BIO

Woman in a beanie hat sits inside a cabin, looking out the window at a misty lake and distant mountains.

Madison Reynolds

As a biologist and guide, Madison has worked and lived across the Western Hemisphere from Arctic Alaska and Canada to the no-man’s land of Antarctica, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts of North and South America. 

Her studies have encompassed myriad ecosystems in multiple countries and over a dozen states and provinces, researching diverse taxa from sea cucumbers to wolverines.  Owls have always been among her favorite muses, and the focus of her graduate studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  No matter where she has traveled, no matter what she has seen or learned, the Northern Saw-whet Owl continues to mesmerize her as one of the most surprising, adorable, and fascinating creatures on this vast, diverse planet – the perfect inspiration for her creative endeavors at Saw-Whet Studios. 

Madison and her husband David have lived in many small towns throughout the state of Alaska and the length of Appalachia, combining their love of ecology, adventure, and art.  Their lifestyle has inspired Madison to author multiple publications, including research papers in scientific journals, technical papers for natural resource management agencies, and her first book, Day Hiking Southeast Alaska, which will be released by Mountaineers Books on April 1, 2026. 

A man wearing glasses, a dark cap, a red and black checkered flannel shirt, khaki pants, and Xtratuf boots squats on a rock in an estuary, smiling at the camera with mountains and cloudy skies in the background.

DAVID Reynolds

David spent most of his formative years roving the north, working as a commercial fisherman and carpenter throughout Southeast Alaska.  Isolated at sea and in remote camps for months at a time, he embraced the solitude and rugged beauty of the untamed wilderness as inspiration for songcraft.

Between contracts, David traded the stillness of the wild for the open road. As a touring singer-songwriter, he shared his acoustic songs in bars and coffee shops throughout Alaska and across the country, selling CDs to make ends meet.  It was on a dark, cold winter night in the subarctic town of Fairbanks, Alaska during one of these performances that David met his wife, Madison.  David finished his studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to begin working in Fisheries and Marine Science, while Madison completed her graduate work in Wildlife Biology & Conservation.

Their lifestyle has inspired David to continue writing music, collaborating with other musicians to bring his songs to their full potential.  He has worked with Grammy-winning producer Julian Dryer, Engineer Sacha Müller, producer Al Torrence, and a suite of professional musicians to record his two most recent albums, the freshly released Postcards EP (available on all streaming platforms!) and the LP Love and Fire, to be released in 2026. (www.DavidReynoldsMusic.com)

Together with their two children, David and Madison continue to combine their expertise, curiosity, and inspiration to pursue a lifestyle defined by Ecology, Adventure, and Art.