Institute Instructor Biographies

Point Reyes Field Institute is proud to introduce the experts who will lead our upcoming season of classes:

NINA ANTZE is a botanical artist and quilt maker living in Sonoma County. She has a degree in Fine Art from San Francisco State University and has a Certificate in Botanical Illustration from the New York Botanical Gardens. Her quilts have won numerous awards and her botanical paintings have been exhibited in New York and at the Huntington Library and Filoli Gardens. She teaches Drawing Nature classes at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts and Santa Rosa Junior College, the Sonoma Community Center, the El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach and in the Botanical Certificate Program at Filoli Gardens. She is a docent at Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen and is also the developer of PCQuilt, Design Software for Quiltmakers. She works in colored pencil, graphite, watercolor and fabric.
www.pcquilt.com/botanicals.htm

MIKE BAILEY is generally self taught, save for a few workshops over 10-15 years. His work is in a constant state of growth since he enjoys pushing his knowledge to the absolute limit. He has won awards in several national venues and is president emeritus of the National Watercolor Society (NWS). Those who have been in his workshops or classes often repeat them in order to be around his stimulating teaching and supportive guidance. He spends some 15 to 20 weeks per year instructing groups from beginners to advanced painters.  In addition, almost annually, he leads painting groups to exciting European painting retreat destinations.  The awards he has received, the articles in magazines and his art featured in painting books are a testament to his continuous pursuit of excellence. His paintings are held in private and corporate collections in the US, Europe and Australia. Mike resides with his wife, Diana, in a Santa Cruz California

SHARON BARNETT Well known to children as “Sharon Heron”, Sharon has taught environmental education for over 15 years in Marin and internationally.  A native of Upstate New York, she has a BA in Environmental Studies and a MS in Education. Sharon teaches science at Marin Country Day School and is the Beginning Hiking instructor for College of Marin. She is the co-founder of Marin Nature Adventures, the 2011 Terwilliger Environmental Award winner and Vice President of The River Otter Ecology Project.  Sharon has led programs for Beaver Lake Nature Center, Walker Creek Ranch, Richardson Bay Audubon, Marin Art and Garden Center, WildCare and High Country Passage.  She has volunteered with many organizations including The Marine Mammal Center, SPAWN, Point Reyes National Seashore, and served as Director for Marin Audubon Society.   www.MarinNature.com

SEAN ARBABIwith a BA in commercial photography from Brooks Institute (1991), specializes in adventure sports, conceptual, lifestyle, and travel photography for advertising, corporate and editorial clients. His stock images, currently 500,000+ strong, have been published in ad, books, catalogs, magazines, and websites. During his twenty year career, his work has appeared around the world in numerous countries, publications, and with clients including: California Division of Tourism, Microsoft, National Geographic, The New York Times, Random House, Outside, Sunset, Via, and Timex. Sean has written two successful how-to books for Random House including The BetterPhoto Guide to Exposure (January 2009) and The Complete Guide to Nature Photography (December 2011), while he develops a how-to television show on photography.
www.seanarbabi.com

PETER BERGEN was first introduced to nature awareness and primitive skills by Tom Brown Jr. in 1987 and since then he has been learning, practicing, and enthusiastically sharing these time-tested skills and activities. He has enjoyed working with school and scouting groups, nature preserve docents, bass guitar players, and others in places like New Jersey's Pine Barrens, Tennessee's rolling hills, and coastal California. Peter is associated with the Regenerative Design Institute and the Riekes Center for Human Enhancement. Currently Peter is the director of Outside in Nature, a youth and adult educational program based at Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma.

KATHY BIGGS is a well-known dragonfly enthusiast, the author of 3 dragonfly guides, one dragonfly color & learn book, the creator of California Odonata website and the CalOdes discussion group. She teaches classes throughout the West about the Odonates and how to create ponds for wildlife. Her newest endeavor, the EBook Dragonflies of California and the Greater Southwest, will be available in spring 2012.

FRANK BINNEY is a professional interpretive planner who has helped enhance visitor experiences at Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Mount St. Helens, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, and numerous California State Parks. He is the author of Point Reyes and the San Andreas Fault Zone: The Aerial Photography of Robert Campbell. In 2004 he was named Volunteer of the Year, Pacific West Region of the National Park Service, for his pro bono help assisting National Seashore biologists with Tule elk and Snowy plover studies. In his younger years, Frank explored and mapped caves throughout the world, including participation in cave surveys at Mammoth Cave National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Channel Islands National Park and Lava Beds National Monument. Today he enjoys using his science background and interpretive guiding skills to help people make personal connections to the special places, unique stories and priceless resources of Point Reyes National Seashore.

BLUE WATERS KAYAKING has the honor of introducing people of all ages and abilities to the natural wonders of kayaking.   We see people delight at the thrill of their first paddle, rejoice with wonder as they serenely cross the Bay under the glow of the full moon and beam with excitement as they load their kayak for a camping trip on a secluded beach. Beginning with the Coast Miwok, the shores of Tomales Bay have been inhabited by people for over 5,000 years.  Although the Bay has undergone tremendous changes over the centuries Blue Waters Kayaking is dedicated to preserving Tomales Bay.  All of our kayak programs emphasize environmental awareness and will introduce you to the Bay’s unique ecosystem, stunning beauty and romantic appeal.

