Springer, Tom: - Tom Springer writes about the natural world and how people can live more deeply in the wild nearby through conservation, observation and contemplation. He has spent more than 30 years as a writer, editor and manager, most notably for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the University of Notre Dame. His first collection of essays, Looking for Hickories (University of Michigan Press) was named a Michigan Notable Book. Tom's essays regularly appear in publications such as Michigan Blue magazine, Notre Dame magazine and Front Porch Republic, and have aired in spoken form on National Public Radio. A native of Three Rivers, Michigan, Tom lives with his wife, Nancy, and two daughters in an 1860s farmhouse. He gardens, fishes, keeps bees, and most enjoyably, tends trees. He's planted more than 200-45 species total-on their four acres. (Although on average, his three apples trees produce enough for about three pies per season.) As a volunteer, Tom has served on the board of the St. Joseph County Conservation District and the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. He holds a master's degree in journalism from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University.