My name is Robin. I live in California, U.S.A.

I went to Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. My undergraduate degree is a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from Revelle College at the University of California at San Diego. I minored in music as an undergrad, and played the clarinet in the wind ensemble and several other groups. I spent some time working as a volunteer at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and as an intern at Moss Landing Marine Labs, and then went to Montana State University for my graduate degree. I received an M.S. in Fish & Wildlife Management in 2006; my thesis examined the nest survival of yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia), dusky flycatchers (Empidonax oberholseri), and warbling vireos (Vireo gilvus) in aspen and cottonwood groves in the Bozeman area. While I was there I worked and rode horses at Epona Equestrian Center.

In March of 2007 I began working for H. T. Harvey & Associates in Los Gatos, California. I currently work as a wildlife ecologist, which entails anything and everything from conducting nesting bird surveys to writing Environmental Impact Reports.

Travel is my passion. In 2002 I spent a semester at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, and I also traveled to the Whitsundays and to South Australia while I was there. In 2006 I spent a week in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, and then traveled to New Zealand for a two-month backpacking trip. I spent a few weeks hiking in Banff, Canada with some friends in 2007. In January 2008 I spent three weeks birdwatching in Costa Rica, where I saw 367 species of birds. I want to travel to lots of other countries including Thailand, Antartica, South America, and Africa.

I've always loved reading. My favorite authors include Alexandre Dumas, Ursula K. LeGuin, George R. R. Martin, and J.R.R. Tolkien. I also read the bi-monthly magazine Fantasy & Science Fiction. Since 2003 I've invested a lot of my spare time in cooperative storywriting. I now run two online forums for cooperative writing, The Abydos Quest, which is high fantasy, and The Caelum Alliance, which is science fiction.

My horse's name is Ronnie. He's registered as a Dutch warmblood, but his mom was a thoroughbred. I rescued him in February 2008 through J D Acres Horse Rescue, though I'd been riding him since the summer of 2007. Ronnie was placed in rescue because of an old injury that caused bicipital bursitis in his left shoulder, though he also had some behavior issues. Months of gradual rehab, supplements, and regular exercise and he's an awesome, happy horse! We're learning dressage, though he likes to play with little jumps and obstacle courses too. And my crazy-spooky horse is so much calmer now that little kids can ride him! Ronnie likes cookies, scritches, and to hear what a good boy he is.

On Wednesdays, I like to go swing dancing at Wednesdaynighthop. I learned how to swing dance as an undergraduate at UCSD; I took a rec class and danced every week at the Firehouse, the Rocket, and Lindy by the Bay. I didn't dance much between 2002 and 2007, but I'm glad to have a venue close to home now.

I am a member of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society.