SUSAN BONO is a Sonoma County teacher, writer, and editor who explores the art of personal narrative at workshops, conferences, and retreats all over Northern California. She has been publishing Tiny Lights, a journal of personal narrative, since 1995, along with its online counterpart, www.tiny-lights.com. Her writing has appeared online, as well as in Sheila Bender's Writing & Publishing Personal Essays (Silver Threads, 2005,) the St. Petersburg Times, the Petaluma Argus Courier, Passager Magazine, and has been read on KRCB radio's Word by Word and the North Bay Theater Group's Page on Stage.

SARAH BROOKS has been birding with her dad since she was five. She is a graduate in Wildlife Biology from UC Davis and has studied birds in Washington and Mexico as well as close to home. She is a biologist for Marin/Sonoma Mosquito & Vector Control District, and has become a new mom in the last year.

DAVID CAMPBELL has been collecting, studying, eating, teaching and writing about wildmushrooms for over 40 years. He served more than a decade on council for the Mycological Society of San Francisco (MSSF), including 2 terms as president. Primarily focused on edible and poisonous mushrooms, he leads numerous fungal forays for MSSF and the Sonoma Mycological Association (SOMA). David is active with the San Francisco Poison Control Center for mushroom poisoning incident response in the greater Bay Area. He served as foray leader and event facilitator for several years at author David Arora’s annual mycological field seminars. An expert mycophagist (one who safely eats a wide variety of wild mushrooms) and experienced outdoor group foray leader, David Campbell is Foray Director for Wild About Mushrooms Company, guiding organized wild mushroom adventures, locally and afar. He also has his own company, MycoVentures, expanding his horizons to include ever further reaches; including fungal forays to Oregon and the Colorado Rockies, and truffle tours in Italy.

CATHLEEN CANNON has been fascinated with Bay Area Ecology for 30 years. She has been the Education Specialist for ACR Bouverie Preserve, Community Education instructor for college of Marin, & Science Education consultant for numerous elementary schools. As a volunteer she contributed 22 years to Audubon Canyon Ranch, 10+ years to Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association Beach Watch, and 11 years to Plankton Sampling for State Department of Public Health. Cathleen is a warm, zealous teacher with a sense of humor!

JOSIAH CLARK started Habitat Potential in 2002 and has worked as a consulting ecologist for a wide range of clients including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco Significant Natural Areas Program, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Golden Gate Audubon Society, and dozens of private property owners. He is an expert on the urban-wildlife interface and has investigated natural processes and the specific needs of wildlife in the urban setting for the last fifteen years. Josiah also leads international birding tours, engages in environmental stewardship with urban youth, and writes on environmental issues.
www.habitatpotential.com

BILL CONE a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in 1983, Bill Cone has been painting landscapes for the last 14 years, often in the East Bay hills, with yearly pack trips into the Sierra. His work has been exhibited in group and one man shows throughout California. His “day job” is as a Production Designer for Pixar Animation Studios, where he has done hundreds of pastel lighting studies for films. He has also taught classes on lighting and color at Pixar for the last 10 years. He blogs at www.billcone.blogspot.com

GARY CRABBE began taking pictures while in college. After graduation, a twist of fate led Gary to the studio of renowned photographer Galen Rowell, where he managed the Stock Department of Mountain Light Photography for nine years. His client and publication credits include the National Geographic Society, New York Times, Forbes Magazine, TIME, Victoria's Secret, The North Face, Sunset, L.L. Bean, Subaru, and The Nature Conservancy. He has seven books to his credit, including the award-winning The California Coast (2001). Other titles include Our San Francisco (2003), Yosemite & the Eastern Sierra (2004), Backroads of the California Wine Country (2006), Backroads of the California Coast (2009), and Greetings from California (2011). His latest book is Photographing California; Vol. 1 – North. His photographic prints & murals are included in both private and corporate collections. Gary has also conducted highly praised shows and workshops for groups like R.E.I., The Sierra Club, The Photographic Society of America, local camera clubs, and at Mountain Light. Gary also offers a variety of other services, including consulting, photo editing & research, public presentations & lectures, along with custom private and group photo workshops. To see more of Gary’s work, visit his web site at www.enlightphoto.com

HAROLD DAVIS is an award-winning professional photographer. He is the author of more than 30 best-selling books, including The Photo shop Darkroom 2: Creative Digital Transformations (Focal Press), Creative Portraits: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques (Wiley), Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques (Wiley), Creative Night: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques (Wiley), Creative Close-Ups: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques (Wiley), The Photo shop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing (Focal Press) and Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers (O’Reilly). Harold writes the popular Photoblog 2.0, www.photoblog2.com, and is a regular photography columnist for Photo.net, which has more than one million members. Harold is a popular and sought-after presenter on digital photography topics. Harold is well known for his elegant digital monochromatic compositions, night photography and experimental ultra-long exposure techniques, use of vibrant, saturated colors in landscape compositions, and beautiful creative floral imagery. He is inspired by the flowers in his garden, hiking in the wilderness, and the work of great artists and photographers including M.C. Escher, Monet, van Gogh and Edward Weston. Harold lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife Phyllis Davis, a graphic designer and writer who frequently collaborates with Harold on book projects. They have four children. http://www.digitalfieldguide.com/workshops.php

MIKE DRANGINIS learned Celestial Navigation to participate in the Singlehanded Sailing Society Transpac Yacht Race from San Francisco to Kauai. Taking Sun sights while circumnavigating the Farallon Islands and star sights from the rolling deck of a 30 ft. sailboat gave him a deep appreciation of the value of GPS. He is an active docent at the Robert Ferguson Observatory in Sonoma County and on the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Astronomical Society.

