Kathleen Dent was born at a family owned ski area in southeastern Idaho. She grew up tromping through the woods, following critters, and just generally being curious. She has always lived in the Intermountain West, including the Snake River Valley of Idaho, the high desert of Utah and now in Missoula, Montana. She loves to learn about this beautiful part of the world and encourage the little people in her life to be curious and explore. Kathleen is a world traveler. She especially enjoys visiting her kids and granddaughter! She and husband Larry cherish their time with family and friends and time in the beautiful Montana landscape.
Alli DePuy spent many days during her childhood skittering and scattering, baking mud pies, and building forts in the forests. When she was not outside, Alli could be found painting images of her experiences in nature. Raised in the Inland Northwest, Alli grew up with a love of the outdoors and art. Moving to Missoula to attend the University of Montana and receiving a degree in art and education was the perfect fit. Today, Alli still lives in Missoula with her husband, children, and two dogs. On most afternoons you can find her hiking in the hills, skiing in the mountains, or cooling off on a hot summer’s day in the neighborhood swimming hole. Her sketchbook and paints are always close at hand.
Mike Sawaya earned his BSc in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana in 1997 and received his PhD in Fish and Wildlife Management from Montana State University in 2012. Mike has worked on grizzly and black bears in Glacier and Banff National Parks, cougars in Yellowstone National Park, black bears in eastern North America, and wolverines in western North America. Mike is active in professional wildlife organizations and enjoys mentoring graduate stduents. Through his research, Mike seeks to understand how wildlife populations respond to environmental changes and to apply that information for more effective conservation and management. When Mike is not investigating bear bathtubs, tracking cougars or wrangling carnivore hair, he enjoys camping, hiking, gardening, and adventuring with his wife and two sons.
About the Book Sweetgrass Books, Inspired Classroom, and Sinopah Wildlife Research Associates are delighted to announce the release of Bear in the Bathtub—a collaborative effort that combines the work of teachers, students, scientists, and conservationists to deliver a book that will ignite curiosity about bear behavior and then teach children the biological reasons behind that behavior using text that is interesting, approachable, and based on published research and a current scientific study in Yellowstone National Park. “This book is really special because it was a collective project meant to spark creativity and instill knowledge. We are excited to share it with young readers everywhere and hope they will be inspired to get outside, explore, use their imaginations, and discover what is happening in the wilder corners of their world,” say Inspired Classroom Co-Owners Kathleen Dent and Alli DePuy.