Mark Jorgensen grew up hiking, camping, and hunting in the western states and western Mexico. He has been intrigued by desert bighorn sheep since he was 11 years old and has spent five decades studying and pursuing them throughout their range. He became a State Park Ranger for California State Parks after four summers studying desert bighorn for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California. He went on to become the last Park Naturalist for California State Parks at Anza-Borrego, as well as a Resource Ecologist, and he finished his 36-year park career as the Superintendent of Anza-Borrego. He is a member of the Technical Staff of the Desert Bighorn Council, Inc., an advisor to the Bighorn Institute, and was an original member of the Federal Recovery Team for the endangered population of desert bighorn sheep in the Peninsular Ranges of southern California. He previously co-authored a book about Anza-Borrego and has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines. As a hunter who chooses not to hunt bighorn, he understands the tension between conservation and preservation of bighorn sheep.