About Christine

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My degree is in journalism from the University of Oregon, making me a Fighting Duck. I have written several books on raising Standard bred poultry in small flocks, and keep a small flock of heritage breed chickens.

Living in Cambria expanded my horizons to coastal issues. My San Luis Obispo Tribune column on elephant seals was awarded first place by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in 2024. I’ve written about condors and otters for other publications.

I moved to the Central Coast in 1990. The elephant seals started showing up on in the area in the 1990s. Like other locals, I couldn’t resist them. I started writing about them, which became a monthly column for The Cambrian, a weekly published by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, in 2014. 

I’ve written about other coastal issues and wildlife, otters, condors, and bats, along the way. I became a Certified California Naturalist in 2016. My daughter is a life-long horse lover. Here’s a podcast of a story I wrote about her first horse,.

The Central Coast is federally protected by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and various levels of state and local protection. 

In 2025, I was appointed SLO At Large Member of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. In that role, I am a liaison between the community and the Sanctuary. Monterey Bay NMS extends from Rocky Point in Marin County, north of San Francisco, to Cambria, an unincorporated rural community, where I live.

Books, magazines, and newspapers

I've written several books, uncountable magazine articles, and have written an award-winning newspaper column about elephant seals since 2014.

I'd started writing a blog about the seals soon after I became a docent in 2007. I was able to tell the story behind the 2008 shooting of three elephant seals on the beach in 2011, after the case had been resolved. The narrative I wrote won a Ten Spurs award from the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference. 

Writing is not only my profession, it's my joy. Every assignment I research and write expands my skills. I learn something every day.

The flexibility of independent publishing has allowed me to compile a book of poems for a friend and a history for my local church congregation. 

More in progress -- Social Media and Books

I'm currently working on wriing up these years of watching the elephant seals into a book. 

I'm active on social media at Facebook, Bluesky, LinkedIn and Substack. The flexibility of social media allows me to update elephant seal news frequently, along with photos and videos. 

Pictures, even videos with sound, are no substitute for visiting the elephant seal viewpoint. The living presence of these magnificent seals is a unique experience. The viewpoint is one of the few places that the public can view a herd of wild animals in their natural setting. The seals are safe from humans, and humans are only a few feet away from them. I'm blessed to be able to help the public understand them.

In other travel, I plan to return to Shetland in 2026, with a new hat pattern. I'm designing a hat with an elephant seal motif.