John Pierce Harris, Pierce to those who knew him, died Sept. 2 of congestive heart failure at his Ocean Beach residence. He had lived in the area since 1962, except for brief stints in Wyoming and Colorado.
Harris, born Oct. 5, 1935, was a naturalist, adventurer, lawyer, wildlife photographer and a professor of wildlife photography and geography. His impact on the area was considerable. He practiced law in Ocean Beach for 20 years and coached Loma Portal Little League and Pop Warner Football.
In the early 1980s, Pierce was instrumental in saving Famosa Slough from condominium development. His tireless efforts included developing a portfolio of pictures of birds in the area to increase public awareness of the beauty of the avian residents that relied upon the native vegetation and nesting areas for survival. From 1985 to 1989, Harris served the community as a photographer and nature writer for The Peninsula Beacon.
In 1996, Harris began volunteering at Cabrillo National Monument, where he logged more than 1000 hours through 2004. Harris also wrote many articles for the monument’s newsletter, The Explorer.
His final years were spent reading and enjoying family and friends. Harris is survived by daughter, Joi Martinez and her husband Dan; sons Christian and Adam Harris and their respective wives, Debbie and Heather; grandchildren Madeleine and Alden of Ocean Beach, and Mia, Colin and Christian of San Jose, Calif.; nephew Clarke Graves of Ocean Beach; as well ex-wife and friend Judy Ascher Parry.
Donations can be made to: The Cabrillo National Monument Foundation, 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, San Diego, CA 92106, or Friends of Famosa Slough, P.O. Box 87280, San Diego, CA 92138.