Jim and Kim at Trail Center, Gunflint Trail, Minnesota, when these essays were written. Photo by helpful waitress.
Kim Chapman has been working in conservation biology for over 30 years; he is currently a consulting ecologist with Applied Ecological Services. He has worked on hundreds of projects in the Midwest that try to find the balance between conservation and development. He was the lead author and editor of Valley of Grass (North Star Press).
James Armstrong has been writing about nature and culture for 30 years. He is the author of two books of poetry, Monument in a Summer Hat (New Issues Press) and Blue Lash (Milkweed Press). He teaches poetry, film and literature of the environment in the English Department at Winona State University.