Leaders/Navigators:

Larry Allen, Nick Armstrong, Bob Barnes, Bill Bouton, Gary File, Ernie Flores, Joe Fontaine, Mary Freeman, Nick Freeman, Wes Fritz, Liam Huber, Scott Huber, Michael McQuerrey, John Newman, Linda Oberholtzer, Gary Potter, Mike Prather, Jim Royer, John Schmitt, Alison Sheehey, Steve Schubert, Bob Steele, Susan Steele, Lee Sutton, Reed Tollefson, John Wilson

LARRY ALLEN
Rosemead, CA

Larry Allen, who will lead festival birding trips Wednesday and Thursday, is a California native who has been birding since the early 1980s. He writes, presents lectures, and leads field trips for many Southern California Audubon Society chapters and other organizations. He has led field trips to locations as varied as Southeastern Arizona to the pelagic waters off California's coast. Larry is the compiler of the Malibu Christmas Bird Count, Project Coordinator for the Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Atlas, lead author of the forthcoming Atlas volume, and presenter of annual gull workshops for Los Angeles Audubon Society and the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival. Larry's research interests include gulls, psittacids (family including parakeets and parrots), desert birds, and factors that drive the breeding distributions of land birds.

BOB BARNES
Kern River Valley Birding
Ridgecrest, CA

Bob Barnes, who serves as the Field Trips Chair for this year's Spring Nature Festival, will lead birding trips May 1-6. Since 1977, Bob has led over two hundred Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada birding tours. He has also guided numerous individuals, couples, and friends, and spent countless days independently birding the area. For the latest edition of the American Birding Association's A Birder's Guide to Southern California (March, 2007), he wrote the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada chapter. Since 2004, Bob has worked on birding/wildlife tourism development project teams in Missouri, northwestern Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Currently, he is doing birding/wildlife tourism development work for the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnership. Last year he organized the 2008 North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Biennial Meeting that was held in the Kern River Valley; the first time this national meeting was held in California. He also organizes custom tours to Costa Rica and serves on the board of the Kern River Valley Heritage Foundation. Bob heads up a small, non-profit foundation working to sustain the unique cultural and environmental character of rural communities facing rapid development, especially along California's Highway 178 Corridor from Death Valley National Park, through the Kern River Valley, to Bakersfield.

BILL BOUTON
San Luis Obispo, CA

Bill Bouton, who will co-lead this year's KRV Spring Nature Festival Saturday and Sunday butterfly trips, spent much of his childhood wandering his family’s 80 acres of old fields and bottomland forest in southwestern Michigan. So, it was natural for Bill to major in biology and go on to a career as an instructor of biological sciences at Grand Rapids Community College. While a teacher, some of his greatest rewards came while introducing his students to nature in places as diverse as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Coastal South Carolina, Costa Rica, and the Galapagos Islands. Interested in all aspects of ecology and natural history, his passions (since the age of eleven) have included birding, which has taken him abroad to many countries in search of new species. Recently, his lifelong interest in photography led him to point his camera at another childhood interest – butterflies. He has found that creating a beautiful image is even more rewarding than putting a mark on a checklist. Since 1997, Bill has resided in San Luis Obispo, California, where there is no lack of nature’s beauty to explore and photograph. From there it is only a couple of hours driving time to the incredible Kern River Valley, one of his favorite sites for the exploration of, and enjoyment of nature.

JOE FONTAINE
Tehachapi, CA

Joe Fontaine, who will co-lead the festival's Southern Sierra Geology trip, is a native Californian who was born in Bakersfield. His family came to the Golden State in 1852. His grandfather dabbled in mining claims and cattle. Joe earned his BA in Geology at UCLA in 1955 and his Master's in Earth Science at Cornell University in 1968. He taught Physical and Earth Science at Bakersfield's Foothill High School for over 30 years. An advocate for wilderness, National Parks, saving Giant Sequoias, and protection of Public Lands in general, Joe has been a Sierra Club member for 46 years, serving as National President 1980-1982. He has backpacked extensively in the Sierra Nevada and counts astronomy and rock hounding among his hobbies. Joe lives with his wife Bugs in Bear Valley Springs in the mountains of Kern County where he enjoys clear skies, beautiful forests, birds, and other wildlife out his front door.

MARY FREEMAN
Glendale, CA

Mary Freeman, who will lead High Country Owling on Saturday and Sunday, is a native of Los Angeles who has been birding the past 40 years. As a child in Los Angeles, Mary learned the Spanish nick-names her mother gave the neighborhood birds, and then learned their proper names after opening her first bird book in elementary school. Her passion for birding ignited, her father took her birdwatching in the Los Angeles basin. Her high school teacher recommended she become a member of Los Angeles Audubon Society, where she is now president and programs chair for the chapter. She has led trips for Los Angeles Audubon since the late 70s, as well as for bird festivals. During the Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Atlas surveys, she added new knowledge on the breeding status and distribution of small owls of the San Gabriel mountain range above Los Angeles. She likes to bird by ear, has a BA in art design, illustrates birds, designs jewelry, and has searched out owls throughout the Americas. But her greatest passion is surveying Saw-whets in the local mountains of Los Angeles, with collateral sightings of other owls a welcome bonus. Mary is presently designing a more intensive citizen science research project on these owls.

