12/ 2/11 07:59 PM ET 
BIG SUR, Calif. -- Authorities in California say a wildlife biologist working in a Big Sur redwood forest was killed when a tree fell in heavy winds that have thrashed the West Coast.
Monterey County Coroner detective Diana Schumacher tells KSBW-TV that California condor biologist Michael Tyner died of blunt force head injuries when the tree fell on him Wednesday afternoon. Gusts along California's Central Coast hit 70 mph Wednesday night, with sustained winds around 40 mph.
The 35-year-old was working for the Ventana Wildlife Society as part of a project to aid the endangered bird's recovery. Wildlife society executive assistant Cathy Hamilton tells The Salinas Californian that Tyner had been working to release four young birds.
She says he and others were making an effort to take shelter when Tyner was struck.
