Jim Sullivan is a 4th generation Sonoma county, California, native who lives near Occidental.  A long time environmental activist, he also wrote a column for the Bodega Navigator for eight years. He is perhaps best known for having led the campaign to open the California State beaches for night access and for serving as the first president of the Rural Alliance and of the Farmlands Group, and for his involvement in a number of contentious land use battles.  He also served 5 years as treasure for Conservation  Action and served on the Boards of a dozen other non-profit organizations.

A graduate of Notre Dame, he also studied in Vienna, Austria, and did graduate work at several other Universities, and still takes occasional classes at the Santa Rosa Junior College.  He served 4 years in the infantry, including 2 in Korea with the United Nations occupation forces, where in 1962 he made the decision to resign his commission in protest of US policies in Asia.  Upon return to the States, he lived in Santa Barbara for a while but by the mid 60s he found himself in the Haight Ashbury, where he became involved in the Civil Rights movement and in the natural foods movement, where he served as general manager for the first natural foods supermarket, New Age Natural Foods.  During that time he married, moved to Marin county and raised 4 kids.

Retuning to Sonoma county with the back to the land movement in 1976 he found himself living on Joy Ridge near Bodega, where his ancestors settled in the early 1850s.  he has lived in the West county ever since. After 20 years as a landscape designer and contractor he retired in the early 90s and has been painting almost daily since.  He is married to the artist Linda Parker, who inspired him to take up painting on his 50th birthday.  He studied for a number of years with Frank Gannon.

Jim is also an internationally-certified animal tracker and runs a tracking guide and workshop business and teaches individuals and groups. Visit animaltrackingandbirdlanguage.com for further information.

Notable Awards:

• 2000  Second place: American Impressionist Society Annual, Cincinnati, OH
• 2003  Best of Show: Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival