Nancy Derey Riley

Nancy Derey Riley loves exploring-exploring nature, science, libraries, and hobbies. She grew up in northern Virginia and Colorado Springs, Colorado. She learned to camp, fish, garden, sew, knit, cook, and figure skate, and try her hand at many different kinds of arts and crafts. With an early interest in science, she attended to Colorado State University and earned a B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Biology.

After college, she worked for 32 years with three federal agencies: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She evaluated the environmental impacts of proposed land development projects on natural resources. She worked with private landowners and agencies to restore fish and wildlife habitat on private lands. But the most fun she had was working with children and school groups on schoolyard habitat projects. She had the opportunity to hone her writing and art skills by developing and illustrating newsletters, educational materials, fact sheets, and other handouts.

In 2012, she retired and lives with her husband in a log home on 35 acres of heaven in northern Colorado. She loves explored the land every morning with her American Brittany, Scout. She is a competitive adult figure skater and balances her day between skating, writing, and creative projects.

Since retiring, she has delved into writing and illustrating children’s picture books. She’s an active member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.