EDITOR

Kurt Kuban's passion for outdoor pursuit dates back to his early childhood when he would regularly travel to the wooded 40-acres his father owned in Mescosta County. Deer, partridge and bobcat roamed the property, which contained swamps, a tributary of the Chippewa River, an alfalfa field, and plenty of mature forest. Free to roam what seemed at the time a vast and unexplored land, Kuban and his brother learned much about life on that property. They took turns using an old recurved bow their father owned while attempting to stalk deer. Though they never shot a deer as youngsters, the reality of taking a life to provide sustenance for your own was implanted during that time.

Years later, Kuban dreamed of becoming a professor of history. While at the University of Tampa in Florida, he was fortunate enough to study Native American history, something that gave him an even greater appreciation for the idea of living off the land. At the time, he also joined the university's newspaper, and the love of journalism began to boil in his blood. While studying the history of New France at the University of Ottawa, Kuban realized he was destined to be journalist. He moved back to the Wayne-Westland area, where he grew up, and landed a job with the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, and began to cover the local news of towns such as Redford Township, Livonia, Plymouth, and Southfield.

His love of the outdoors never left him, however, and ultimately led him to help create Michigan's Streamside Journal with his partner, Jeff Counts.

Kuban, and his wife Cheryl, have a daughter, Maggie. He also has a German shorthaired pointer, Seneca, who shares his passion for running the woods. He lives in the city of Wayne, where he serves on the planning commission and coordinates the annual Rouge Rescue efforts in helping restore the Rouge River, once one of the most pollued rivers in the state. Of course, whenever he has a spare moment, Kuban grabs his fishing gear, or his shotgun, or canoe and heads as far into the woods and away from civilization as he can get.