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Wild, wild life

// November 26th, 2011 // Comments Off // Media

Somewhere between zoo gigs and History Channel appearances, Lee Hales finds his niche as a storyteller of science

Northshore Report Cover

By Ben Myers, Staff Writer

The natural world is full of splendor, mystery and passion, and serenity in nature is a common human experience. Why, then, do subjects involving environmental science, biology and other things ending in “ology” tend to bounce off the collective skull of the masses? Why, for those of us who aren’t scientists, is it so much easier, or preferable, to feel science than to know it? And must these spiritual and intellectual realms be so irreconcilable?

Lee Hales doesn’t think so. The Slidell resident is dedicating his life to disseminating factual scientific information. But he aims to reach people through the soul, trusting that the information will trickle up to the brain. That is, he tells stories.

“I could stand in front of people and spout ‘this is the chinchilla,’” Hales says. “But if I can show behavior and relate to them, the story is as important as the facts.”

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The Slidell Independent News- Jan. 21, 2010

// March 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Media

Lee’s Wild Kingdom

National TV career grows for Slidell naturalist with unexpected variety of animal and ‘monster’ programs

By KEVIN CHIRI
SLIDELL — Lee Hales wants to make it clear. He is a serious environmental scientist and expedition naturalist.

While that may sound like a mouthful, the Slidell resident makes it well understood that he takes his science very seriously.

But then there are things like: “Piranhas in the Ozark Waterways!”, “MonsterQuest: Hunt for the Chupacabra!!”, “Bigfoot on A&E’s ‘Legend Hunters!’”, “MonsterQuest: Bull Sharks in the Great Lakes!!” and “Mastadon Hunting in New York!!”

Hales smiles and gives his head a little shake back and forth.
“When I first started getting asked to do these things, I was a little hesitant, since I don’t want to get a reputation of not taking science seriously, since I really do,” he said. “I like the TV, but I would like to get away from doing anything that stretches the truth.”

Nonetheless, Hales is definitely getting a reputation, and it’s hardly anything to be embarrassed about. (more…)

Where the Wild Things Are

// February 21st, 2009 // No Comments » // Media

(Originally published in the St. Tammany News 08/06/2008)

Forget Jeff Corwin. Slidell’s got Lee Hales, its very own traveling wildlife expert.
Describing exactly what he does for a living can be a bit tricky, however.

A naturalist isn’t one specific science,  said Hales. “Geology is my foundation, but what I do incorporates sciences, from animal behaviorism and  paleontology to astronomy and meteorology.”

'€œHunt for the Chupacabra'

'Hunt for the Chupacabra'

Hales said he knew from the time he was a child he wanted to work in the outdoors. Born  in Manhattan, he  soon moved to upstate New York. He grew up next to a stream, where he would spend his time watching  all forms of wildlife and wondering  what they were doing.

An early childhood idol was Marlin Perkins, host of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.” The long-running television show followed a format still in use today, to build a story around the challenges faced by the host and his crew as researchers studied animals in their natural habitat.

Hales loved the show. It stayed with him as he grew older, and when he enrolled at the State University of New York he decided to major in earth sciences. A lifelong fan of dinosaurs, he also minored in paleontology.

“At the end of my senior year , I was the first one  ever to argue with their  student adviser that there has to be some more classes I can take!” he said, adding… “you  have no idea how many credits I have,  I liked college.” (more…)

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