Tony Eppstein first became involved with nature groups when he joined the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society in his native New Zealand at the age of 8. He is still a member. This early involvement with a conservation society fostered a keen interest in birds and their behavior.

In the mid 1990s he served on the board of the Santa Clara Audubon Society as Conservation Chair and then, after moving to the coast full-time in 2000, with the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society. Tony's specific role in MCAS is to maintain the website and listserver.