The one and only Edwin C. Bearss is a National Treasure. One of our nation's preeminent Civil War historians, Ed's encyclopedic knowledge and unflagging energy is legendary. Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service, author, lecturer and America's foremost battlefield guide, Ed brings history alive like no other. Ed was featured in Ken Burns' film, The Civil War."  Two of his most recent books are "Fields of Honor and Receding Tide: Vicksburg and Gettysburg – The Campaigns that Changed the Civil War.  Under Ed's expert tutelage you will learn about the personalities that shaped pivotal events, hear tales from his rich repertoire of colorful anecdotes and you'll "walk the ground" (rain or shine!). We invite you to join us on a tour and try to keep up with this extraordinary dynamo!

Dr. Thomas Clemens will join us for a portion of our "1862" program in May 2012.  A history professor, Tom has studied the Antietam campaign and the Civil War for more than 30 years. He co-founded the Save Historic Antietam Foundation, and serves as a licensed Battlefield Guide and a National Park Service volunteer interpreter. A regular contributor to several military and history magazines, Tom recently edited Ezra Carmen's long unpublished history of Antietam, The Maryland Campaign of 1862, Volume I: South Mountain.

Historian Jerry Greene will join us on part of our "Flight of the Nez Perce" tour in August 2012. An author from Denver, Jerry is a retired Research Historian for the National Park Service. He has written over 20 books including: Nez Perce Summer, 1877 and Beyond Bear's Paw: The Nez Perce Indians in Canada.  Jerry will join us in Billings, MT to accompany us as we cross the “medicine line” into Saskatchewan to follow the story of those Nez Percé who escaped into Canada.

Scott Thybony was co-leader on our April 2011 "Landscapes of the American Southwest" tour.  An anthropologist by education and a writer by profession, this former river guide and archeologist writes books and articles for major magazines and newspapers.  His interviews have ranged from astronauts to medicine men, and his travels through North America have resulted in award-winning stories. Having lived with Navajo Indians in the American Southwest and the Inuit in the Canadian Arctic, he brings to his writing an enthusiasm for the natural world and those living close to it. Scott has led dozens of trips to the American Southwest for cultural organizations including National Geographic Expeditions. He has written widely about the Southwest including the book Canyon Country Parklands: Treasures of the Great Plateau for National Geographic.