I’m a naturalist guide and conservation professional based along the Redwood Coast of Northern California.

For more than a decade, I’ve been working throughout Redwood National and State Parks and the broader Humboldt coastal region, helping visitors connect more deeply with one of the most ecologically significant forest systems on Earth. My focus is not just on showing people where to go, but on helping them understand what they’re seeing, how these landscapes function, and why they matter.

My background includes years of interpretive guiding, ecological education, and field-based natural history work across forests, rivers, dunes, and coastal systems. Over time, this work has centered on one core idea, the more you understand a landscape, the more meaningful your experience of it becomes.

Conservation Work in the Field 

Alongside guiding, I work as the Stewardship Director for the local nonprofit Friends of the Dunes, where I focus on coastal habitat restoration, conservation planning, and long term ecosystem stewardship along the Humboldt Bay and coastal dune systems.

This work keeps me directly involved in the day to day realities of conservation in this region, not just interpreting the landscape as an educator, but actively helping to restore and protect it. From invasive species management to habitat restoration and community stewardship programs, it’s hands on work that connects science, land management, and public engagement.

This kind of dual role, working professional conservationist and field naturalist guide, is relatively uncommon. Most guiding services focus solely on visitor experience. My work bridges both sides, the public facing experience in the field, and the behind-the-scenes ecological work that helps shape and protect these landscapes. 

For guests, that translates into a deeper level of insight: not just what you’re seeing, but how these ecosystems are managed, why they look the way they do, and what is actively being done to protect them for the future.

The redwoods are often described as timeless, but they are also actively changing ecologically, scientifically, and culturally. My goal as a naturalist guide is to help you step into that complexity in a way that feels accessible, meaningful, and grounded in real understanding.

Not just to see the forest, but to read it.

How I Guide

No two groups are the same, and no two days in the redwoods unfold the same way. I design each outing around your interests, pace, mobility, and curiosity. That might mean focusing on old-growth ecology, wildlife behavior, forest restoration history, photography, sensory immersion, or simply slowing down and experiencing the forest without a fixed agenda.

Some guests want scientific depth. Others want quiet connection. Most want a mix of both.

My role is to adapt the experience so it fits what you actually came here for.

My background includes work and certifications as:

• Certified California Naturalist

• Certified Forest Therapy Guide

• Certified Interpretive Guide 

• Certified Interpretive Guide Trainer

• Wilderness First Responder

• Former U.S. Forest Service Interpretive Ranger

• Active restoration and conservation professional

My work as a private Naturalist guide has been showcased in:

• National Geographic

• USA Today

• PBS "What's on Your Bucket List?"

• SF Gate

• Lonely Planet

• NBC Peacock Kids

• Los Angeles Times

• AAA Magazine

• Conde Nast Travel

• ABC 10 Bartell's Backroads

Ready to Experience the Redwoods More Deeply?

If you’re planning a visit, I’d be happy to help you design a custom experience based on your interests and travel dates.

Email: RedwoodGuide@gmail.com