CAROL DUCHAMP has taught and led watercolor painting workshops for UCSC, UCLA and UCSD Extensions for 20 years, both here and abroad. Currently she teaches for Art Trek, at her West Marin Studio and for College of Marin Community Education. Carol’s unique teaching style encourages experimentation in a supportive environment that nourishes the intuitive power of self-expression. She is an exhibiting artist with special training from JFK University in transformative arts. Her “Lyrical Abstractions” in both watercolor and acrylic take viewers into the realm of the invisible, inner landscapes that express themselves through visual language. Her improvisations liken themselves to water music. Nature is very present, nonetheless, in all of her paintings through the understanding of the use of color and water, and through the sources of her inspiration. Carol has been painting for over 20 years. Her passion and joy for the visual arts is contagious. A special gift is her ability to nurture the artist is every student and to encourage the hidden potential in every beginner. As a world traveler, Carol brings a background in art history and varied cultures to her teaching. She believes that art and creativity go hand in hand with happiness, and that it is natural to every human being to have a creative outlet and an art form for self-expression.

WENDY DRESKIN has been teaching the popular class: "Meandering in Marin" through College of Marin since 1998. She taught for Terwilliger Nature Education (now Wild Care) in the early '90s, and currently teaches nature education classes for children at various elementary schools in Marin County. She served as Education Chair for the Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, and created the Junior Botanist program which reaches over 300 children in schools around the county each year. In recognition of her work inspiring both children and adults, she was honored with the Terwilliger Environmental Award in 2003.

MICHAEL ELLIS Who's Michael? A trip participant says it this way: "Start with an encyclopedic knowledge of all the sciences, especially botany, biology and etymology, add the ability to articulate this knowledge rapid fire in lay terms, laced with humorous anecdotes; add genuine love of nature and teaching—Michael combines all these ingredients to enthuse people about nature". As well as leading his own natural history forays, Michael also guides trips for a number of Bay Area organizations. His B.S. in Botany and Masters in Marine Biology are the foundation for his lifelong process of gathering information from travels throughout the natural world. He is a regular contributor to the KQED-FM Perspective Series.
www.footlooseforays.com

DAVID FITZSIMMONS is a photographer and writer whose works have appeared in Shutterbug, Popular Photography & Imaging, and Ohio regional publications. David is currently at work on two books, Animals of Ohio’s Ponds and Vernal Pools (Kent State University Press, 2010) and Waterfalls of Ohio. His landscape images have appeared on postcards and a variety of calendars, including many by industry-leader, BrownTrout. David’s commercial work—which ranges from outdoor recreation and resorts to industrial and aerial photography—has reached an estimated two million viewers to date. As owner of FitzSimmons Photography, David oversees a full-service commercial design studio and is the eye behind the studio’s fine art portraiture and wedding photography. David is currently conducting a nationwide tour of macro photography workshops. David holds a Ph.D. in English from Ohio State University and also teaches at Ashland University. www.fitzsimmonsphotography.com

JAMES FREED is a Sonoma County based artist and teacher who specializes in landscapes, architectural scenes and figurative work. His work, including drawings, prints, oil and watercolor paintings, capture his vision of the natural world. James currently heads his own exhibit design firm and teaches drawing and design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He also likes to spend time hiking and creating art at the Point Reyes National Seashore.
www.jamesfreed.com

ANDREA FREEMAN has been working as a naturalist and environmental educator for the past 19 years. She has extensive experience teaching in the outdoors and has comprehensive knowledge of the natural sciences, with special expertise in Botany, Ecology, Marine Biology and Phycology (the study of seaweed). She has been a Board member of the California Native Plant Society and has led Botany and Ethnobotany walks as well as Marine Biology/Tidepool outings for many years. She is a member of the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers Association, loves star-gazing and sharing her knowledge of the night sky with others. She has a master’s Degree in Natural History and Environmental Studies and is an enthusiastic interpreter of the marvels of the natural world. She’s also a poet and storyteller and plays the Celtic harp.

HARRY FULLER, a resident of Ashland in southwestern, Oregon is an active volunteer with Rogue Valley Audubon Society and Klamath Bird Observatory. Harry was a long-time San Francisco resident and birder where he led numerous professional and volunteer trips in that area. He was a founding member of the San Francisco Field Ornithologists. In addition Mr. Fuller has led dozens of field trips for Golden Gate Audubon Society, Strybing Arboretum and Carleton College. Mr. Fuller has taught classes on early American ornithology, bird song and field identification at the California Academy of Sciences, local Audubon groups and Point Reyes Field Institute. He’s also written and published Now and Then, a history of changes in San Francisco’s natural habitats and wildlife since the earliest written records. His pieces on birding West Coast locations have also appeared in WildBird magazine. While living in Europe from 2001-2005, Mr. Fuller wrote articles on urban birding in London, Paris and Frankfurt for the American Birding Association’s newsletter.

