Staff and Volunteers

Steve Schubert

Steve Schubert has played a pivotal role in manifesting the Hi Mtn Lookout Project for more than 25 years. Steve worked with Peregrine Falcons at Huff’s Hole in the 1970’s and 1980’s and has maintained a vision of restoring the Lookout as a research station and interpretive center ever since. His tireless duties now range from fundraising, to giving presentations to rallying project support, to managing all Lookout related activities and events. Steve served several years on the board and is past-president of Morro Coast Audubon Society. He lives in Los Osos, CA, where he works as an environmental educator with Camp Keep.

Kevin Cooper

Kevin Cooper is a retired forest biologist for Los Padres National Forest. Like Steve, Kevin has contributed more than two decades of dedicated involvement with the Hi Mountain Lookout Project and has played a pivotal role in restoring the lookout. Kevin is an excellent craftsman and has contributed significantly to the refurbishment, maintenance, and upkeep of the Lookout. Kevin lives in San Luis Obispo and can be spotted riding his bike up to the Lookout when he’s not running marathons or triathlons.

Torrey Gage-Tomlinson

Torrey is a senior at Cal Poly studying biology and is working with Hi Mountain to help resume operations following closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He currently manages the Hi Mountain Lookout Website as well as collaborating with Cal Poly and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on several Hi Mountain projects. Originally from a small town in Oregon, Torrey has been a bird enthusiast since day one and maintains a world life list that is pushing 2,000 species. He can often be seen searching for birds (including Condors, of course) in the greater SLO area.

Marcelle Bakula

Marcelle Bakula has been a volunteer at the Lookout since 2004. She has lived in SLO County since 1970 and resides in Cambria. She has been a life-long nature-lover and proud environmentalist. She’s worked in a variety of jobs, including camp counselor, camp director, Recreation Supervisor (City of Morro Bay), credentialed elementary teacher and special education teacher. Since 1993 she has been the owner of a “green” business. She’s the mother of two grown sons and a proud grandmother to two granddaughters. She also volunteers at the Pacific Wildlife Care Rehabilitation Clinic and serves on their Board of Directors. Marcelle helps keep the Lookout open to the public in order to educate visitors, provide tracking data, as well as helping with the Annual Open House and its fund-raising efforts to support the Lookout Project. She also helps train the Summer Interns.