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John Kiefer is a retired systems applications specialist at Pacific Bell, inventor of the Kiefer Sustainable Coop, and longtime supporter of Save Mount Diablo (SMD). Kiefer was born in Menlo Park, California in 1934. He attended Santa Clara University, was briefly stationed with the United States Army in Oklahoma, and traveled through Central and South America before settling in Lafayette, California, in 1966. Kiefer started contributing to SMD in 1975 and has continued to support the organization through a variety of avenues. In this interview, Kiefer discusses growing up in Menlo Park, including his interactions with nature and his family's farm; attending Santa Clara University; working at Pacific Bell; military service in Fort Sill, Oklahoma; travels through Central and South America in 1957 and 1958; meeting and marrying his wife, Joan; briefly living in Los Angeles; returning to the Bay Area and purchasing a home in Lafayette in 1966; leading hikes on Mount Diablo and encouraging a love of nature; his spiritual connection to nature; interactions with and observations of SMD, including the mission, relationships with regional partners, education and outreach, leadership, as well as Nature Deficit Disorder and the importance of children's connection to nature; his personal contributions to SMD, including hosting SMD events at his home and funding breakfasts to create community, and inspiring the precursor to Moonlight on the Mountain; working on the Lafayette Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commission from 1986 to 1994, including maintaining trails, and later serving as the City's field representative for trails and working with landowners to create public access, as well as the dedication of the John Kiefer Trail in 2014; meeting his current partner, Alison Hill; inventing the Kiefer Sustainable Coop and teaching about raising chickens; as well as the current work of SMD and hopes for its future.

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