Missouri Conservationist online

Craig Anderson has held several positions with the Conservation Department, most recently he was a natural history biologist in northeast Missouri. He resides in central Missouri, where he enjoys fishing, hiking and botanizing. He says his favorite backpacking destination is Isle Royale in Lake Superior, but he also enjoys Missouri's natural wealth.

Conservationist managing editor Jim Auckley has moved since writing this month's article on the white oak, but he and his wife, Carolyn, still have plenty of leaves to rake. The new house is surrounded front and back with a thicket of smaller versions of white oaks and other deciduous trees. When not engaged in yard work, Jim enjoys fishing.

Armed with a single-shot 16-gauge shotgun, Jim Low taught himself to hunt rabbits when he was 15. Many rabbits later, he still enthusiastically kicks brush piles, while hunting with the same gun. He serves as the Conservation Department's news services coordinator, frequently contributes feature articles to the Conservationist and is editor of the magazine's "Almanac" section.

Vince Magers is a natural science writer who lives in Kansas City. He has written for the Kansas City Star, Missouri magazine and other publications. He's keenly interested in Missouri's waterways, which he often writes about, and says he has spent many days exploring their treasures.

Amy Salveter is the Conservation Department's endangered species coordinator. She guides recovery efforts, ranging from scientific research to habitat management, for species that are rare or declining in numbers in the state. She says she hopes to live long enough to see red-cockaded woodpeckers once again grace the short-leaf pine forests of Missouri.