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| Scot and his newborn daughter, Calliandra |
Where are you from?
What’s your background?
I was born and raised in San Diego, Ca. Most folks think
that means I’m a surfer, but I’m not. I actually spent most of my outdoors time
in the hills of “East County” as they call it. I developed an affinity for
chaparral and granite pretty early on.
When I turned 18, I moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA.
There, I studied geography and got to spend a great deal of time exploring the
California backcountry for school and pleasure. After graduating, I worked as
an environmental educator in the Santa Cruz Mountains, spent a few years in
Tucson obtaining a degree in landscape architecture, and bounced around a bunch
of different places in between. It’s nice to be back in California.
As such a passionate
naturalist, why did you decide to pursue a degree in Landscape Architecture,
and how does that background affect your perspective on the ecology and land
management of the Ranch?
I got interested in landscape architecture while I was
teaching residential environmental education in the redwoods. After spending a
week with us in the forest, our students would get on a bus and head back to
wherever in the county they were from. There was something unsettling about the
notion that these children were, for the most part, returning to very urban
settings in the Bay Area. I felt bad that after a week in the woods, they were
returning to concrete and lawns. It made me want to do something about urban
green space. Landscape architecture seemed like a good way to approach that
problem.
Once I got into school, I started taking classes like
landscape ecology, wildlife linkage design, and secured an internship with the
Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. All of these things swung me back to large-scale
land planning and resource management. I think Tejon Ranch provides an
incredible opportunity to explore my varied interests in landscape
architecture.
Is there anything in
particular on Tejon Ranch you have not yet seen?
I really want to see a ringtail (Bassariscus astutus).
Please describe one
amazing nature moment you had in 2013.
Besides witnessing the birth of my daughter in November, I
would say a good one occurred in the spring. Conejo Valley Audubon was visiting
us for Mother’s Day and we had a pretty slow morning. We drove up on the
alluvial terrace east of Big Sycamore Canyon and got into the blue oaks. Once
we got under a little canopy, we started to notice hermit warblers (Dendroica occidentalis) all around us. I
haven’t yet experienced one of the fabled Tejon spring migration days, but this
felt like it in miniature. It’s pretty amazing to think about these birds that
have travelled from hundreds (thousands?) of miles away and are all passing
through at that one exact moment.
We at the Conservancy
are pretty big audiophiles. Can you list 5 of your favorite albums?
A toughie indeed. Here goes:
Bill Withers- Live at Carnegie Hall
John Hartford- Aereo-Plain
Coleman Hawkins and Red Allen- Volume 2: High Standards
Harry Nilsson- The Point!
Bunny Wailer- Blackheart Man
We like to talk about
how Tejon Ranch is at the confluence of 4 of Ca’s major ecoregions
(southwestern Ca, SJV, Sierra Nevada, Mojave Desert). Do you have a favorite
one?
I don’t know if I can identify a particular ecoregion per
se, but I do have an affinity for the 3,000-4,500ft elevation band across
Tejon. I love that you can see oak woodland, pinyon juniper, Joshua trees, and
chaparral all in that band.
Besides Tejon Ranch,
can you list 5 California locations you love?
Pigeon Point Lighthouse- Great tidepooling and a hot tub
right on the water
Marble Canyon, Death Valley- Beautiful rock formations and
petroglyphs
Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego- Ocean views,
tidepooling, and a unique vegetation community
Solstice Canyon, Santa Monica Mountains- Purple sage (Salvia leucophylla)!
Highway 395 Between Bridgeport and Topaz, Ca- A great bike
ride and a cool way to transition from Ca into Basin and Range country.
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| This guy has too much free time |
