New Faces at Topanga’s Local RCD As our sphere of influence grows, so too does the list of services we are able to provide our community, thus inviting new staff onto our team. In 2022, Dr. Daniel S. Cooper to the Biology Department, joining Rosi Dagit as one of now two Senior Conservation Biologists. Dan has also agreed to serve as our first Deputy Executive Officer, a position designed to support our growing organization. Dan holds degrees from Harvard and UC Riverside, and recently achieved a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA. As author of “Important Bird Areas of California� (Audubon California 2004), he is recognized as an authority on California bird ecology and maintains a strong background in native plants, herptiles and mammals, specifically those found in the Santa Monica Mountains. Running his own ecological consulting business for nearly 20 years, Dan has overseen numerous monitoring projects and assessments for public agencies, consulting firms, private landowners and nonprofit organizations throughout Southern California, and has taught courses on local ecology at Loyola Marymount and UCLA. We look forward to the contributions he will be able to offer our expanding district.  RCD’s Newest WSP Member, Nate Kamm. Driven by his passion for watershed science and the State of California, Nate Kamm joined the RCD team in October as our 2022-23 Watershed Stewards Program (WSP) Member, a hybrid AmeriCorps and CA Conservation Corps organization.