John moved to Northern Virginia in 1986 and to Loudoun in 2003. John and his wife Deborah were interested in raptors in the early 1990s and were active in that community including the newly-founded Snickers Gap Hawkwatch. They had twins in 2000 which severely reduced the hawk watching and everything else. There was still environmental interest and both boys were Eagle Scouts while John was a Scout leader for many years. During COVID John’s son Kevin started birding and brought him into it. They loved it, became active in the Loudoun Wildlife bird walks, and met many of the outstanding board members and other leaders in LWC. They now help lead many walks and often volunteer at JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary. John went to the Naval Academy and served in the Navy until 1986. He is now retired after 10 years in the Navy then 25 years with Lockheed Martin and 11 with Booz Allen as a Systems Engineer and Business leader.

Contact John at jdenice@loudounwildlife.org.