Although I am a physical scientist by education and profession, I am also passionate about our native plants and animals and protecting the wild places they need to survive and thrive. I grew up in Indiana, spent several years in Oregon, and have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area near the foot of Mount Diablo since 1988. I am a conservation photographer and have served on the Board of Directors of the land conservation non-profit, Save Mount Diablo, since 2003, and have been President since 2013. As a result, I have spent many years exploring the lands around Mount Diablo and learning its natural history from other talented naturalists and biologists. My core area of study and expertise is birds, but I am always striving to increase my knowledge of plants, insects, herps, etc.