CHRIS GIORNI founded Tree Frog Treks in 1999. He received his undergraduate degree in zoology from U.C. Berkeley and his Master’s degree in biology from San Francisco State University. He has been active in the area of education since 1989, teaching science at the kindergarten through adult level at Cal Academy, Strybing Arboretum, SF Rec and Park, Bay Area Discovery Museum, and Ashland Science Works Museum. Working as a professional biologist, he has had the opportunity to study lizards in the Dominican Republic, coral reef fish off of Lizard Island in Australia and amphibians and reptiles in many areas throughout California. He has worked with Gary Fellars on the Global Amphibian decline task force here in Point Reyes, studied San Francisco garter snakes in San Mateo County state parks, and is presently involved in local amphibian restoration projects.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Chris has always been fascinated with animal life and never missed an opportunity to go camping or fishing. Leading active travel tours with Backroads for five years allowed him to meet and work with a diverse group of people from all over the world. Chris is the Head Frog at Tree Frog Treks and continues to lead classes all over the Bay Area.  

DOREEN GURROLA has a Master's in marine science and works at The Marine Mammal Center since 1995 as Assistant Director of Education. Currently, she is a part-time Marine Science Instructor. At the Center, she teaches marine science to groups of all ages and trains hundreds of volunteers in marine mammal natural history. Additionally, Doreen leads natural history tours for various organizations since 1991. She leads whale watches locally (Farallon Islands, Monterey Bay, and Cordell Bank) and abroad (New England, Alaska, Baja, Vancouver, and Galapagos).

BILL HELSEL has been a free-lance photographer since 1976, specializing in nature, travel, and architecture. He is represented by three major stock photo agencies and his work has appeared in hundreds of publications worldwide, including Audubon, Bay Nature, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic publications, Ranger Rick, Sierra, and Sunset. Since 1980 he has taught photography through Acalanes Adult Education Center, and more recently through Walnut Creek Civic Arts Education and other venues. He has also been a contributing editor for Darkroom Photography magazine. While he shoots heavily in color, his widely-exhibited fine art landscape work has been mostly in black and white, and since 2000, mostly in black and white infrared. www.billhelsel.com

JOAN HOFFMANN paints in oil and watercolor. Her paintings depict her hiking and climbing adventures in remote landscapes. She is integrally connected to the land by teaching, painting, and preserving the wild places that she explores. She has hiked the Colorado Trail and body-floated the Barranco del Cobre (Grand Canyon) of Mexico. She tours with her slide show of her oils and watercolors, giving talks on Art History of American Landscape Painters in National Parks. She celebrates forty years oil and watercolor painting in the wilds of the American West. She hosts Painting Retreats in Southern Utah, Grand Tetons and Sorensen's Resort, in the Sierras and teaches through Point Reyes Field Institute and the Nature Conservancy of Colorado.
www.joanhoffmann.com

LISA HUG, M.ED., is a freelance naturalist and contract biologist. She is an experienced birder in the North Bay area whose frequent haunts include Bolinas Lagoon, Point Reyes National Seashore and Bodega Bay. She teaches bird identification classes for the community education program at the College of Marin. She is also an energetic co-leader for Shearwater Journeys Pelagic Tours. She served as President of the Redwood Region Ornithological Society for two years. Lisa also received the Madrone Audubon Society Martha Bentley & Ernestine Smith Award for Dedication to Wildlife Conservation. She is the author of the self-running educational CD Feather-Watching: An Interactive CD Guide for Studying Birds in the Field and loves to share her knowledge of and enthusiasm for the natural world with others. www.lisahugsnorthbaybirds.com

JOHN KARACHEWSKI is a geologist for the California-EPA (DTSC) in Berkeley. John has conducted geology and environmental projects throughout the western US from Colorado to Alaska to Midway Island and throughout California. He received his Master's degree from Western Washington University and his doctorate from the Colorado School of Mines. In addition, he enjoys teaching at Diablo Valley College and has led field trips in the SF Bay region as well as Big Sur and the Eastern Sierra for UC Berkeley Extension. Doris Sloan and John collaborated on the popular book Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region. John is an avid hiker, mountain biker, and backpacker who enjoys photography.

JIMMY KATZ, director of James Henry River Journeys/Wilderness Journeys, has been a wilderness leader for 46 years and an image maker for the past 40 years. Jimmy has been on assignment for the National Geographic in the Arctic, has been published in their Special Publications, Outside Magazine, Outdoor Photographer, Image Magazine, Sierra, The Wilderness Society, Fine Gardening, and two books; Mountain Peoples and Tatshenshini River Wild. He taught photography workshops for 25 years for UC Extension at Santa Cruz, Berkeley as well as other Extensions within the UC system and the Pt. Reyes Field Institute. Jimmy is skilled in nourishing students’ creativity and giving participants insightful information woven within interesting humorous anecdotes. He puts a great deal of personal energy into participants in one-on-one situations in the field and in student critiques.

GLENN KEATOR is a Bay Area botanist/teacher/writer specializing in California native plants with an emphasis on identifying and growing them, and with a particular interest in edible and medicinal natives for the garden.  He has been teaching courses at Merritt College in Oakland, College of Marin, Regional Parks (Tilden) Botanic Garden, and leading field trips all over the state and beyond. He has written several books on natives including The Life of an Oak: an Intimate Portrait, California Plant Families West of the Deserts and Sierra Crest, and Designing California Native Gardens with Alrie Middlebrook. You can find out more by visiting his website at http://www.glennkeator.com.

