My name is Mark Khosravi. I am a man of “many hats” thanks to the many influences I have had over the years. I am appreciative and blessed for having so many great people cross my path over the years of which ultimately had a positive impact on my life.
  When I was about 5 or 6, my mother read American History to me from textbooks we had lying around the house.  She quizzed me on dates and events especially as it pertained to the American Civil War.  Mom always tried to expose me to other influential people like Capt Sam Ellis who devoted his time and patience in teaching me how to fly fish and appreciate some of Virginia’ natural beauty.  She also allowed me to have a lot of freedom to explore the local outdoors which in retrospect was good and bad. 
My dad and step mother are credited for giving good advice for the future and helping me to realize the value of an education.  Then there was Joe Wood who treated me as if I was his one of his own sons.  I blame him for enriching my interest and love for fishing, understanding the importance of exercise, and just enjoying life.  In my college days there was Capt Bill Naldrett a very wise man who for many late nights kept me awake sharing his vast knowledge about anything and everything from how to be successful in life to world Politics and events and for enouraging me to step out into the world and take the plunge. I can still hear his voice in my head to this day telling me that “…I need to focus..” and “..Get on with it.” I guess it was his own sort of way of motivating me to achieve things.  There were also few college professors like Walt Bulmer and Robin Wilson Gorham, who made Biology so interesting that I majored in it.  Bulmer’s memorable remark to me was once said while I was struggling with Chemistry, “that is typical of good Biology students. They get A’s in all of their Biology courses but C’s and D’s in Chemistry”(That was so typical of me).  Then there were the years inbetween undergrad college and my current career as a Science Teacher at Lake Braddock Scondary school. This was a time of transition period of working and balancing several different jobs, going to school-again, and trying to land a single full time career. Thanks to Bob Buttafuso for fostering my love and knowledge of historical artifacts and giving me great opprtunities in this field.

Last, but not least, my latest influences come from my colleagues at Lake Braddock Secondary School.  Without them I would have been lost many times in the whirlwind of  events that is associated with the job of teaching. Thank you Susan Saccomando, Cheryl Allen and Maureen goble.   Thank you Maureen Goble for sharing your love and knowledge of Environmental Science with me. You are one of the smartest people I know!

In 1998 I became a teacher at Lake Braddock (believe that!).  I love to discover and learn, and, I love to share what I discover and learn with others.  When not teaching high school I am busy taking classes or out exploring the woods, rivers and historical places in my area.  My other interest include keeping in good physical condition, legal relic hunting, Herping, and last but not least, leading programs for Fairfax County Park Authority and for The Virginia Master Naturalist Program.  You might say that I enjoy almost anything -except grocery shopping.

One thing I can promise you about this site and that is it is an ongoing process of revison.  I am constantly revising the typos, spelling and grammatical errors or correcting the identification of a misidentified organism etc. So bare with me as this is an ongoing process. 

Thanks for looking and please feel free to offer suggestions or constructive comments.

Dedicated to my Wife Margo Khosravi who has kept me grounded yet understands my energy and enthusiasm for so many things and to Barb Ballard for helping me set up this blog