I have been an amateur naturalist since age 12. Unfortunately, I did not have anyone to act as a mentor when I was young, and so had to learn almost entirely on my own. I early developed an especial interest in ferns and lycopods, which interest has carried through more than a half-century until now. I have extensive knowledge on those taxa. I also have fairly good knowledge of woody plants, and to a lesser extent, wildflowers. I also have a deep background in environmental and structural geology and geomorphology. I am far more familiar than most people with the public lands in southeast Ohio, having published a guide to them - the online version can be found through the Athens Conservancy website: http://www.athensconservancy.org . I am quite active with the Conservancy, which is a local land trust. I live in Glouster, Ohio, and do some plant propagation at a local nursery, Five Springs Farm, as a hobby. The nursery carries many native plants. I also grow aquatic ferns as a hobby. I have also published a variety of local nature guides for the area of Strouds Run State Park in Athens County, Ohio: ferns & lycophytes, woody plants, spring wildflowers, summer and fall wildflowers, invasives plants, and geology.