CAROL KEIPER is a marine ecologist specializing in marine birds and mammals. Her undergraduate degree is in education and in 2001 she received her Master's Degree in Marine Science at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in California.For more than 20 years she has been involved in at-sea research and has a strong interest in the ecology of the California Current System. She is a founding board member and researcher with Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge. Her current research involves the Black-footed albatross and conservation actions that address impacts of plastic marine debris. For the past six years she has served on the Sanctuary Advisory Council for Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary in California.

CHARLES KENNARD is a long-time student of central California-Indian-technique twined and coiled baskets, as well as of several European techniques, including bee-hive weaving. He has been giving presentations and workshops on traditional uses of native plants throughout the Bay Area for adults and youth for more than a decade. Full-size tule boats built in his workshops are in the collections of the Oakland Museum, the Academy of Sciences, and Lake County Museum. Charlie is active in habitat restoration with the Friends of Corte Madera Creek Watershed in Marin County and is also a professional photographer.

SEBASTIAN KENNERKNECHT is a professional wildlife and conservation photographer. He isrepresented by Minden Pictures, a wildlife and nature stock photo agency representing the world's best natural history photography. A former field and workshop assistant to Frans Lanting, and a behavioral ecologist, his exhibitions include Seabirds of Midway Atoll, California Birdlife, Brown Pelicans, and Endangered Neighbors. Sebastian's photographs have been published in National Geographic Kids, The Economist, and Bay Nature, among other publications. www.pumapix.com

OLIVER KLINK Story telling is Oliver’s inspiration for his photography. Taking him to places that are real but can also be turned into dreamlands. The outcome is dictated first and foremost from everything he sees, feels and experiences, by the characters depicted in the story, their surroundings and backgrounds. He uses both stages and real events to discuss the blurred boundaries that exist between reality and fantasy. At first the photographs may tell a story that is real, until one discovers only gradually that they contain elements of fiction, or vice versa. Oliver Klink’s images have received many recognitions, with the most recent as publication in National Geographic (Best Wall Paper 2009), publication in Popular Photography Magazine (Best kept secret of wildlife photographers, March 2010), The 2009 Mike Ivanitsky Award for Excellence in Photography, NANPA 2009 Top 100 images showcase, PhotoCentral 2012 Spring Show Award of Excellence. His work has been exhibited at various US and international galleries.

JOHN KLOBAS teaches naturalist, interpretive and docent training classes and leads trips throughout California and the western states for birds, especially hawks and owls, marine mammals and animals large and small. It is equally possible to find him on the side of a mountain, knee deep in a tide pool, soaking in a hot spring, or helping someone add an elusive bird to their life list. Wherever you find him, there will be an adventure not soon forgotten. He is an author and writer on topics of conservation, stewardship and the environment and has been recognized by the California State Senate and Assembly, the Sierra Club and conservation councils in Marin and Sonoma counties for his environmental education efforts. John can be followed on Facebook at John Klobas Wildlife Adventures and reached by e-mail at jklobas@sonic.net

BERNIE KRAUSE Since 1968, Dr. Krause has traveled the world recording & archiving the sounds of wild habitats large & small. During the process of working at the research sites of Jane Goodall, Dian Fassey, and Birute Galdikas, he identified the concept of biophony – the manner in which creatures in a given healthy habitat vocalize in special relationships to one another in structures that resemble a symphonic orchestral score. Krause has produce over 50 CD’s and his 3D sound installations can be heard at the Smithsonian, the California Academy of Science, the Chicago Science Museum, the American Museum of Natural History (NYC) & many other sites. During his professional music career, he won the Pete Seeger slot in the Weavers (1963), and then, with his late music partner, Paul Beavers, introduced the synthesizer to pop music and film. His latest book, The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World’s Wild Places, (Little Brown,3/15/12), summarizes a lifetime of experience in the field and reveals what the narratives inherent in natural soundscapes tell us about the wild and our relationships to that exciting resource.

JOHN (JACK) MUIR LAWS is a naturalist, educator and artist who delights in exploring the natural world and sharing this love with others. Laws has worked as an environmental educator for over 25 years in California, Wyoming, and Alaska. He teaches classes on natural history, conservation biology, scientific illustration, and field sketching. He is trained as a wildlife biologist and is an associate of the California Academy of Sciences. In 2009, he received the Terwilliger Environmental Award for outstanding service in Environmental Education. He is a 2010 Together Green Conservation Leadership Fellow with the National Audubon Society. He was the 2011 artist for International Migratory Bird Day. Laws has written and illustrated books about art and natural history of California including The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, Sierra Birds: A Hiker’s Guide (2004), The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada (2007), and The Laws Pocket Guide Set to the San Francisco By Area (2009). He is a regular contributor to Bay Nature magazine with his “Naturalists Notebook” column. His illustrations are informed by extensive field experience and capture the feeling of the living plant or animal, while also including details critical for identification.

DAVID LUKASgrew up on the Oregon coast and began studying natural history at the age of five. Like other children, he had a roomful of aquariums and launched daylong collecting “expeditions” into neighborhood swamps and forests in search of everything squirmy, slimy, and scaly. These studies continued during high school through associations with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and Woodland Park Zoo. David started biology studies at Reed College, but left college several times to spend much of the following 10 years traveling around the world working on biological research projects. These travels took him to Borneo for a year as part of a Harvard research team, and to the Peruvian Amazon under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. While in Borneo, David decided to become a writer and later spent several years working with the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gary Snyder in the Sierra Nevada. After graduating with a degree in English from Reed College, David returned to the Sierra Nevada and devoted himself to writing and teaching about the natural world. After teaching nature programs in Marin County for the past 4 years, David recently moved back to the Sierra Nevada and now lives on 10 acres just outside of Yosemite National Park.

