Nancy Cowan’s interest in sled dogs led to years of writing publicity for races and clubs, freelance writing for northern dog publications and magazines and self-publishing six books of her own on the subject. Her writing about dogs and raptors working together in falconry won awards from the Dog Writers Association of America and New England Outdoor Writers Association. A master falconer and a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, in 2005 she established the New Hampshire School of Falconry, now an internationally known facility. She has consulted for conservation organizations and agencies. Her book “Peregrine Spring” made the New York Times Best Seller List in September. Cowan lives in Deering, New Hampshire, with her husband, falconer Jim Cowan, three pointing dogs, six falcons and five hawks.
Jason Klass has been fly-fishing for bass, trout, salmon, lake trout, steelhead and various saltwater species since he was 15 years old. Originally from Western New York, he now resides in Colorado where he fishes for trout in the Rocky Mountains. In 2009, he became an early adopter of tenkara (a traditional form of Japanese fly-fishing that doesn’t use a reel) and has authored the blog Tenkara Talk ever since. With more than 500 posts and 5,000 comments, it’s one of the most active and authoritative resources for the modern tenkara angler. He’s also an avid hiker, backpacker and snowshoer, and previously wrote the blog Gear Talk, which is still one of the most prolific websites on ultralight backpacking.
Liam Diekmann is a junior at Bozeman High School in Bozeman, Montana. He is a member of the Bridger Ski Foundation competitive Nordic ski team. He enjoys writing about outdoor- and conservation-related topics, especially fishing. His father taught him how to fly-fish when he was 5 years old. In his spare time, when he isn’t fishing or skiing, he enjoys photography. Diekmann plans to take a gap year after high school to write, fish and ski as much as he can. Following his gap year he plans to attend college to study conservation and environmental sciences.
At a young age, Jacob R. Lutes showed interest in following in his father’s footsteps, hunting and fishing the territories of north-central Missouri. Once his family moved to a small farm just outside of town, his passion for the great outdoors was met by the venture of showing Angus cattle. From then on, summer vacations consisted of annual trips to the state fair and national Angus shows all over the country. Lutes went on to earn a degree in higher education, where he developed a passion for photography. He is currently a senior at Missouri Western State University studying photography. He is determined to find a way to overlap his passion for photography and the exploration of the great outdoors. He believes the next few years will be important stepping stones in his life and that his headstrong way of thinking and determination will lead him on a path that will change the lives of all whom he encounters.
Tyler Frantz is a hunter, angler and freelance communicator who lives for the outdoors. As comfortable in his favorite archery stand as he is in his home office, he strives to bring his writing, photography and videos to life so his audience can experience the thrill of the hunt along with him. A teacher by trade, Frantz takes great pride in providing a workingman’s approach toward print and digital media, which resonates with his diverse readership. Sharing the outdoors with the public is his passion. He tallied exactly 205 published pieces last year in addition to his day job. He has won more than a dozen awards for his work from various writing organizations and harvested countless trophies, though his greatest prizes are his wife Erin and son Foster, with whom he lives on a hobby farm in Pennsylvania. Visit www.naturalpursuitoutdoors.com for more information about Frantz.
Jeff Moore is an outdoor photographer who specializes in waterfowl hunting, gun dogs, decoys and wildfowl. You can see his work at jeffmooreimages.net. He delivers images depicting the inherent drama of the sport and a full understanding of those who hunt. They have appeared in a myriad of outdoor magazines. In 2016, his photograph of a retriever dragging a goose appeared in Ducks Unlimited magazine and was a finalist for the Black and White Spider International Photo Awards. In 2014, Sotheby’s used his photos to sell one of the most expensive decoys ever. Moore’s picture of an eider decoy was chosen for the cover of Robert Shaw’s book “Bird Decoys of North America.”
Michael R. Shea is a writer, editor and video producer with frequent work in Field & Stream, Petersen’s Hunting, New Pioneer and American Frontiersman. He is a contributing editor at Field & Stream and previously served as the special projects editor for Field & Stream, and as a video editor for both Field & Stream and Outdoor Life. He also serves as the Atlantic Flyway migration editor for Ducks Unlimited. Behind the scenes, Shea creates regular corporate communications content, specializing in science, security and biotechnology. He is a graduate of the writing program at Columbia University with a master’s degree in nonfiction. Prior to Columbia he was a staff reporter at the Modesto Bee and the Beaufort Gazette. When he’s not tweaking sentences or cutting video, you can usually find him in a bow stand or duck blind or working his start-up hobby farm in central New York State.
David Van Wie is a writer, photographer and renaissance fly-fisherman who lives in New Gloucester, Maine. In addition to his monthly column in The Maine Sportsman, his writing has appeared in Northern Woodlands magazine and several newspapers. Van Wie was lead author of “The Confluence – A Collection of Essays, Art & Tall Tales about Fly-fishing and Friendship,” published in 2016. After a 30-year career in environmental consulting and public policy, he now teaches environmental studies at the University of New England. He previously was director of the Maine Bureau of Land & Water Quality, and later served in the Maine House of Representatives where he was on the Utilities and Energy Committee. He has been married to Cheryl Bascomb for 32 years, and his son and daughter have grown and flown the coop. You can find out more on his website and blog at www.watchyourbackcast.com.
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Welcome to OWAA
