The Land Trust is eternally thankful to the many volunteers who donate their time and expertise to lead our walks, hikes and tours. These dedicated individuals have backgrounds as educators, scientists, and historians and they have wonderful stories and knowledge to share about our conserved lands. Learn more about each leader below:

Jim Anderson. Photo: JW Visuals.

Jim Anderson has lived in Central Oregon since 1951. His long and illustrious history includes time fighting forest fires, preparing studies for ODFW (on bats, eagles, hawks, owls, cormorants, and osprey), working as a naturalist for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, and director of the Children’s Zoo and Conservation and Education (now the Oregon Zoo). The author of “Tales from a Northwest Naturalist” and a nature columnist for the Sisters Nugget Newspaper and The Source of Bend, Jim leads walks for the Land Trust on a variety of subjects.

Mary Crow. Photo: JW Visuals.

 Mary Crow has been hiking and skiing the the Cascades throughout her life. After retiring as a school librarian, she wanted these magnificent mountains to continue to be a central part of her life. She moved to Sisters in 2002 in order to pursue her passions: skiing, hiking, birding,and gardening. Taking care of this land, and helping people understand why it's so important to be good stewards of their environment is now Mary's primary focus. The Land Trust's mission of preserving and caring for the land became a perfect fit for her. Mary leads general Land Trust hikes and bird walks.

Paul Edgerton. Photo: JW Visuals.

 Paul Edgerton's life-long fascination with plants and animals and their interactions led him to pursue a long career with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service.  He spent many years as a research wildlife ecologist in eastern Oregon and later directed Forest Ecology research in eastern Washington and the North Cascades. He completed his professional career in the eastern US where he was involved in developing strategies for understanding and maintaining biological diversity across public and private landscapes. Prior to moving to Sisters in 2002, he volunteered as an ecologist and Master Gardener in the San Juan Islands. Since the dedication of the Metolius Preserve, he has led tours that focus on the identification of forest plants, their ecology and importance to wildlife.

Norma Funai. Photo: JW Visuals.

Norma Funai was an elementary school teacher in California for 25 years before retiring to Sisters in 1993.  She was a school group docent for the High Desert Museum for six years before starting to lead tours for the Land Trust in 2000. Her avocation is birdwatching and she has been a member of National Audubon Society for 35 years. Norma leads bird walks and walks for children, but she always manages to get in a little botany, ecology, and history in on the way!

Steve McMasters: coming soon!

Carol Wall. Photo: JW Visuals.

Carol Wall is an anthropologist who taught cultural anthropology and linguistics for many years at the University of California, Davis where she was a professor as well as a dean and vice chancellor.  Today she enjoys retirement thoroughly, traveling widely, spending time in the outdoors, and continuing a 30 year hobby of bird watching. She loves spending time wandering Camp Polk Meadow Preserve doing bird surveys for the Land Trust and this year will start co-leading Land Trust walks.