The archipelago of small islands known as the Farallon Islands (or, Farallones) sit about 30 miles west of San Francisco. Rugged and remote despite their proximity to The City, the islands have a storied history dating to the early 19th century that included seal hunters, commercial egg collectors, lightkeepers, and a naval station. These uses gave way to the islands’ protection as the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The islands now host the largest seabird nesting colony in the lower 48 United States, with nearly 500,000 breeding birds, plus thousands of seals and sea lions, and other unique species found nowhere else. A natural biological laboratory, biologists have been studying the islands’ ecosystem since the late 1960s. Gerry’s talk will touch on all these topics with a focus on the wildlife and management of the Farallon Islands.
Gerry was raised in the fine state of New Jersey and has lived in California since 1985. An early interest in nature led to a fascination with birds. Early in college he realized that wildlife research and conservation, focused on birds, was the only career he had an interest in. He received a B.A. in Biology (focus on Marine Sciences) from U.C. Santa Cruz and an M.S. in Biological Conservation from Sacramento State University. While still in undergrad, he volunteered for two summer seasons studying seabirds on the Farallon Islands where he became hooked on seabirds and island ecology.
After finishing his B.A., he spent 14 years as a contractor for Cal Poly Humboldt conducting various seabird studies up and down the California coast as well as a study on marine mammal distribution. In 2002, he came to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to manage a seabird restoration project focused on Common Murres. Around 2008, his career brought him back to the Farallon Islands where he now serves as Manager. An avid outdoorsman, his weekends and other time off are mostly spent hiking/backpacking, biking, kayaking, and, of course, birding.
