Alan J. Bartels is a writer, photographer, gardener, student of nature, father, chronic volunteer, and wanderer. The Greeley High School graduate has been knocked unconscious by an emu; bitten by snakes, snapping turtles and a sandhill crane; has come home smelling of skunk, and once had a wild black-footed ferret run up his leg. Alan’s award-winning children’s book, What’s Going Down in Prairie Dog Town? was published in 2018 and includes a foreword by primatologist Jane Goodall. His photograph of a Blanding’s turtle appeared in the March 2020 issue of National Geographic Magazine, and his work has appeared in the Smithsonian Institution’s Air & Space Magazine, USA Today, and dozens of other local, state, and national publications. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Bartels received the Rank of Admiral in the “Great Navy of the State of Nebraska” in 2016 and was previously named Conservation Educator of the Year by the Nebraska Wildlife Federation. In 2022, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts appointed Alan to the executive board of the Governor’s Council to Keep Nebraska Beautiful. Alan is the former editor of Nebraska Life Magazine and is a six-time IRMA Award winner in the categories of Profiles, Historic Feature, Cover, and Writer of the Year. Alan’s latest book, “100 Things To Do In The Nebraska Sandhills Before You Die,” was published by Reedy Press in September 2023. When not exploring the Nebraska Sandhills, Alan seeks out craft beer breweries, and works a day job devoted to natural resources conservation.