SHAWN MALONEY is the Engineering Equipment Operator for the Trails Branch of Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS). Shawn grew up in Fairfax, and started working for the park in 1986 as a youth conservation corps enrollee (YCC).  Shawn has spent the last 25 years working at Point Reyes National Seashore helping to maintain, and repair the trail system.  Shawn holds a certificate as a Trails Coordinator from Monterey Peninsula College, William Penn Mott Jr. Training Center, and the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. Shawn has also completed all the advanced courses in trail construction and management through Monterey Peninsula College, and William Penn Mott Jr. Training Center.  Some of the recent projects Shawn has designed and implemented at PRNS are, the rebuilding and reopening of the Kelham Beach, Randall Spur and Muddy Hollow Trails.  Shawn has also designed and implemented reroutes on Greenpicker Trail, Estero Trail, Horse Trail, and Rift Zone Trail.

TRINKA MARRIS is co-founder of the Hungry Owl Project, an organization dedicated to preserving the owl and its habitat, along with educating the public of the owl's vital role in keeping balance in nature. She is a certified naturalist in the state of California and is currently pursuing her degree in Biology with a focus in Ethnology (animal behavior). In 2007, she received a Natural History certification through the College of Marin. Her studies include Ornithology, Mammology, Animal Behavior, Botany, Marine Biology, and Ecology. She has participated in extended biological field studies in both Alaska and the Mojave Desert.

PAUL MILLER is a volunteer at the Point Reyes National Seashore’s Morgan Horse Ranch, where he has helped care for and exercise horses for the past five years. He was the Marin Independent Journal’s editorial cartoonist in the late 1960’s, later was the editorial and sports cartoonist for the Novato Advance for most of the 1970’s, has done cover cartoons for the Pacific Sun, and worked as a cartoonist illustrator for the Tiburon Ark. He also has had cartoons published in the San Francisco Chronicle as an “Image to the Editor” contributor. The San Francisco chapter of Surfriders Foundation has published several of his surfing paintings on its website. Miller was also a regular contributor to MoreMarin.com, an affiliate of SFGate.com. Miller, a former Marine and UCLA graduate, taught a cartooning course in the art department at the College of Marin, where he was a full time faculty member in the English and communications departments for four decades. Miller has paintings and drawings in private collections in California, Arizona, Washington, Hawaii, Texas, Florida and Province, France, London and India. Last year at the Bear Valley Visitor Center he had a benefit art exhibit of the horses of the park’s Morgan Horse Ranch.

BIRGIT O’CONNOR
Birgit is a sought after self-taught artist / instructor that teaches many National and Internationalworkshops. Her work has been published in over 40 national and international publications along with being included in many collections throughout the world. Her most current publications include Dobry Zank, (publication in Poland) Artist Magazine, Watercolor Artist Magazine and "L'Art de l'Aquarelle from France.  Birgit has won numerous National and International awards and is a signature member of LWS & CWA, her other memberships include Cambridge Who’s Who, Who's who in America, Who's who in American woman.  Birgit has written two books by North Light publications “Watercolor in Motion”, “Watercolor Essentials” she is also contributing editor to Artist’s Magazine and Watercolor Artist Magazine and is available on http://www.artistsnetwork.tv Birgit has also developed her own line of successful instructional DVD programs which are available on her website www.birgitoconnor.com

JAYAH FAYE PALEY is an author, Fitness & Wellness educator, and AFAA & ACE-certified Personal Trainer. She is the creator of two award-winning DVDs: POLES for Hiking, Trekking & Walking and POLES for Balance & Mobilit. She has written a course to accompany the Mobility DVD, which provides continuing education credits for personal trainers. Jayah leads hiking, walking and fitness seminars for National and State Park Associations, and other health-related organizations around the country. As a mobility coach, Jayah has trained users and physical therapists how to use poles to achieve, maintain and even regain mobility for hiking and walking. Jayah is a Sierra Club leader and a breast cancer survivor who founded and helps run the Lymphedema Education & Exercise Group through California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Her company (www.AdventureBuddies.NET) training website (www.PolesforMobility.com) focus on helping people to more safely and completely enjoy their outdoor experiences.

SARAH RABKIN is the author and illustrator of What I Learned at Bug Camp: Essays on Finding a Home in the World (Juniper Lake Press, 2011), and an award-winning teacher of writing and environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz. She fell in love with Point Reyes as a Bay Area kid in the 1960s & 70s, and still makes frequent pilgrimages there from her home on the Central Coast. Sarah has led field-based writing workshops in California's High Sierra and along Utah's San Juan River, on the Oregon coast and the shores of Monterey Bay, and in other locations around the West. Her writing has appeared in a variety of periodicals and anthologies, including The Way of Natural History, edited by Thomas Lowe Fleischner, and The Alphabet of the Trees: A Guide to Nature Writing, edited by Christian McEwen and Mark Statman.  www.sarahrabkin.com

MICHAEL REARDON, has been painting in watercolor for over twenty years. An avid traveler, he uses watercolor to record his observations, convey a sense of place and light,and communicate his impressions of the built, natural, and imagined worlds.

