The Ranger Rick magazine still arrives monthly at Michael Rose's childhood home in Illinois, years after the nature-loving youth grew up and went off to explore the world. Rose, 27, died Monday in a boating accident in Mexico's Sea of Cortez where he and a group of University of California, Davis, researchers and students and their guests had gone during spring break to learn more about island ecology. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, April 3, at the First United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Ill. Born at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif., Michael David Rose grew up in Lebanon, about 20 miles east of St. Louis, Mo. His mother, Lynne Rose, recalls that of her three children, Michael was the "risk-taker." "He was the one to jump out of the trees, break his arm; always the one to stretch the limits and think outside of the box," she said. "But he was one of the best-natured kids, always with a good sense of humor." And even as a young child, he was intrigued by the natural world around him -- hence the Ranger Rick magazine subscription. His love for the out-of-doors was expressed in his hobbies: photography, hiking, backpacking and biking. "And he played soccer almost every day of his life," recalled his mother, adding that Michael enjoyed the sport so much that he even coached kindergarten and high-school soccer teams. He graduated from Lebanon High School in 1990 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree, cum laude, in biology from Vanderbilt University in 1994 and a master's degree, magna cum laude, in behavioral ecology from Northern Arizona University in 1997. As a graduate student at Northern Arizona University, he taught plant biology and related courses. His graduate research, focused on ecological systems, was published in the journal Ecology and other research venues. While in graduate school, he also was a mentor with the National Science Foundation Young Scholars Program, training high-school students and teachers in biological principles and research techniques. He met his wife, Susan, at Vanderbilt University. They were engaged on his grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary and married on June 24, 1995. "They were a match made from the heavens, " recalls close friend Chad Michael Kerksick. "Rooms were definitely uplifted when they were present. His goofiness and playfulness brought laughter and joy to Susan's world." The couple lived in Missoula, Mont., for two years before moving to Davis, Calif. Michael worked in Missoula for two years at Big Sky High School, tutoring special-needs students in science and math, while Susan continued her education at the University of Montana's doctorate program in psychology. At Vanderbilt University, Michael had studied with ecology professor Gary Polis. After Polis accepted a faculty position at the University of California, Davis, he remembered Michael's innate organizational abilities and hired him as a postgraduate researcher in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy. In that position, Michael conducted research and coordinated Polis' research program with the Earthwatch Institute program, organizing research expeditions to Mexico in which non-academics could participate. He also was responsible for collection and statistical analysis of data and was active both in grant writing and disseminating research results through scientific journals. Colleagues in his department remember him as a friendly, competent and highly valued member of the Polis research team. He found the mystique of the Baja California landscape to be contagious. Having been introduced to the area by Professor Polis, Michael invited his mother and sister, Janna, to visit the area with him during a trip last year. Combining his passion for nature, travel and writing, he was in the process of drafting a travel guide about Baja California. After that family trip he wrote the following description of the region: "The beauty of the sea and sky is what I treasure most about this area. As we sleep out on cots our first night, a matrix of millions of pinpoint stars and the occasional planet act as a nightlight, spreading my mind across billions of miles of open space and prompting dreams of far-off places. The waking view is just as brilliant. Pre-dawn. Over Isla Cabeza de Caballo (Horse Head Island), a hint of yellow light bounces off the Earth's ceiling and mesa-flat silver sea. The islands are once again silhouetted, as are the laughing Hermann and yellow-legged gulls and plunging brown pelicans. I know the sea is calm and the day fair even before taking in this view; the high-pitched revved engines of panga fishing boats inform me that the waters will be calm... Just another day in paradise." In addition to his wife, Susan, of Davis, Michael is survived by his mother, Lynn, of Lebanon, Ill.; father, Dr. David Rose, and stepmother, Cheryl Rose, of Belleville, Ill.; and sisters, Janna Rose, of Lebanon, Ill., and Shayla Rose, of St. Louis, Mo. He is also survived by his grandparents, Don and Peggy Rose, and aunts and uncles, Dan and Brenda Rose and John R. and Judy Ebersole, all of Fulton, Mo. The family requests that memorial contributions may be made to The Earthwatch Institute at P.O. Box 75, Maynard, MA 01754 for a graduate research scholarship. Editor's Note: Tributes to Michael Rose can be found on the Web at http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/accidentnews/tributes.html#rose.