Tom Bowen

Tom has spent more than 35 years studying the anthropology and history of the Sea of Cortez. After receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, he joined the anthropology faculty of California State University, Fresno, where he taught for 23 years. Between teaching assignments, he made frequent field trips to the Sea of Cortez, working with Seri Indians on the Sonoran coast and conducting archaeological and ethnohistorical research on the islands.

Tom has published numerous articles in books and journals, and his book Unknown Island is the first comprehensive history of the Sea of Cortez. Having retired from the CSU system, Tom is now a research associate with the Southwest Center at the University of Arizona. His recent projects have included studies of island ethnobotany and the role of indigenous peoples in island biogeography. He is currently engaged in a multi-year archaeological survey of some of the unstudied islands in the Sea of Cortez and is assisting an ornithological group on a long-term pelican monitoring project there. For the past several years he has been active in conservation efforts in the region and has been the main spokesperson for extending protection to the fragile archaeological resources of the islands. Tom joined Lindblad Expeditions in 2002 and concentrates on Sea of Cortez (Baja) expeditions. He lives in Wyoming where he enjoys astronomy under dark skies and mountaineering in the magnificent Wind River Range.