I am a retired university professor. After my graduate training was done, I worked about 30 years combined at Indiana University-Bloomington and (mostly at) Cal Poly Humboldt. My expertise is environmental, natural resources, fisheries, and clean-energy economics and policy. I was a prof in several Departments of Economics, Chairing one; faculty in Environmental Studies and Environmental Science undergrad programs; and faculty in the Energy Tech and Policy graduate program. There were many research projects and a few other administrative gigs as well. I still do some consulting.

I am comfortable identifying some flora and fauna native to Northern California and a bit beyond. Mushrooms, lichens, and insects, not so much. 40+ years ago I was trained to identify rangeland grasses of the Intermountain West, but that skill has lapsed. Nevertheless, classes taken from the late Montana State University Herbarium Curator Dr. Jack Rumely at that time still inform my appreciation for the flora of the western US.

For many years I have enjoyed wildflowers and wildlife. Earlier in life this involved a lot of off-trail wilderness immersion and mountain-climbing in the Rockies, later leading trips. Hiking and trail-running evolved into cycling. In Humboldt County this further evolved into viewing wildflowers while bicycling on the coast, up the hills, and into the remote mountains of California's North Coast. I began a cycling journal where I kept records of what I saw. As a technology late-adopter it took a friend's suggestion to eventually cause me to join iNat, and I have more or less learned how to use it. I enjoy meeting folks on iNat who share my interest in plants and critters, and I enjoy learning new things about the natural world.

Every few days I visit the backcountry, often on a mountain-bike -- a wildland immersion experience. Sometimes I can be observed in Trione-Annadel State Park in Sonoma County, California -- the man on a bike taking pictures of flowers, not in a hurry. Stop and say hi. If you think I can help with an ID, then feel free to ask.

I am also a member of the Milo Baker Chapter of CNPS.