I am a California native, having grown up in the Monterey area. My interest in the outdoors and wildlife began early, with our family vacations of month-long trips every summer into the back country of Yosemite and to the family farm in Iowa, and skiing. I attended Monterey Peninsula Junior College and Utah State University, majoring in wildlife biology. I have worked for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 44 years, all on national wildlife refuges (NWR); starting at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah, then assistant refuge manager jobs at Fish Springs NWR in Utah – considered the most isolated refuge in the Lower 48, Charles Russell NWR in Montana, Merced NWR, and Sacramento NWR Complex. I then became the first refuge manager of Humboldt Bay NWR in northern California, and have been the manager at the San Luis NWR Complex for 20 years.