March 24, 1998
The Modesto Bee

Creature Peepers:  Wildlife watchers get up close and personal with eco-technology

Wildlife biologist Doug Wood used to clamber up 70-foot trees to check the nests of endangered
woodpeckers. 

The practice annoyed the birds and put Wood on the endangered scientists list.
"Safety is a big issue with me," said Wood.  "I hate getting 50 feet off the ground."
Lately, Wood has cut back on his lumberjack ways, thanks to the TreeTop Peeper II, a stamp-sized
video camera mounted on a 50-foot telescoping pole.

"It's a nifty little deal that's saved me a heck of a lot of time and money," Wood said.  With the Peeper,
Wood can check out as many as 12 nests per hour instead of a half-dozen per day a considerable
advantage since he monitors nests over a 35,000-acre area.

Wood, a Ph.D. student at Mississippi State University, is one of dozens of researchers whose work has
been enhanced by the eco-spy technology of Manteca inventor John Christensen, recently retired senior
engineering associate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Christensen's other environmental surveillance inventions include:

   The Miniature Optical Lair Explorer (MOLE)   This tiny (5-inch by 5-inch) underground crawler
resembles a toy tank whose turret houses a dinky near-infrared video camera.  The MOLE is hooked
up to an 18-foot cable and can be guided by remote control deep into the dens of badgers, burrowing
owls, kit foxes, etc. Since National Geographic featured MOLE in its Earth Almanac section last year,
the device has evolved into Theseus, a slightly smaller version with a range of 50 feet.

   The Peeper Video Probe   A glare-free head-mounted television monitor, which resembles a
virtual-reality headset, allows researchers hands-free operation as they guide a tiny "video probe" into
animals' underground homes.  Theseus can also be adapted to the unit.

   The Audio Vocalizer and Sol-R-Station   Originally developed to attract Ashy Storm-Petrels to
nesting sites in the Farallon Islands, the Audio Vocalizer is an improvement over old-fashioned tape
players in at least three ways:  It plays CDs rather than tapes, so the sound effects repeat continuously;
it's built to withstand harsh weather and salt air; and it's powered by the sun, not batteries.

"It's our love for the environment that drives us," said Christensen, who founded Christensen Designs
with wife Ann in 1989.  "We enjoy supporting the wildlife biologists because they are often the only
advocates for the endangered critters." Christensen got into environmental technology in 1993 when
Livermore Lab hired wildlife biologist Jim Woollett to conduct environmental surveys of areas where
explosives were about to be tested.  Woollett enlisted Christensen to come up with an underground
video device to find out if nearby burrows were inhabited.  Christensen invented the MOLE. "(The
animals') reaction is usually very understated," Woollett said.  "They don't seem to be threatened by it. 
I remember one particular instance when we encountered a ground squirrel family that surrounded the
MOLE and gawked at the camera."

The project presented some unique design challenges. "You'd think a hole is a hole, but no two dens
are alike," he said.  Despite the device's tiny size, the turret sometimes hangs up on low tunnel ceilings. 
Christensen and Woollett discovered that by moving the MOLE back and forth in the tunnel, the
treads would dig a hole in the dirt and allow the device to slip under the ceiling.

Christensen combines his skills in electromechanical and optical engineering with an entrepreneurial
bent.  In the late 1980s, he patented an electronic indoor wind chime that today is marketed around the
world. He and Ann also created the Central Valley Inventors' Association, which helps inventors and
innovators navigate the patenting, marketing and financing processes.

Customer Service
With the advent of their enviro-spy technology, though, the Christensens have hit their stride.  They
describe their business as a "mom and pop" endeavor where they try to keep prices low so underfunded
researchers can get the latest equipment.

The 16-pound TreeTop Peeper, for instance, sells for $3,950 including camera, cable, telescoping
pole, monitor and battery pack.  The head-mounted Peeper Video Probe also goes for $3,950, the
Audio Vocalizer for $1,325 and the Sol-R-Station for $725.  The equipment can be rented for $50 to
$125 per day plus deposits of $200 to $500.  "Of all the (equipment) vendors I've worked with, they're
the best," said Wood.  "They do a good job of keeping in touch with customers, asking how they can
improve the design and so forth."

The Christensens recently established a grant program for wildlife biology graduate students, who may
apply for equipment or small cash grants. Law enforcement agencies also are interested in the TreeTop
Peeper as a surveillance device for looking over fences and buildings and through windows. "It allows
officers to oversee a situation without endangering their lives," he said. And its infrared capability
makes it ideal for night surveillance.

Peering into the future, the Christensens dream of creating an institute in an area where scientists and
students can use eco-technology to study and help endangered species. "We sit down sometimes and
just visualize what the facility would look like," Christensen said.  "People could come and learn the
techniques (of wildlife surveillance) at a reasonable cost or no cost." An environmentally-conscious
benefactor with a few million dollars to spare would be welcome, Christensen said. "Barring that, of
course, we're always hopeful that that winning lottery ticket will show up."

Call(800) 928-9111, e-mail Ann@PeeperPeople.com or visit the Christensen Designs web page at
www.PeeperPeople.com.  

Written by Dennis Roberts
Copyright The Modesto Bee 1998