Petaluma man, 77, found after police search

Police used a helicopter Thursday evening as part of their search in southwest Petaluma.|

Petaluma police on Thursday evening located a 77-year-old man who went missing Wednesday.

Gerald Moore is a biochemist who has led local wetlands restoration efforts. He was chairman of the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance, a committee of the Madrone Audubon Society that spearheads education and rehabilitation of wetlands.

He went missing around 2 p.m. Wednesday. Petaluma Police Lt. Tim Lyons said searchers found Moore late Thursday in a wooded area off Frates Road, near Old Adobe Road.

Lyons said Moore appeared to be unhurt, but that he would be given a medical examination.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the police department received an anonymous tip at 6:09 p.m. Thursday from a source who said Moore was walking on Frates Road near Ely Boulevard on Wednesday during that time frame. He was heading in the direction of Shollenberger Park, a nearby wetland. Moore and his wife, Mary Edith Moore, have been active in improvement projects around the park.

A law enforcement helicopter searched for him in southeast Petaluma on Thursday.

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