"RM Experts"

Who are the Rancho Murieta "Experts in the Field"?

The Rancho Murieta area is a uniquely special place, and has attracted people with special interests, knowledge and skills. These individuals have a deep appreciation for the RM locale. They are experts in their fields and have generously shared their knowledge and work with residents of the community and local area. Their passion for Rancho Murieta and its surroundings is evident in their enthusiasm, excitement, and willingness to share with others. They are subject matter experts with a focus on the richness here. They're truly experts and special to Rancho Murieta.

Paul Anderson - Expert Photographer

Paul Anderson is a renowned nature photographer and a resident of Rancho Murieta. Paul’s internationally award-winning photography has captured our RM wildlife and environment in spectacular arrays of artistry. Paul has a master’s degree from Professional Photographers of America and travels the globe teaching photography. Our protected bald eagles are just some of his local co-stars! He scouts our open spaces in the early morning hours to capture our wildlife in incredible photographs.

Bald Eagle - Lake Clementia, Rancho Murieta

David Scharlach - Expert Historian

David Scharlach is a historian and resident of Rancho Murieta. He has lead hikes in Rancho Murieta with SOLOS and serves as the Deer Creek Hills historian. He possesses a wealth of deep knowledge of the local history as well as that of the archaeology surrounding RM. He tells of the amazing first owners of Deer Creek Hills including a cowboy Casanova, a drunken scoundrel and murderer, the intrepid teenage daughter (and survivor) of George Donner and the rancher whose fight with the government over this land went right up to the U. S. Supreme Court. He can take the “Real life” Solomon Miser from his homestead into the hills of Deer Creek to reminisce about coming to California before the gold rush, the wagon train he led West and his neighbors and early settlers like Jared Sheldon, Bill Daylor and William Hartnell. He tells stories of General Sherman's time out in this area as well as the lives of Native Americans and the Chinese that lived here too. After spending time with David you gain an appreciation for so much history that is truly right under our feet.