Nate Daly – Planning Manager
Nate Daly is the Planning Manager and lead technical writer/editor at Deer Creek Resources. He earned a B.S. in Journalism from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and his path into wildfire planning began during the Dixie Fire, when he connected with Deer Creek Resources founder Zeke Lunder as the fire approached his hometown of Chester. That collaboration led to Nate editing The Lookout and, soon after, taking on Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) work—supporting Olympic Valley and leading Deer Creek’s CWPP planning for the American River Parkway, the City of Redding, the Yuba County Foothills, Shasta County, and more.
At Deer Creek, Nate specializes in turning complex wildfire science, regulatory requirements, and on-the-ground implementation realities into standards and plans that are clear, consistent, and usable in the field. His work emphasizes plain-language prescriptions supported by defensible technical rationale—reducing ambiguity for landowners, consultants, and inspectors while keeping documents practical for real-world maintenance and compliance.
Andrew Muller – Geographic Information Systems Specialist & LiDAR Analyst
Andrew Muller is a GIS specialist and LiDAR analyst with broad experience supporting natural resources work—from field data collection through technical analysis and decision-ready mapping. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Oregon and began his GIS career surveying stream restoration projects across the Columbia River Basin. He later worked with state, federal, and consulting organizations analyzing fisheries habitat restoration projects and using multiple survey techniques to quantify restoration effectiveness.
Those projects led to graduate research at Portland State University, where his thesis focused on evaluating the accuracy of imagery- and LiDAR-derived elevation models. Andrew completed an M.S. in Geography in 2021 and has worked with Deer Creek since then on both active wildland fire incidents and pre-planning projects. In planning and standards updates, Andrew helps translate complex spatial data into clear cartography and products that reduce interpretation variability and help landowners and consultants apply guidance consistently.
Eric McPherren – Geospatial Analyst
Eric McPherren is a geospatial analyst with a technical background spanning Physics (B.S.), Structural Geology (M.S.), GIS/mapping, and college-level teaching. His research has been published in the Journal of Structural Geology and included detailed mapping of regionally deformed geologic units and analysis of crystal fabrics—work that sharpened his ability to connect fine-scale observations to broader landscape patterns. That foundation led to additional field experience, including an internship at Mount Rainier National Park, ice-velocity surveys, and field support for LiDAR flight operations.
Since 2017, Eric has represented Deer Creek Resources as a GIS Specialist and Equipment Technician supporting operations on many of California’s most significant wildfires. Since early 2022, he has also served as a geospatial analyst and project manager, applying mapping, graphics, and production workflow expertise to both incident support and planning deliverables. On standards and guidance projects, Eric focuses on developing clear, implementation-ready figures and examples that help reduce ambiguity and support consistent field application.