NICK FREEMAN
Glendale, California

Nick Freeman, who will assist in two High Country Owling trips, is a native of southern California. He has been birding since the young age of 8, first taking a systematic approach while in the Boy Scouts working towards his bird watching merit badge. He has birded all four corners of the US along with trips to Baja California, and Central and
South America. He has been the field trip chair for Los Angeles Audubon Society for most of the past 17 years, and has led trips for the chapter and bird festivals along with his wife, Mary. Nick's special interests are flycatchers, gulls, hawks, and herps. He is also developing an interest in dragonflies. One of Nick's favorite outings is to seek flycatchers and herps in mid-May in the Mojave Desert. Yes, Nick likes a challenge, which is why he is well suited to assisting Mary in her owl studies.

WES FRITZ
Solvang, CA

Wes Fritz, who will lead birding trips all seven days of this year's KRV Spring Nature Festival, is a native Californian who lives in Solvang in bird rich Santa Barbara County. He was first introduced to birding at age ten. Wes has birded extensively all over the United States, spending almost 365 days every year birding, much of it guiding guests who engage him through his private California Target Birds guide service. He has led numerous field trips - for the American Birding Association, Audubon chapters, The Nature Conservancy, Western Field Ornithologists, and birding festivals. Wes has also served as a leader on several pelagic trips. He has birded the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada extensively - independently, guiding private parties, and as a Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival field trips leader. Wes is especially tireless at leading people to target birds. Since 2000, he has been a co-moderator for the Yahoo Groups "Inland County Birds" which covers California's Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Wes was the field trips coordinator for the 2006 American Birding Association Regional Conference held in Ventura.

MICHAEL McQUERREY
Bakersfield, CA

Michael McQuerrey, who will lead Friday and Saturday owling trips and a Saturday morning birding trip for this year's KRV Spring Nature Festival, began birding in Michigan in 1977. He has been guiding and leading field trips since 1990. Every summer, he spends at least two weeks birding in Southeast Arizona. Michael has also birded extensively over several years in Florida and Texas. A favorite Kern County birding spot for Michael is Butterbredt Spring, which he covers thoroughly several days each spring. His favorite types of birding are owling and "bush birding" for sparrows, warblers, and the like. Michael has been moderator of the kerncobirding Yahoo Groups listserv since it was founded in 2001. He has led field trips for the KRV Spring Nature Festival and Turkey Vulture Festival for several years. Michael's professional life is dominated by music, having graduated and earned a Master' Degree from the University of Pacific and a Doctorate at the University of Michigan. In his 39th year of teaching, 34 in the Kern High School District, Michael was honored as Central California Choral Music Educator of the year in 2001 and served as Director of the Bakersfield Masterworks Chorale for fifteen years. Michael states that his greatest honors by far have been as husband of Susan, a professor at Bakersfield College and as father of Tara Kaye, an attorney and mother of two living close at hand in Bakersfield.

LINDA OBERHOLTZER
Whittier, CA

Linda Oberholtzer, who will assist with field trips, is a field trip leader and assistant leader for several Audubon Chapters. Linda is enchanted with biodiversity and beauty of the Kern River Valley area and likes to introduce birders to its charms. She assisted with field trips at last year’s festival. She serves on the boards of the Los Angeles Audubon and Whittier Area Audubon Society and is a co-presenter of lectures given at various Audubon Chapters. Linda likes to write articles about birding and volunteers at the Starr Ranch Audubon California Sanctuary in South Orange County in their bird banding program. Her birding adventures have taken her to Klamath Falls, Las Vegas, the Upper Texas Coast and High Island, Texas, Southeast Arizona, the Eastern Sierras, North Dakota, Ontario, Canada, Ohio, New Jersey, Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Kenya, Cambodia and Thailand. She is a field trip assistant for the birding tour company, BIRD ODYSSEYS.

GARY POTTER
Sanger, CA

Gary Potter, will lead the Friday San Joaquin Valley and Greenhorn Mountains and Saturday and Sunday Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada birding trips at this year's festival. He first became interested in birds as a child, and has been seriously birding since 1964. Gary served six years as field trip chairman for Fresno Audubon Society, and has continued to lead field trips periodically for over 30 years. He has been a trip leader for the Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival for the past 10 years. Gary has also participated in a number of bird surveys, including PRBO Shorebird Surveys, numerous Audubon Christmas Bird Counts, and several years of Breeding Bird Surveys. If he has a specialty it is probably the birds of Sequoia Lake, where he spent over 50 summers, as a camper, naturalist, and camp director. Gary, who has a Master's Degree in Biology, retired after 38 years as a high school science teacher at Sanger High School in Fresno County. Gary now teaches one night class for Reedley College.

