Hi - I'm Harry, I'm a scientist/mentor in California, and my specialty is botany and plant ecology, especially in wetlands.  I have done a lot of scientific studies with plants, and I've worked with students before, so I'm here to help if you have questions or need ideas or assistance with this project.

I like to hike and camp, I cook a lot, and I love to garden and grow plants - I have a lot of fruit trees, a vegetable garden, and many potted plants in my house and yard - right now I'm into growing carnivorous plants (plants that catch insects), like Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, and sundews - look them up, they're very cool. 

I also LOVE demolition derbies :-)

Hi Kristen and Sabrina,

Is the slough you're talking about Watsonville Slough?  I've heard of that, and it's supposed to be really nice.  I did in fact go to UC Davis for graduate school, and I met my wife there and we just ended up staying ...  I was studying wetland plant ecology and botany, mostly in the mountains, learning to know all the plant species and looking at why different places have different plant species (like was it the water level in the wetland, was it the soil, was something eating certain plants).  I liked it, and I got to tromp around in cool wetlands up to my knees in water.    After that I was lucky and I got a job in botany for a state government agency, and I got to do a lot of cool studies outdoors.

I don't have a specific favorite plant, but I really like water lilies, and lately my hobby is growing carnivorous plants (plants that catch insects) like Venus flytraps, pitcher plants and sundews (look them up, they are very cool).

Do you have ideas for this project yet?  I liked the comparison of the sick and healthy tree - were they the same species?  What do you think might be different that makes one sick and one not (like difference in light, soil, injury)?  How could you try to figure out if that was the right reason?  Just some ideas to think about.

Also - do YOU have a favorite plant or animal :-)?

Hi - My name is Harry and I am a scientist mentor for your project, so please ask me questions!  I live in Davis, CA (near Sacramento), and I was a scientist for a state government agency for a long time.  I love plants, and I like teaching people about them.  I particularly like ecology, which is studying how all the organisms in a community work together, and I especially like wetlands like swamps, marshes and bogs, because they have very cool plants and animals, and most other people don't want to go there :-)