I am a lifelong student of nature and a lover of time in the outdoors both away from and in the thicket of human civilization. Great writers and artists from throughout the expanse of time and geography inform my piety for the beauty and machinery of Nature. This and first-hand observation with slowly accumulating scientific knowledge bolster my identity as a naturalist. I am a certified California Naturalist, but also a professional historian of American art and culture. I am a writer and a curator. I also work in non-profit consulting and grant-writing. I was an English major in college, and hold an MA in museum studies and a PhD in art history.