His watercolors have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Recent exhibits include the annual shows of the National Watercolor Society, the American Watercolor Society, and the California Art Club. In 2011 he presented a solo show at the Thomas Reynolds Gallery in San Francisco.

POINT REYES OUTDOORS Our love of the wilderness and sincere desire to share our knowledge and understanding of nature inspired us to create Point Reyes Outdoors. Together, we bring 35 years of experience in the outdoors industry. PRO is dedicated to environmental stewardship, building community relationships and providing our clients with the finest tours possible.
http://www.pointreyesoutdoors.com/

BARRIE ROKEACH, author of The Kodak Guide to Aerial Photography, and Timescapes: California Aerial Images, has more than 30 years experience as a professional photographer specializing in aerial photography. He also has logged over 40 years as a pilot with commercial and instrument ratings, flying throughout the US and locations overseas. He has produced over 60 book covers and hundreds of interior shots with most major book publishers. His images have appeared in such magazines as Audubon, Discover, Forbes, Fortune, National Parks, Scientific American, Sierra, Smithsonian, Sunset, Time and many others. He has been profiled in over a dozen national publications, has exhibited in museums and galleries around the country, and teaches occasionally at workshops and institutions. In 2008, he was recognized by the University of California as a Distinguished Alumni in the College of Environmental Design.

ANE CARLA ROVETTA is a multifaceted artist who has been teaching in Marin County since 1974. Her specialty is combining art and natural history in lively performances throughout the West. Her audiences include school children, park visitors and education conferences but she will tell a story "to anyone who will listen." An illustrator for over 20 years, Ane Carla has illustrated five books and has had gallery showings at Coyote Point and Randall Museums, Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, and the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua.

ELLEN SAMPSON in her forty-plus years in the Bay Area, Ellen has studied biology, physiology and natural history and has hiked extensively at Point Reyes National Seashore and the Sierra Nevada. She has a passion for our local flora and fauna, especially birds and mammals. She is a leader with the annual CBC4Kids program at Point Reyes and as a docent at the East Bay Regional Parks District’s Botanic Garden in Tilden Park where she leads tours of the all-native garden with children and adults. She also leads private natural history trips around the Bay Area and to the central valley during fall and winter to observe the annual migration of geese, ducks, swans and a multitude of other birds and wildlife.

BETTY SEDERQUIST has been publishing her work for decades, with clients such as NationalGeographic Society and Sunset magazine. She was an associate editor of Alaska magazine, editor-in-chief of Sacramento magazine, and also served as staff photographer for both publications. She has written and illustrated several books, most recently (2012) a book of historic photographs of the California Gold Rush town of Colma. Since 1998, she has taught at Folsom Lake College, specializing in outdoor photography and digital imaging, leading workshops in the Carson Pass area, Yosemite, Mono Lake, Monterey, and Bodie. She has also taught private workshops covering such topics as HDR, photo restoration, use of model and artificial lights, and macro photography. She brings both patience and a sense of play to the craft of working with cameras. Since 1999, she has led wilderness photo adventures in Southeast Alaska with Dolphin Charters. www.sederquist.com

TOM SOLTESZ has worked as a professional artist for the past 40 years. Born in Pennsylvania in 1954 he moved to Florida in 1972 to paint Billboards and in 1974 went to the Colorado Institute of art in Denver to study advertising and design. He worked in the south Pacific as a graphic designer, and illustrator for companies in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea.  He returned to the US in 1982 to further his education in Fine Art at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. Since that time he has been selling his paintings in galleries and competing in Plein Air competitions in California and around the US. He continues to sell in art shows, galleries and painting competitions and has been teaching Plein Air painting for the past 15 years.

BOB STEWART has taught biology in public schools and at College of Marin, and served as Landbird Biologist and Director of Education at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. For 15 years Bob worked for the County of Marin and is well know for the 2,000 plus outings he led for the general public on a variety of topics including bird behavior, butterflies, insects, mushrooms, grasses, flowering plants, habitats and general ecology. Since 1973, he has led birding and natural history tours to a variety of locations around California and the Southwest, and Central America. Look for his books Common Butterflies of California, and Butterflies of Arizona, A Photographic Study.

AUTUMN SUMMERS Inspired by the plants since childhood has studied herbalism and ethnobotany (BA in anthropology with a special emphasis in Ethnobotany) for the last 20 years with an affinity for the plants, seaweeds and mushrooms of Northern California. She has guest hosted KPFA’s Herbal Highway, co-organized free community herb festivals and has held positions at Rosemary’s Garden, Simplers Botanical and KW Botanicals. Currently she teaches edible and medicinal plant classes at the California School of Herbal Studies (www.cshs.com) and for the Herb Pharm Intern program and is a consultant for Herb Pharm.

JENNIFER STOCK, Education and Outreach Coordinator for NOAA's Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, has worked in the field of environmental education for over 13 years, as an interpretive park ranger with Assateague Island and Fire Island National Seashores, at Guided Discoveries: Catalina Island Marine Institute, and locally at the Headlands Institute. Jennifer loves showing people what they can’t see with their bare eyes and delights in bringing the mysterious underwater world to learners of all ages. You can tune into her monthly radio program Ocean Currents on KWMR the first Monday of every month. Jennifer has a Bachelors Degree in Biology from the University of Delaware and a Masters of Science in Education from Dominican University.

