James P Ronda Author, Editor & Illustrator

James P. Ronda, is retired as Professor at the University of Tulsa, where he held the H. G. Barnard Chair of Western American History. He is widely recognized for his extensive scholarship on the Lewis and Clark expedition, including the pathbreaking Lewis and Clark Among the Indians. He is also a distinguished historian of the early American fur trade, Astoria and Empire. Professor Ronda's recent publications include The West the Railroads Made.

Harvey Payne is a renowned nature photographer whose work has been published in numerous newspapers, magazines, books, and calendars. An Osage County rancher, land manager, lawyer, and judge, he played a pivotal role in the Preserve's creation in 1990, served as its Director until 2008, and now is its Community Relations Coordinator.

Geoffrey M. Standing Bear is Chief of the Osage Nation.