Wildlife Management Biologist Dan Drees and his wife, Susan, love exploring and “botanizing” natural areas. Shannon County, which contains both the largest number and the greatest acreage of natural areas in Missouri, captivated their hearts, and they recently moved near Eminence.
Susan Flader is a professor of history at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has published books and articles on the career and thought of Aldo Leopold and on Missouri parks and forests, including the recently released Toward Sustainability for Missouri Forests.
Gene Hornbeck of Lampe is a retired writer and photographer who still enjoys indulging in those professions. He and Laura, his wife of 57 years, and their children and grandchildren have enjoyed Table Rock Lake for 14 years. Gene also enjoys fishing and boating, as well as hunting turkey and deer.
Jim Low is the Conservation Department's print news services coordinator. He and his wife, Diane, live on a few acres near Jefferson City, where he says they practice conservation and enjoy its many benefits—tangible and intangible.
Bernie Rains is a retired environmental engineer with 40 years experience in controlling pollution of St. Louis waterways. He has written about wastewater and storm water issues. Since retiring, he has become a freelance writer of articles on wildlife, food security and other subjects.
Missouri State Water Patrol Corporal Elizabeth Ratliff is originally from Columbia. She now primarily works on Table Rock, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals reservoirs. She enjoys SCUBA diving, hiking, duck hunting and bird hunting with her vizsla, Splash.
