Meeet Our Contributors

Apr. 2001 - Vol. 62, No. 4

contributor image Jim Jackson lives near the Missouri River, near Marthasville, with his wife, Charlene. He was a Conservation Department education advisor from 1951 to 1961 and has written three books: Biography of a Tree, Pulse of the Forest and Passages of a Stream: A Chronicle of the Meramec. He enjoys writing, canoeing and hiking.
contributor image Mike Kruse is a fisheries research biologist working to find ways of improving Missouri's fishing. When he's not studying trout and other fish, he enjoys catching them with a fly rod. He's a Missouri native and has fished throughout the Ozarks and in many distant waters. He says he also enjoys "campfire conversation" with his family and time spent in the duck marsh.
contributor image Joan McKee is an editor/designer for the Conservation Department. She is responsible for many of the publications the Department provides to the public at no cost, including the hunting and fishing regulation summaries that guide hunters and anglers through the seasons. She lives in Columbia and enjoys canoeing and fishing.
contributor image Tim Smith has been a Conservation Department botanist since 1990. He lives with his family in Jefferson City, where he continues to battle several spreading exotic plants in his own yard. He has covered several topics for the Conservationist, including rare plants, use of native plants in landscaping and quail hunting.
contributor image Joel Vance spent 21 years as a writer for the Conservation Department. His newest book, Down Home Missouri, is a memoir of growing up in Chariton County in the 1950s. He and his wife, Marty, live near Russellville on 40 acres with five Brittanies, four canoes, four guitars and a fishing lake.
contributor image A forester in the southeast region, Mike Anderson has been with the Conservation Department for 24 years. He says he started hunting morels as a child with his father, and over the years he's amassed an impressive collection of mushroom recipes. His favorite is fried morels. His article appeared in March, but we erred and put the picture of a different Mike Anderson with his biography.