REID THALER first ventured into photography almost 40 years ago taking pictures of his dog with a Kodak Brownie camera. He soon graduated to an adjustable camera, a light meter, and a darkroom. Since then, his photographs have either won or placed in almost every photographic competition he’s entered, most recently again winning “Best of Show” at the 2010 Marin County Fair. His images have been utilized by colleges, a literary magazine, non-profit service organizations, and corporations. He enjoys teaching as much as he loves shooting and takes great joy in distilling complex technical information and presenting it in user-friendly forms. He’ll show you how to establish a digital imaging workflow allowing you to download, organize, and optimize images with ease and then to create projects ranging from web sites to beautiful photo books of your images. Twice he has been selected to lead groups on photo walks as part of the Worldwide Photo Walk held annually. He has taught photography to diverse groups of people of different ages and abilities, including Enchanted Hills Camp for the blind. Reid has fully embraced digital photography and loves sharing his knowledge with others. And he still loves taking pictures of his dog. www.lumiograph.com

ANDIE THRAMS is a California-based visual artist. Her lifelong devotion to creative work in the outdoors, especially within the pages of her field journals, has evolved into artist books and paintings held in numerous private and public collections, such as those at Yale University and the University of Washington. Her work is widely exhibited and has been honored by institutions including Sitka Center for Art & Ecology and Yosemite Renaissance. She earned a BA in art practice from University of California Berkeley and teaches for San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco State University Sierra Nevada Field Campus and more. She is currently at work on two projects, In Forests and Field Studies, which include artist books and paintings documenting wild forests. Andie has been a working artist since high school, including stints as botanical illustrator, art educator, calligrapher, exhibition display designer, graphic designer, cartographer and occasional publisher, as Larkspur Graphics. She lives in a river town in the Sierra Nevada foothills with her husband. www.andiethrams.com

PATTI TRIMBLE was a park service naturalist who wanted a career in which she could make more things up. Now a poet and essayist, she writes about the natural world, memory, love and politics. She performs her lyric poetry with music in the US and Europe. She is co-founder of the Tuolomne Meadows Poetry Festival and professor of writing at the Mediterranean Center for Arts & Sciences in Sicily. She has two chapbooks published by Redfruit Press, and a spoken word CD - "Small Craft Advisories."

EDWARD VON DER PORTEN, naval historian, nautical archaeologist, museum director and educator. Edward is a researcher of maritime subjects including pre-Viking through eighteenth –century shipbuilding, Henry VIII’s Mary Rose and the development of the big-gun warship, Francis Drake’s California encampment, early manila galleon wrecks, early Chinese trade porcelains and the World War II German Navy. He is the organizer and director of archaeological projects in California and Mexico. Publications include a book on the German Navy in two versions and fourteen editions, one of them a Book-of-the-Month-Club alternate, an article on the Hanseatic League in National Geographic magazine, a small book on Drake in California, numerous technical reports and magazine and newspaper articles on maritime and archaeological subjects, and three small text books, one of which is in its fifth edition and thirty-fifth year in publication. He has traveled extensively in the US and Europe for research and photography, consultant to the National Geographic Society on nautical archaeology and fellow of the Explorers club and member of historical and archaeological associations in the US and Europe. He taught history for many years at Santa Rosa High School and was department chairman and journalism advisor at Santa Rosa Junior college.

LINDA ANN VOROBIK is a botanist, editor, and illustrator of numerous botanical publications and cherishes all three west coast states as home. She holds a PhD from the University of Oregon, Eugene, and conducts field research and teaches in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon. She currently lives on Lopez Island, Washington and visits Berkeley on a regular basis, where she is a Research Associate at the University Herbarium, UC. Linda has over 25 years of illustration and college level teaching experience, and is principal illustrator of, for example, The Flora of Santa Cruz island, The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California, and has contributed many illustrations to the Morphology and Evolution of Vascular Plants. www.vorobikbotanicalart.com

GEORGE WARD has been an enduring presence in American nature photography for twenty-five years, his images have been widely featured in national publications, including many appearances in the Audubon Society and Sierra Club calendars and note cards. Magazine credits include Sierra, Newsweek, Outside, Backpacker, Outdoor Photographer, Nature's Best, Smithsonian and Sunset. His work has also appeared in numerous books showcasing the natural history of the West, and his art prints are part of many private and corporate collections. With extensive experience using large-format film as well as digital, George's photographs showcase untamed regions of big country and quiet beauty. His intention is to stylistically, but faithfully, interpret the wonder of the natural world. www.georgeward.com

DAVID WIMPFHEIMER is a professional naturalist, guide and biologist who is very passionate about our natural world. He has particular interests in birds and the natural history of the West. Since the mid - 1980’s, David has shared his extensive knowledge about all aspects of the natural world with hundreds of groups besides Pont Reyes Field Institute. He has led numerous tours to Mexico, Alaska, Scotland and other regions for groups including the Smithsoniam Institute, Wild Wings, Oceanic Society and Road Scholar. Although the majority of David’s trips are geared toweard teaching and interpreting the language of the avian world, he is just as experienced teaching the rich diversity of the natural world. From whale watching expeditions to wildflower forays, he will make every visit to the natural world memorable and enjoyable. www.calnaturalist.com

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