Bobcat Stories

Donny Kelley-Currens ‘18 has always had a passion for wildlife. Fascinated by animals from a young age, he often shared what he learned with friends and family in hopes of encouraging a deeper appreciation for nature. That same passion now drives his work, whether he’s teaching children about the wildlife in the bosque or reaching a wide audience through his books and videos. 

With degrees in biology (specializing in ecology and environmental studies) and creative media industries, along with a minor in drawing from Texas Tech University, Donny now serves as Bosque School’s field science educator and videographer. He spends much of his time supporting the field and community science program. Donny runs educational programming for visiting school groups and has them participate in some of the wildlife research our students are conducting. 

Donny is also the author and illustrator of several children’s activity books about wildlife. Bosque Wildlife Adventure, an activity book about the animals found in the bosque, will be given to every 4th-grade student in Albuquerque Public Schools through a partnership with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. Donny says, “My first [book] was Oxbow Wildlife Adventure, which we handed out on campus to our visiting elementary school groups. Next was Sandia Mountain Wildlife Adventure, which is currently being distributed to every APS 5th grader through the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center. My latest book is Bosque Wildlife Adventure, a revised version of Oxbow Wildlife Adventure that includes updated art and activities, along with 3 completely new art pages. We made this book so that it's more aligned with the artistic level and style of Sandia Mountain Wildlife Adventure, and it gave us an opportunity to add more pages that focused on the river and the surrounding forest.”

As the videographer for Bosque School’s field science program, Donny has the opportunity to film Bosque School students conducting wildlife research and presenting their findings, which he will then edit into short documentaries. They hope to release those across various platforms later this year.

“The people who've inspired me to go into this career include the filmmakers who first introduced me to wildlife through my television screen, like Jeff Corwin, Steve Irwin, and the Kratt Brothers. They showed me the wonders of the natural world, so now I'm carrying on their legacy by doing what I can to spark a passion for nature in others. My high school wildlife teacher and now coworker, Dan Shaw, has also helped me tremendously in connecting with all sorts of wildlife organizations across New Mexico and giving me the opportunity to start my journey as an author and illustrator.”

Donny continues to pursue his passion for drawing and has recently started taking classes on drawing people. “I can draw pretty much any animal, but humans in many ways are the most difficult because it's the most obvious when something is off. One of my long-time goals has been to make a comic book, so I want to draw at least one issue by the end of the year using what I've learned from these classes.”

In case you missed it, this summer, Donny was chosen from a couple of dozen applicants to paint a mural at the Abq Biopark. He is very thankful for that opportunity and is proud of how it turned out — and so are we! Check it out the next time you’re at the zoo!