-minute documentary, "Endangered Species: CA Fish and Game Wardens," narrated by Jameson Parker (Simon and Simon). "Endangered Species" is the inspiration for the "Wild Justice" TV series that premiered on the National Geographic Channel in November 2010 to the largest audience in the history of the Nat. Geo. Channel for a reality series premiere --3.2 million. James is Co-Executive Producer for "Wild Justice."

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Honors and Special Recognition:


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Public Speaking:

Since 1960, numerous appearances in the US, Canada, and Japan, speaking to audiences up to 4,000 on ecology, psychology, mass communications and native cultures. He has also been a master of ceremonies for numerous conferences, conventions and expositions.

A Partial List of Organizations that Have Sponsored Lectures or Workshops by James A. Swan


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