Alan D. St. John, native Oregonian, naturalist, and photographer, also wrote Reptiles of the Northwest. His work has appeared in National Geographic, Natural History, Outdoor Photographer, The New York Times, and elsewhere. He has conducted reptile and amphibian field surveys for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the USDA Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. Alan St. John lives in Bend, Oregon.