MPVGR friends, we have some sad news. Steve Simmons, ornithologist/wood worker/retired high school teacher and friend of the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve, has recently passed away. Steve has been unwell for a bit and passed away last week. Steve spent a lot of time on the MVPGR and throughout the San Joaquin Valley banding birds, and he was one of the guest instructors for the Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve naturalist training course. He showed us his nest boxes, taught us about bird banding, and inspired everyone to pay attention to the beauty and biodiversity in our region. He was a kind, generous, and enthusiastic person, who inspired hundreds of high school students in Merced and undergraduates at UC Merced. His studies and bird banding efforts taught us much about birds in the San Joaquin Valley, and he was recognized nationally as a master bird bander. We thank him for his service to the UC Merced NRS, we will sincerely miss him out on the reserve, and we extend our sympathies to his colleagues, friends, family, and his wife Margaret.
You can read more about Steve’s life and impact in Merced and beyond, and add messages and pictures in memory of Steve.
