Fieldtrip Leaders & Speakers Bios

Tony Gallucci has resided for long periods in the Rio Grande Valley, Big Bend, deep East Texas and the Hill Country, and has been in the Kerrville area since 1986. Tony is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he did doctoral research on nesting Black Rails on the upper Texas coast. His Master's research centered on the Upper Big Bend race of the White-winged Dove. He has worked for four decades compiling the fauna and flora of three Texas counties: Kerr, Real and Trinity, and has specific research background in Parula and Vermivora Warblers, the Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo, Kingfishers, Falcons, Swallows, Gopher Tortoises, Map Turtles and Sawbacks, Pine, Gopher and Bull snakes, Sylphs and Dancers, several families of Montane Snails, Wild Equids, Vaquita, and Texas endangered plants. Among his discoveries and co-discoveries are the first Modern Jabiru for the US, the first Modern Roadside Hawk for the US, the first Snow Bunting for Texas, the first Black-headed Gull for Texas, the first nesting Lucy's Warblers in Texas, and four species of Montane Snails new to science. He works as a media specialist and teaches film and theatre for the Hill Country Youth Ranch System which includes the Big Springs Ranch for Children where he will lead Nature Quest field trips. He also has his own documentary and narrative film production business, Milk River Film, and co-owns a theatre production group, The Guadalupe Stage Quartet, which produces dramatic theatre in hill country regional theatres. Tony has lead Flora, Fauna & Odonata fieldtrips for Nature Quest since 2006.

Bain Walker has been leading the Frio Bat Flight Tours to the Frio Cave since 1999. He has learned about Bats from Bat Specialists from Boston University, University of Tennessee, Bat Conservation International and Texas Parks & Wildlife. Bain and the Bats have appeared in several TV Documentaries, BBC Shows, Discovery and Animal Planet, plus in Texas Parks & Wildlife & Texas Highways Magazines. He is an expert at spotting and identifying the Raptors that catch the bats at the Frio Cave. He has helped maintain his families Bluebird Nestbox Trail since 2001. In 2003 Bain was the Co-nominator of the Largest Tree in Texas. Bain has been leading Birding, Nature by Kayak, Big Tree & Bat Flight Tours in our area for Hill Country Adventures since 1998. Bain gives Bat Programs for schools, organizations and is our main Frio Bat Flight Interpreter. Bain is one of Nature Quests original fieldtrip leaders. He has lead Frio Bat Flight, Nature by Kayak and Birding Field Trips for Nature Quest since it began in 1999.
www.friobatflight.com

Lee Haile grew up in this area of the Hill Country and has been interested in Birds all his life, and Medicinal Plants since high school. He earned his Degree in Entomology (bugs) in 1982 from TX A&M University. He was an Entomology Consultant for Farmers and Ranchers for 13 years. In 1991 he purchased a Saw Mill for his woodworking business and his interest in large trees grew. Lee is a Certified Master Naturalist, Birder, and has come to appreciate how, “The Hill Country is the Biological Crossroads to North America.” Lee has been leading Nature, Birding, Natural History, Nature by Kayak, Big Tree, Frio Bat Flight Tours, and doing Cowboy Campfire Storytelling in our area for Hill Country Adventures since 2003. Lee is a Folklorist, Musician and Entertainer. He has performed at Dude Ranches, Schools, San Antonio’s Folklife Festival, and Sea World of Texas. In 2003 Lee was the Co-nominator of several Champion Trees in this area and one is the Largest Tree in Texas. Lee is one of the Frio Bat Flight Interpreters. Since April 2004 he has helped lead Nature by Kayak, Birding field trips, plus Storytelling and Entertaining for Nature Quest.

Charmaine Ganson has been birding for over 20 years and enjoys being outdoors. She has over 500 birds on her Life List. She participates in Christmas Bird Counts, The Texas Birding Classic, and leads monthly birding walks at Garner State Park. She enjoys teaching the basics to people who are new to bird watching. She also helps TX A&M Agrilife with monthly bird surveys. Charmaine participates in the TPWD Cowbird Trapping program that protects songbirds from being parasitized by Cowbirds. She also has permits for salvaging dead birds for TX A&M, mainly from window strikes or birds killed by vehicles etc. The dead birds are studied, tissue samples taken, Vet students practice on them, some are kept in A&M’s permanent collection. She & her husband Collins now live in the Texas Hill Country near Leakey & are very familiar with the birds there. Charmaine and Collins discovered this area while participants of Nature Quest years ago. This will be Charmaine’s first year guiding for Nature Quest and we are thrilled to have her join our team!

LeAnn Garrison-Sharp created and runs Hill Country Nature Center. She has been promoting and leading Tours thru Hill Country Adventures since 1999. LeAnn was the Vice President of the Texas Bluebird Society from 2003 thru 2010. She helped organize and put on the week long North American Bluebird Society Convention in San Antonio, TX in 2006. LeAnn teaches Bluebird & Other Small Cavity Nesting Bird Programs for Schools, Nature Centers, Civic Clubs, Master Naturalist and Audubon meetings, she leads Bluebird Trail tours, and Nature Tours. LeAnn has presented the Bluebird Programs, lead Bluebird Trail fieldtrips and helped lead birding fieldtrips for Nature Quest since 2005. She has been in the lodging business since 1987 and the Nature Tourism business for 1999. Nature Quest was LeAnn’s brainchild in 1999. LeAnn became the Nature Quest coordinator in 2010 and took over the entire event in 2011. LeAnn enjoys sharing Nature on her ranch and in the Hill Country River Region.
www.indianblanketranch.com & www.hillcountryadventures.com