Kevin Emmerich enjoyed a career in the National Park Service for 20 years in 7 different National Parks and Monuments, including Death Valley National Park since 1991 (now retired). He has also worked as a field biologist for research on desert species such as the Panamint alligator lizard, desert tortoise, and Mojave fringe-toed lizard. He lives in the Mojave Desert and has followed desert conservation and land-use issues for many years. He and his wife Laura Cunningham co-founded Basin and Range Watch in 2008.