The AZMN Maricopa County Chapter Blog Contributors

Jeff Babson grew up in New England and has always been interested in natural world. He owns Sky Island Tours, an environmental education and eco-tour company, offering field trips and classes on birds, insects, reptiles, and a lot more. He is a guide for Wings Over Willcox, Southwest Wings, and the Southeast Arizona Birding festivals.

Jeff is also the Wildlife Viewing Program Specialist for Pima County Department of Conservation Lands and Resources, where he offers a range of walks and programs on a wide range of topics on the natural world. He is an instructor for multiple chapters of the Arizona Master Naturalists.

Becky Collman is a lifelong adventurer who has explored the world on foot. Her passion for nature photography fuels these hiking adventures. Collman has traveled with National Geographic photographers on numerous tour, and her work has appeared in travel and documentary magazines. Recently, her interests have expanded to macro and astro photography. Collman’s MBA and MEd degrees “paid the bills”. Collman managed businesses before joining the ranks of educators in Oregon and Alaska, teaching technology and business. She continues to expand her love of nature by joining the ranks of Cohort 8 as an Arizona Master Naturalist.

Janna Dutton, a master naturalist, is a retired Chicago attorney and snowbird who spends half of the year in Fountain Hills, AZ and half the year in Evanston, Illinois. Dutton is an avid reader who participates in a variety of book clubs and volunteers at Liberty Wildlife Hospital.

Jennifer Foltz-Sweat:  Foltz-Sweat recived her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2013. Her research focused on wild bee communities in grassland habitats of the Central Valley of California. She has since published research on urban bee communities and the incorporation of wild bee research into undergraduate courses. Jennifer currently teaches at GateWay Community College. She is passionate about engaging students in wild bee conservation by incorporating authentic research into course curriculums.

Jeff grew up in western Massachusetts, but has been a resident of Arizona for more than 31 years, where he attended Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, respectively. It was during his undergraduate work studying Physical Anthropology, and while attending a field school in South Africa, that he realized his true passion was with mammalian carnivores and not members of the Hominini. He then went on to earn his M.Sc. in Quaternary Sciences with a primary focus on the taxonomic validity of a Pleistocene marten (Mustelidae) using geometric morphometric analyses. After spending several years teaching Earth Science, he left the sciences for more than half a decade to work as the Director of Intellectual Property for a medical device company. Returning to his passion, Jeff is now a wildlife biologist for the Arizona Game & Fish Department, managing the Wildlife Viewing Program, and enjoys working to educate the public about wildlife and habitat conservation. He oversees a multifaceted program that engages the public through a statewide lecture series, hosting public field events and activities that range from bat netting to bighorn sheep viewing aboard pontoon boats, and a series of live streaming wildlife cams. In his free time, Jeff enjoys hiking, mountain biking, playing with his numerous indoor cats, blacksmithing, reading, kayaking, traditional archery, and movies.

Growing up in Oregon, Kathleen M. McCoy has been surrounded by plentiful experiences with nature, albeit a bit soggy most of the times. Her first love was watching robins in her backyard. As an adult, McCoy moved to Arizona. After a very fulfilling life as a teacher and professor, McCoy dived full swing into as many naturalist programs as possible beginning with birding. Armed with multiple certifications focusing on plants, animals and other phenomenon of the natural world, McCoy continues to share her enthusiasm with others through writing.

Tim Schoenfelder is in Cohort 8 of the AZMN Program.  He has a master’s degree in Entomology from the University of Minnesota, is enrolled in the Masters of Melittology (Native Bees) with the Oregon Bee Atlas through OSU and has been a lifelong bird watcher and a wildflower enthusiast.  He has raised honeybees in Minnesota, taught in a beekeeper’s school in Morocco (North Africa), taught Natural Sciences in Togo (West Africa), and obtained an M.D. from the University of Minnesota with a specialty in Anesthesiology from the University of Wisconsin.

Ken Sweat is a teaching professor at ASU West Valley, where he teaches about plants and related matters for the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and the School of Interdisciplinary Forensics.

Cheyenne Towne is an Arizona native, who grew up in Phoenix. For college, Cheyenne attended Northern Arizona University where she earned a B.S. in Forestry and a minor in Wildlife Biology. While attending college she was selected as an intern for the Arizona Game and Fish Department where she conducted creel surveys on sportfish for various northern Arizona lakes. After graduation she moved back to the Valley to become a boating education intern where she would instruct both boating and paddle sports classes along with public outreach at lakes across the state. After being requested to extend her internship, Cheyenne was then hired on with the Ben Avery Clay Target Center as a range master ensuring public safety. At last, her dream job opened up and Cheyenne is now the Wildlife Viewing Program Coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, coordinating events for the public to view and learn about different wildlife species around the state. This position allows Cheyenne to share her enthusiasm for wildlife with others.