Robert John Walker (January 6, 1952 – September 19, 1992) was an American photographer and environmental activist based in San Francisco, California. As an activist from 1982 to 1992, he was associated with more than a dozen Bay Area conservation organizations and as a photographer for the East Bay Regional Park District. He contributed to expansion of public protection of important areas of Mt. Diablo and nearby areas.
Born in Syracuse, New York, Walker grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and graduated from Oberlin College. Migrating to San Francisco after college, he made California the base for the rest of his life. He died at the age of 40 in San Francisco of AIDS-related complications.
Early life and education
Walker grew up and attended public schools in Youngstown, Ohio, where his family had moved from his birthplace of Syracuse, New York. He studied at Oberlin College, graduating in 1974. There he made a friend of a mutt he named Dog. After graduation he drove with Dog across country, entering the San Francisco Bay Area through Altamont Pass. He noted that these sensual hills inspired his love for California.
Career as photographer
In California Walker began his career as a photographer. Poet and friend Jim Mitchell sold Walker his first camera: a Pentax ME. Armed with his new camera, Walker traveled to the East Bay hills to capture the natural beauty of the area. "I do think I can take credit for getting him interested in photography, but the East bay Hills he discovered on his own...", said Mitchell.
Walker had one good eye and only partial use of the other. He took many of his photos in low light with very slow film, a technique that resulted in landscapes with great depth of field. He called the afternoon hour at which he took most of his best photos Magic Hour. At this time of day, Walker took advantage of shadows and contrasting light of the sunset. The San Francisco Bay Guardian commented that his photos, "conjure up the style of the old masters..."
Walker credited a photo taken in winter 1982 as a pivotal point in his photographic career. One stormy day he was hiking in the rain in his favorite park. The sky was completely covered with dark rain clouds above a pastoral landscape of green hills, with Mt. Diablo in the distance. Seeing the sun beginning to break through the clouds, he quickly rushed to the top of the ridge and captured the image, entitling it as Winter Storm over Marsh Creek. He later noted that this was the first time he had envisioned a photo before taking it.
Activism
When a For Sale sign appeared on a property including his favorite landscape, Walker became an activist. After trying to get the attention of local officials, Walker took matters into his own hands. He began leading hikes into the area, presenting slide shows of the landscape, and having participants write postcards to government leaders asking for their support to protect these areas. He also took his photos and slides to the Park District headquarters, working to interest the staff in the area and creating alliances with local officials. He was later hired as photographer and staff for a variety of projects. Eventually, this area was preserved as the first addition to Morgan Territory Regional Preserve in more than a decade.
Walker also became involved with such activist groups as Save Mount Diablo, Greenbelt Alliance, Preserve Area Ridgelands Committee (PARC), the East Bay Area Trails Council, the Save San Francisco Bay Association, and the Sierra Club. He helped lead dozens of activist campaigns and helped gain establishment of the San Francisco Bay Area Ridge Trail.
Walker was a key activist in the creation of the Eastshore State Park, Pleasanton Ridge Regional Preserve, Round Valley Regional Preserve, and the connection of Morgan Territory Regional Preserve to Mt. Diablo State Park. He helped stop construction of proposed landfills at C&H, Marsh Canyon, Garaventa and Round Valley. In addition, he opposed creation of the proposed Buckhorn Reservoir by damming a local creek.
Walker worked to gain passage of the Regional Park District' $225 million open space funding Measure AA in November 1988. This enabled the Regional Park District to expand land holdings in the area from approximately and of trail in 2006.