Chris Tiffany moved from San Pedro, California, where she was born, to the High Desert community of 29 Palms in 1953. The Oasis of Mara, at the northern entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, was her childhood playground. Since age 10 she has kept personal diaries and journals and credits her writing talent to her mother, Margot Spangenberg. A graduate of University of California, Irvine, Tiffany is a former director of the Santa Ynez Valley Family School, whose curriculum encourages exploration of the surrounding Los Padres National Forest as an extension of the classroom. A 40-year resident of the Santa Ynez Valley, she is a past editor of the Women's Environmental Watch newsletter. For many years she served as the initial publicist and program coordinator for Arts Outreach, the local community arts organization. She continues to enjoy frequent retreats to her cabin on the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park.
