Environmental Educator Hopelessly in Love with Nature
It is with deep sadness that we report the death of Fred McPherson founding member of our chapter, past president, and CNPS Fellow.
Literally and figuratively, Fred McPherson was a force of, and for, nature in the San Lorenzo Valley as well as the Santa Cruz Mountains bioregion. He was a friend, teacher, advisor, and mentor to so many people of all ages. Fred was at home in a high school or college classroom, boardroom, on the radio or in a video, behind a camera, and most of all outside. He recorded his observations in an extensive collection of natural history journals and passed that skill on to anyone who asked. His early passion for learning turned into a passion to educate others and to advocate for the conservation of our natural areas. Willingness to share his knowledge and experience, while enthusiastically listening to people of all ages and backgrounds was one of his most endearing qualities.
Click on these additional resources to find out more about Fred McPherson’s life and work.
- Fred and Roberta McPherson’s Youtube video channel.
- BeProvided Conservation Radio – Marcia Sivek’s and Grey Hayes’ interview of Fred, September 2017
- Levity Zone – Bruce Damer’s interview of Fred, July 2018
- Santa Cruz Mountains Bioregional Council
- UC Santa Cruz Society for Conservation Biology: Santa Cruz Chapter
- Press Banner
- Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is home to Fred’s natural history accounts of plants, and animals, Natural History of the Santa Cruz Mountains Reader, and Photographs of HCRSP, especially Poison Oak
- Fred contributed chapters for the first and third editions of the Hip Santa Cruz book series, edited by Ralph Abraham. All three books are listed below.
- Hip Santa Cruz: First-Person Accounts of the Hip Culture of Santa Cruz, California in the 1960s. 2016. Ralph H. Abraham Editor. ISBN 9781944037383. First person accounts from the pioneers of the Hip Culture of Santa Cruz in the 1960s, including: Pat Bisconti, Rick Gladstone, Max Hartstein, Peter Demma, Bob Hall, Fred McPherson, Paul Lee, Judy Hill, Leon Tabory, Joe Lysowski, Ralph Abraham, and Rivkah Barmore. Click to see book launch celebration video
- Hip Santa Cruz 2: More First-Person Accounts of the Hip Culture of Santa Cruz, California. 2017. Ralph H. Abraham Editor. ISBN 9781944037871. First person accounts from pioneers of the Hip Culture of Santa Cruz in the 1960s and 1970s, including: Doug Hansen, Pat Miller, Lee Quarnstrom, Lex van Zyl, Stanley D. Stephens, Raven Lang, Jodi Frediani, Rosalie Allen Taylor, Estelle Fein, Gerd Stern, Fritjof Capra, T. Mike Walker, Ralph H. Abraham, Glenn Allen Howard, John Livingston, Ray Gwyn, and Kate Bowland.
- Hip Santa Cruz 3: First-Person Accounts of the Hip Culture of Santa Cruz in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. 2018. Ralph H. Abraham Editor. ISBN 1948796503. First-person accounts from pioneers of the Hip Culture of Santa Cruz in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including: Rick Gladstone, Kate Bowland, Paul Lee, Fred McPherson, Don Monkerud, Ed Penniman, and T. Mike Walker.