Ellen Meloy's sudden death on November 4, 2004, sent waves of shock and sorrow from her red rock home in Bluff, Utah. She contributed a sensual lodestone, a shining river cobble to the literature of natural history, science and the southwest. A world of readers, friends and family seek to illuminate and honor her legacy of words through a memorial fund, established to empower other writers with a place in the desert.

All good writing finds voice in place and experience; really good nature writing lives in the field. Ellen Meloy breathed the desert air and wrote. Her voice was strong and sure because her inspiration was direct. Ellen was widely recognized for her excellence, which gave birth to four books, all collections of essays, largely about human connections to wilderness, deserts and rivers. No river trip, hike or car camp was complete without her journal.

Ellen had a successful writing career in the desert through her perseverance as a lone eagle free-lance writer. She was fortunate to achieve recognition and support herself, her passion and her lifelong love affair with the Colorado Plateau.