James McCormac
A lifelong Ohioan, Jim become passionate about natural history at a very early age, and began actively pursuing birds before he was 10 years old. Some 35 years later, his Ohio list stands at 356 species, one of the largest Ohio lists. He has birded in nearly every state and most Canadian provinces, as well as far-flung places like the Australian Outback, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Jim is keenly interested in rarities and bird distribution, and served as secretary of the Ohio Bird Records Committee for seven years. Jim is also an enthusiastic educator and writer, giving as many as 50 talks and lectures yearly on a range of natural history topics. In 2004, his book Birds of Ohio was released, published by Lone Pine. This 360 page guide is copiously illustrated, and includes all birds recorded in Ohio to date. His new book, Wild Ohio: The Best of our Natural Heritage was released in December 2008 and profiles the best remaining lands in the Buckeye State. It is richly illustrated with several hundred photos taken by renowned nature photographer Gary Meszaros. You can follow some of Jim’s adventures via his blog: http://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/

Krista Kagume
Krista Kagume began birding with her father at the family cabin in Manitoba. At 17 she began her travels across North America and abroad. After dabbling in several jobs including newspaper reporter, deckhand on a commercial fishing boat, cycle tour guide, helicopter mechanic and wildlife technician, she felt ready to attend university. Earning her B.Sc. in conservation biology Krista was able to combine her two greatest passions: nature and writing. Author of numerous natural history books and articles, Krista is actively involved in a variety of ecological projects. Whether surveying raptors or monitoring tiny tundra plants she is most content exploring the outdoors. An avid cyclist, Krista loves going off the beaten track in search of wildlife and plants.