Skip Sedivec is not your average conservationist. For him, conservation is a core value, one he strove to instill in his biology students for more than 20 years.
The veteran university professor, a Silver Creek resident, brought his conservation ethic with him when he retired here with his wife, Carole, in 2007. He’d had his eye on the Park City area for many years and made a beeline here after a long and distinguished career as a professor of biology at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
Since arriving here five years ago, Sedivec has poured his heart into volunteer work at the Swaner Nature Preserve, where he monitors water quality and plants willow trees along East Canyon Creek.
“I wanted to do something to help out where I could use my biology background. I guess I’m a ‘wannabe’ ecologist,” says Sedivec, adding, “We just have to be involved in the ecology of this community because, sadly, we’re losing wildlife habitat at an alarming rate.” He points to the precipitous decline of sage grouse in Summit County as an example.
Sedivec was born and grew up in Boise, Idaho, where outdoor recreation reigns supreme. His fondest childhood memories are of fishing and hunting with his father. “We spent many of our weekends throughout the year camping and hunting or fishing in the mountains of Idaho.” He credits those early experiences with his father for his deep and abiding love of nature.
Sedivec was born Mathius Joseph but acquired his nickname early on. “Dad liked a song about the skipper of a sailing ship and, when I was about 18 months old, he started calling me ‘Skipper,'” he recounts. Skipper morphed into Skippy and, finally, Skip. “I tried several times to go by Matt or Joe, but ‘Skip’ stuck.”
Sedivec’s Utah connection took root in his early 20s when, financed by basketball and tennis scholarships, he attended the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exercise science there and played on the tennis teams under legendary U of U tennis coach Harry James. After college, he taught biology and general science at Bonneville Junior High in Salt Lake City and also worked at the University School of Medicine as a research assistant in physiology.
In the early 1970s, Sedivec transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he worked and taught while studying for his doctorate degree in zoology. From there it was a short hop to Boone, North Carolina, and Appalachian State, where he taught biology from 1984 through 2006.
He married Carole, a middle school English teacher in Boone, in 1992. “We were introduced by mutual friends,” he explains. “We were both avid runners and hikers and had a lot in common.” The couple shares a blended family, with children, stepchildren and grandchildren scattered from New Hampshire to Colorado and Washington state.
The Sedivecs chose Park City for retirement for several reasons. “We had visited here many times over the years and loved the area for its close proximity to the Wasatch and Uinta mountains, which allows us to hike, fish, backcountry ski and snowshoe. We also love the many cultural activities and outdoor events here,” says Sedivec. He cites outdoor concerts, the Park City Museum and the Olympic Park as favorites.
Sedivec remains an avid tennis player and runner, though road and mountain biking compete for his attention as well. “I’m very passionate about exercising and playing sports,” he says. “I’ve been active since childhood and would like to continue playing sports as long as I can in retirement. I feel that being active in older age helps to maintain a better quality of life.”
Sedivec hastens to add that he doesn’t want to exercise himself to death. That’s why he does volunteer work at Swaner and the University of Utah. As an adjunct professor at the University, he currently is assisting in a study in the Department of Anesthesiology on how humans experience fatigue. He’s long been recognized as an authority in the field of monitoring electrical activity in the nervous system.
Sedivec says the Swaner Nature Preserve is a rare gem. “We have this wonderful island of land that will never be built on. What they’re doing on just 1,600 acres is amazing! It’s a wonderful birding area with a diversity of species.
“One of my goals is to learn all the birds, mammals, plants and wildflowers on the preserve,” he adds with enthusiasm. “I noticed this week that some of the beautiful wild violets are starting to come out. When you look at the diversity there, it’s phenomenal. The programs they have there for children and adults are fantastic.”
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