I am the Executive Director of the Clifton Institute (http://www.cliftoninstitute.org), an environmental education center and research station on 900 acres near Warrenton, Virginia. Our mission is to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature, to study the ecology of our region, to restore habitat, and to conserve native biodiversity. I have a long-standing interest in the ecology and conservation of forests and grasslands in the eastern United States. At the Clifton Institute I direct a program of research on grassland restoration, declining native species, and the effects of climate change on biodiversity. Our research projects are aimed at understanding how landowners can help declining species. I am also an adjunct professor in the Department of Environmental Science at American University and in the Environmental Science and Policy Department at George Mason University.