Medford, OR, USA

BS degree in Entomology and Ecology. Did my thesis on methods that parasitoids use to counteract the defense mechanisms of their hosts.

Some formal training in systematics and taxonomy has allowed me to assist scientists as a volunteer on numerous Earthwatch projects, many of which focused on the arthropod biodiversity and ecology of tropical rainforests. The results of this research are published in scientific journals.

In 1994, the administrators of the Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica in San José were kind enough to allow me rare access to their facility for about a week, where I was able to help students and researchers catalog and identify the unique insect fauna there. The Institute has an extensive barcoding ID system in place. Costa Rica places high value on their depository, evidenced by the heavily armed guards that protect the entrance to their building.

Some texts in my possession will be useful in IDing specimens from photos. My primary behavioral fascination is with the Ichneumonidae which is one of the most varied and interesting families in the world.

My wife and I are currently developing educational online databases that emphasize non-toxic and integrated pest management, nutrition, disease prevention, and epidemiology.

To stay fit and strong, and counter some of the negative effects of aging, I exercise and work out regularly with weights. This requires a lot of focus and mental discipline, but I believe it is worth it. Based on readings provided to a strength level website here, as of 2019, my age-adjusted maximum bench press has risen to 274 lbs. This is actually a better number than when I was younger.

The region of southwestern Oregon lies in an ecological zone called the California Floristic Province, labeled by Conservation International as one of the planet's 34 remaining hotspots of biodiversity, one of only five in the world with a Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The Province supports about 3,500 species of plants, the majority of which are found nowhere else. The area west of the Cascades is even more densely populated by forest, making up around 80 percent of the landscape.