It’s great to be a part of a community that is excited about the natural world around us; exploring, sharing, & learning about our diverse natural surroundings.

For me iNaturalist blends my passions for wildlife biology and outdoor recreation with my work in the zoology program of the California Natural Diversity Database, California’s natural heritage program within the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The CNDDB tracks special status species throughout the golden state to help inform conservation and land use planning. So, don’t be surprised if I associate one of your observations with the CNDDB iNaturalist project, leveraging citizen science to inform conservation and land use planning.

Profile picture:
I thought this was pretty cool, a Western Pond Turtle plate from ~160 years ago. This turtle was collected from Poso Creek, Kern County during the Pacific Railroad Expeditions between 1853-1856; see for yourself on Biodiversity Heritage Library (Plate I).