We lost two of our region’s most esteemed and beloved naturalists when Fred Emerson and Joan Easton Lentz died within weeks of each other this summer.  Over the past four decades, Joan and Fred enriched the lives of thousands of local natural history enthusiasts, students, and professionals through their leadership of field trips, classes, and bird surveys. The books that Joan authored also hold a cherished spot in many home libraries.

The two never taught classes in tandem, but they had much in common. Their local work as volunteers and educators was nurtured at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. They both excelled in ornithology and shared their passion for birding with novices and experts alike. Fred and Joan were gifted natural history interpreters who patiently imparted their expertise without condescension to the many beginners who filled their classes. One of Fred’s strengths as a teacher was his disarming sense of humor, which he perhaps developed, in part, as a coping device during his long career as an emergency room physician.

Fred and his wife Nancy were early supporters of forming the Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society. It was fortuitous that Fred agreed to lead the Society’s very first field trip, which was a day-long visit to Zaca Lake in the autumn of 2000. On this outing, he set the bar for all future Society field trips with his obvious preparation to interpret the natural history of the Zaca area, including the limnology of our county’s deepest lake. Fred would go on to lead or co-lead a number of the Society’s trips in the Santa Ynez Valley area, some of which were centered around birding. He would always decline our honorarium for field trips, but instead asked that we try to redirect his payment to fund activities that might help encourage younger people to get involved with nature.

Joan’s love of the natural world, and of birds in particular, was infectious. Her enthusiasm in the field, lyrical nature writing, and sense of optimism about restoring biodiversity were deeply inspiring. She was a long-time member of the Society, and we helped celebrate the release of three of her books through lectures, book-signings, and field trips. Her Introduction to Birds of the Southern California Coast was the focal point of a memorable lecture and follow-up field trip at Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve. With the publication of A Naturalist’s Guide to the Santa Barbara Region, Society board member Tim Matthews organized a year-long set of field trips with Joan that were built around the different habitats she explored in that essential reference book. In 2021, when she was increasingly fatigued by her rare and eventually fatal respiratory disease, she kindly agreed to give a lively online interview, which is archived on our website, about her memoir, Story of a Santa Barbara Birder.

Joan Lentz and Fred Emerson made a lasting impact in the generous way they taught natural history and mentored so many in our community. A good way to honor that legacy might be to follow their example. Anyone who is reading this issue of “Magpie Calls” is likely to have friends, colleagues, children and/or grandchildren who have a curiosity about the natural world. Share your enthusiasm and knowledge with them! Joan and Fred would applaud since they understood, all too well, that future generations of educated naturalists will be essential as we move ever deeper into the Anthropocene Epoch.

— John Evarts