David J Backes

David J. Backes was the author of A Wilderness Within, the nationally acclaimed biography of renowned naturalist, author, and environmental leader Sigurd F. Olson. He also edited Olson's journals, published as A Private Wilderness. Alongtime professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Backes retired in 2015 spending his later years crafting stories in a quiet room at his home in southeast Wisconsin. Although Backes passed away in 2022, his legacy--rooted in humility, gratitude, and a deep love of nature--endures. Through his writing, he still speaks, offering gentle wisdom and a timeless bond with the natural world.