MIKE PRATHER
Lone Pine, CA

Mike Prather, who will lead the KRV Spring Nature Festival field trips to Little Lake and Owens Lake this year on Thursday and Friday, has been residing in Inyo County since 1972 when he and wife Nancy moved to Death Valley to teach in a one room school house. Mike has actively been working on land and water issues in the Owens Valley since 1980 with the Owens Valley Committee (past president), Eastern Sierra Audubon (past president) and Sierra Club (past chapter chair). The re-watering of 62 miles of the Lower Owens River and the massive wildlife return to Owens Lake as a result of the Los Angeles Owens Lake dust control project have been the center of Mike's conservation focus since the early 1980's. The enhancement and protection of the Owens River and Owens Lake Important Bird Area attracts most of his current efforts and he invites everyone to join in the fun. Mike and Nancy live in Lone Pine and are retired (or 'real tired') from thirty years of teaching.

JIM ROYER
Los Osos, CA

Jim Royer, who will lead Friday, Saturday, and Sunday birding trips for this year's KRV Spring Nature Festival, has been a birder for over thirty years. He has led field trips for over twenty-five years for numerous Audubon chapters, the American Birding Association, Western Field Ornithologists, and other groups to various locations in California and Mexico. Jim was a founder of the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival and a leader of trips for the Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival for its first six years. He was the voice on the Morro Coast Audubon Society Rare Bird Tape for over eight years and a former San Luis Obispo County coordinator for American Birds (now North American Birds). Jim is a trial lawyer who has resided in Los Osos, San Luis Obispo County for eighteen years with his wife and two children.

JOHN SCHMITT

Wofford Heights, CA

John Schmitt, who will lead birding trips April 29-30 and May 1-5. John is an internationally known wildlife artist who specializes in scientifically accurate illustrations of birds. His paintings of Turkey Vultures, woodpeckers, migrating birds, owls, sparrows, wrens, raptors, and now warblers have been specially designed for the Kern Valley Nature Festivals.
John's work has formed the major artistic contribution to over a dozen books. Over two hundred of his illustrations have appeared in various ornithological journals, magazines, and environmental newsletters including American Birds, Continental Birdlife, and Western Birds. The Journals of John Schmitt were a hit for many years with readers of Wild Bird magazine.
John is illustrating two books and his time is at a premium. We certainly appreciate every second he devotes to birders during the Spring Nature Festival and in this unique valley. A trip with John is filled with lessons on not just what birds you are seeing but on special aspects of avian morphology and behavior.

ALISON SHEEHEY
Weldon, CA

Alison Sheehey, who serves as the Festival Chair for the Kern River Valley Nature Festivals, is scheduled to lead a trip on Natural History Monday if at least 6 people sign up. Since 1980, Alison has lived in Kern County exploring many of its nooks and crannies. She has never become bored with the county's many biological and geological treasures. Her knowledge of the natural history of the area is the result of years of attempting to find not just the rare but also the common. She feels without an attempt to protect what is now commonplace, all may someday become rare or even disappear. She works tirelessly to educate about all things natural in Kern County and beyond.  A trip with Alison includes an introduction to the area's human history, geology, plants, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals, reptiles and anything else that crosses her path. Find many photos and information about the local environment via her personal website, www.natureali.org. Alison is the Outreach Director for Audubon's Kern River Preserve and resides in Weldon, CA.

LEE SUTTON
Ridgecrest, California

Lee Sutton has lead many of the Saturday morning bird walks at the Kern River Preserve over the last several years for the Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival and the Vulture Festival. He developed his interest in birding as a result of a move to Juneau, Alaska, in 1967. Suddenly there were out the window a whole new suite of birds unfamiliar from his ranching experience in Idaho. So binoculars and a bird book were in order. Lee continued his birding interest at a relaxed level until joining the board of the Kerncrest Audubon Society at its inception in the 1980s. He served as conservation co-chair until taking a six year stint as President. Lee coordinated the Kerncrest volunteers who surveyed the NW quarter of San Bernardino County for the Breeding Bird Atlas Project. He also coordinates point count in Indian Wells and Sand Canyons for the Bureau of Land Management. Wife, Shirley, and Lee enjoy extensive RVing and combine this interest with birding. Lee has developed and maintains bird lists for each state and province visited in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Visit the Kern River Preserve in Weldon, California. Open every day of the year from dawn to dusk.