Mary Ellen Hannibal Citizen Scientist: Searching for Heroes and Hope in and Age of Extinction
Citizen Scientist: Looking for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction is a wide-ranging adventure in becoming a citizen scientist by Mary Ellen Hannibal, an award-winning writer and environmental thought leader. As she wades into tide pools, follows hawks, and scours mountains to collect data on threatened species, Hannibal discovers the power of a heroic cast of volunteers—and the makings of what may be our last, best hope in slowing an unprecedented mass extinction.
Digging deeply, Hannibal traces today’s tech-enabled citizen science movement to its roots: the centuries-long tradition of amateur observation by writers and naturalists. Prompted by her novelist father’s sudden death, she also examines her own past—and discovers a family legacy of looking closely at the world. With unbending zeal for protecting the planet, she then turns her gaze to the wealth of species left to fight for.
Combining original reporting, meticulous research, and memoir in impassioned prose, Citizen Scientist is a literary event, a blueprint for action, and the story of how one woman rescued herself from an odyssey of loss—with a new kind of science.
Hannibal’s other books include The Spine of the Continent, Evidence of Evolution, Leaves & Pods, and Good Parenting Through Your Divorce. A former book review and travel editor, Hannibal is Chair of the California Book Awards. She was a 2011 Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellow. She is a recipient of the National Society of Science Writer’s Science and Society Award 2012 and Stanford University’s Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism.
Devin Schaefferkoetter, Bay Area Mushroom Basics
Devin Schaefferkoetter is a graduate student currently studying in the Perry lab at Cal State East Bay. His research focuses on fungal biodiversity present in oak woodland, Douglas fir, and mixed hardwood forest at Pepperwood Preserve. A fan of all things fungal, he also enjoys hiking and exploring the various parks of the Bay Area.
Kamaria Lofton, Like the Moon Press
Kamaria Lofton is an Oakland native, early childhood educator, wife, and mother. She earned her B.A. in Sacred Music from Patten University in 2003 and her M.A. in Early Education from Mills College in 2008. She enjoys playing the cello in the Patten Symphonette Community Orchestra, learning the sport of fencing, and taking her son to all of the delightful places in Oakland that she enjoyed as a child.
Alicia Goode, Owl Pellet Dissection
Alicia Goode is a museum exhibits preparator, wildlife artist, and taxidermist living and working in Oakland. She has been providing her services to the museums, nature centers, and private collectors of the Bay Area and abroad for the past 20 years.
Lo Scheiner, Plant Walk
Lo Scheiner is an amateur naturalist and part-time natural history student at Merritt College. She wants to know everything: what's that called, why does it do that weird thing, and how is it connected to everything else. Then, she wants to tell everyone about it. In her day job, Lo works with adults who have speech, language, and cognitive impairments.
Tony Iwane, Dock Fouling Critters
Tony Iwane grew up in Hawaii and would like to thank the anoles and spiders he caught (and the Portuguese man-o-wars who stung him) for introducing him to nature. Since moving to the East Bay in 2006, Tony has fallen in love with California's wildlife and can often be found outdoors looking for snakes, bugs, birds and sometimes even mammals. He is passionate about introducing the natural world to people of all walks of life. He is currently a Naturalist at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center and with CCNH, and is an avid photographer.
John Muir Laws Waterfowl Illustration
Naturalist, educator and artist John (Jack) Muir Laws is in love with the natural world and has lived his life sharing this passion with others. He is trained as a wildlife biologist and is a Research Associate of the California Academy of Sciences. Jack has taught nature education teacher since 1984 in California, Wyoming, and Alaska. Laws has written and illustrated books about art and natural history including The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling (2016), The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds (2012), 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 Bay Area (2009). He is a regular contributor to Bay Nature magazine with his “Naturalists Notebook” column. He is the primary author and editor of the curriculum "Opening the world through Nature Journaling".
Meghan Walla-Murphy, Bird Language: Learn What the Birds are Saying!
For over 20 years Meghan Walla-Murphy has delved into wildlife ecology and tracking in the US, Brasil, and Southern Africa which allows her to approach old environmental challenges with new solutions. With great fortune, she has been able to combine her passions for animal tracking, writing and people into vocations of habitat conservation and public awareness. As an Educator, Ecological Consultant and Writer of books, essays and articles, Meghan strives to help people connect to their external and internal landscapes. Bird Language is one
Marley Peifer, Skull Illustration
Marley is a naturalist, tracker, anthropologist, author, and illustrator who is passionate about Ecological and Cultural Sustainability. Few realms are untouched by his rampant curiosity and he is always ready to philosophize, ponder, rant, and listen to others’ perspectives about most any topic. He laments the overspecialization in today’s world and believes that a holistic perspective and a diversity of skills is necessary now more than ever. Marley strives to study diverse fields, learn every day, and develop a continually evolving synthesis.
Brittany Buenvenida, Lindsay Wildlife Experience
Brittany Buenvenida is a graduate of UC Davis and has been with Lindsay Wildlife Experience since April 2010. As Senior Animal Keeper, she oversees the daily care of the resident animal ambassadors, including owls, hawks, eagles, snakes, salamanders, bats, opossums and many other species. She also trains volunteers and presents animals at onsite and offsite events.
Steve Summers, Lake Merritt History Walk
Steve Summers is a resident of Oakland's Eastlake Neighborhood and this July, started his fourth season on the staff of the RNC / LMWR. Although by no means an expert, living and working so close to Lake, Steve see's what a wild, important, historic,recreational and educational place the Lake and the surrounding park is and is looking forward to sharing that message with you at our first Oakland Nature Festival.
Khawla Al-Olefi, Turtle Time
Khawla has worked for the nature center for about a year and a half and is a third-year student at UC Davis studying Sustainable Environmental Design. She loves working with the Young Naturalist camp that takes place at the nature center every summer and loves to learn and share her knowledge about nature. She is also currently a Sustainable education Intern at her university and plans to incorporate what she learn during the internship with what she will teach to the Young Naturalist!
Angela Pai, Bird Walk
Angela Pai is a naturalist at the Rotary Nature Center. She has been visiting Lake Merritt since she was a little kid and is excited to be teaching people about the lake, the nation's very first wildlife refuge. In her spare time, she volunteers for the California Center for Natural History and takes classes at Merritt College. She is interested in learning about all living things, and is currently obsessed with slime molds and California native plants.
Catherine Edwards, Alameda Beekeepers Association
About 6 years ago, while going through a difficult time in her life, Catherine Edwards decided she needed something to love and got some honeybees. She got her 2nd hive soon after. When the first hive swarmed and her mentor helped her capture it, she had 3 colonies and was pretty well hooked on working with bees. She now runs close to 40 colonies in her own and other people's back yards and produces honey to sell. Catherine loves beekeeping, is devoted to the well-being of these amazing insects, and continues to be fascinated by all there is to learn about them.
Leanne Grossman, Bird Walk
Leanne Grossman is a California naturalist who believes the most rewarding education happens outside. Leanne leads environmental programs and hikes throughout the Bay Area. She is fascinated with the interconnections of all living beings, and works to prevent the loss of our rich biodiversity. Leanne’s research is currently focused on the redwoods, hummingbirds and climate change.