Julie Walters, Lead Naturalist
Julie Walters has been involved with the PBC since 2008 and was the first naturalist hired in 2019. Living near Mussel Rock in Daly City, Julie enjoys time sharing her love of the tidepools with fellow PBC volunteers and donors. She is responsible for the hiring, training, and scheduling of PBC’s naturalists and developing educational materials.

Jan McFarland Brown
Jan McFarland Brown is involved in a number of nature-related activities along our coast. She volunteers for Beach Watch, the San Mateo County Parks Foundation, and is a former docent for Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. A retired teacher and avid photographer, Jan brings her enthusiasm and knowledge to her naturalist position.

Natalie Downe
Natalie Downe hails from Exeter, Devon England, and may often be seen at our Pillar Point cleanups. She’s involved in monitoring the health of Pillar Point through the Marine Protected Area Collaborative. Ask her why it’s important not to collect mussels! Natalie has many varied interests including ceramics, raising chickens, and a fascination with bats.

Mary DeLong
Inspiring people to love and care for our environment makes Mary DeLong feel alive and connected to the world. As a docent at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve from 1994 to 2014, she loves sharing the tide pools’ secrets with children and adults. Mary adores seeing a child’s face light up when touching an anemone’s sticky, stinging cells, or watching sculpins dart around a tide pool. She has also helped shape interpretive programs as a Friends of Fitzgerald board member. Currently, Mary sits on the board of the San Mateo County Parks Foundation. Mary looks forward to working with the PBC and sharing her knowledge about invertebrates, birds, whales, pinnipeds, and plastic pollution.

Greg Finkelstein
Greg Finkelstein has a Bachelor of Science degree from UC Davis in Animal Science and a Master of Nonprofit Administration degree from the University of San Francisco. He works with multiple animal shelters in their behavior, education, and emergency preparedness departments. Within PBC, Greg leads groups during events and delivers school assemblies. He is very interested in habitat restoration, sustainable agriculture, tidepooling, camping, and cooking.

Marie Kazan-Komarek
Marie Kazan-Komarek has been involved with the Marine Mammal Center for over 30 years monitoring the care of injured and malnourished harbor seals. She is also a long time volunteer for Beach Watch where she monitors and documents observations at Sharp Park Beach.

Lauren Linsmayer
Lauren Linsmayer holds her PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and is currently employed by the California Ocean Science Trust focusing on ocean management for the state of California. Her expertise spans many areas and includes the effects of coral bleaching, red sea urchins, and seaweed aquaculture. Lauren lives in Pacifica with her husband and her dog Stevie.

Danila Mehta
Danila Mehta is passionate about bridging the gap between people and nature, inspiring others to appreciate and protect the natural world. She holds a degree in Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice. She has spent 10 years working with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) as a Naturalist and Program Coordinator at Fort Funston. In this role, she led hikes for kindergarten through sixth-grade students and coordinated the Conservation Connection Program. Danila’s interests include camping, hiking, birdwatching, and bird photography.

Mary Shields
Mary Shields’s love of the ocean was born when she moved to Pacifica and began walking her dog on Esplanade Beach. As a docent at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, she enjoys tidepooling, collecting rocks, cooking, and spending time with her family.