Wintergreen Guiding Presents

James McCommons is a writer and journalist whose books Camera Hunter and Feather Wars explore the history of wildlife photography, bird hunting, and conservation. His work looks at the relationships between people, wildlife, and the landscapes they share, including how those relationships have changed over time. In this conversation, James discusses the stories behind his books, what the Upper Peninsula might have looked like in the past, and the role conservation efforts have played in protecting the region’s wildlife and landscapes.https://www.jamesmccommons.com/

Alexis Dahl is a Michigan-based YouTuber and science communicator. Her work primarily revolves around history, geology, and natural science. Through her videos, Alexis shares interesting places and stories from around Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula, and helps viewers better understand the places they may have passed through or never had the chance to visit. In this conversation, Alexis talks about her experience creating content about Michigan, what draws her to the UP, and the process of sharing the region’s natural and cultural stories with a wider audience.https://www.alexisdahl.com/

Emily Leach is the Executive Director of the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy. The Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy promotes healthy ecosystems and communities by providing permanent legal protection and ecological management of conservation lands and by engaging the public in the protection and enjoyment of these lands. Emily attended Northern Michigan University, where she earned degrees in Environmental Studies and Sustainability and Native American Studies. Before becoming Executive Director of the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy in 2025, she worked with the Superior Watershed Partnership and served as Marquette County’s Senior Planner, focusing on community planning, climate adaptation, and regional collaboration. In this conversation we talk about land conservation, the importance of protecting land in the UP, and the work involved in keeping these landscapes intact for future generations.Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy: https://www.uplandconservancy.org/

Wade Saari is an expert on the history of the history of the McCormick Wilderness in the Ottawa National Forest as well as the Historic Bentley Trail. Alongside a small team of people, Wade has been a part of resurrecting the Bentley Trail, attempting to retrace the precise steps that Cyrus Bentley and others walked over a hundred years ago.

In this conversation we talk about the history of the Bentley Trail, Wade's experience on the trail, and what the future holds for the Bentley Trail in the North Country.

Yellowdog Watershed Preserve: https://yellowdogwatershed.org/

Mike Ilmonen is a retired miner from Negaunee who volunteers as a tour guide at the Cliff Shaft Mine Museum in Ishpeming, Michigan. Mike also leads guided tours of Old Town Negaunee during the Heikki Lunta Festival.
In this conversation, Mike shares his experience with mining, his perspective on Negaunee’s mining history, what it was like to work in the mines and why preserving and sharing the history of Negaunee continues to matter.

Cliffs Shaft Mining Museum: https://ishpemingcity.org/visitor-information-2/cliffs-shaft-mining-museum/

Wade Saari is an expert on the history of the history of the McCormick Wilderness in the Ottawa National Forest. He was instrumental in helping Richard Hendrickson publish his book, "The Cabins Speak" which is a record of Richard's experience purchasing and dismantling the McCormick Grand Camp on White Deer Lake Island in the McCormick Tract.

In this conversation we talk about the history of the McCormick Tract, Richard's book, and our own experiences hiking and skiing through the McCormick Wilderness.

Superior View Photography: http://www.viewsofthepast.com/

Brandon Snyder is the producer of Wintergreen Guiding Presents. He is the owner of North Country Tree Care, a local arborist business based out of Marquette, Michigan. Brandon is also an avid rock climber who began rock climbing at age 17. He is the head rock climbing guide in the Huron Mountain Club and is also the Treasurer for the Upper Peninsula Climber's Coalition. His passion for the trees and rocks of the UP has provided him unmatched vertical access to climbs throughout the UP. When he's not busy in the trees or on summits you can find him playing drums for the local band, Caving Grounds. In this conversation we discuss how Wintergreen Guiding Presents got its start and then dive into Brandon's background with tree work, climbing, and videography.

Dr. Matt VanGrinsven is an earth systems scientist and earth science professor at Northern Michigan University. His work explores the complex connections between soils, water, ecosystems, and human activity across the Great Lakes and Colorado Plateau regions. His research spans applied agronomy, soil biogeochemistry, hydrology, wetlands, forest resources, ecosystem ecology, and data science, with a focus on using science to guide sustainable resource management, conservation, restoration, and remediation efforts. His passion lies in understanding the relationships between land, water, and living systems to help protect and better manage the landscapes we depend on. He also rips super hard on a pair of telemark skis.In this conversation, Dr. VG educates us on the geological history of the UP from around 2 billion years ago to present.

Jack Deo is one of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's foremost photographers, historians, and photographic archivists. As the founder of Superior View Studio, he has spent more than four decades preserving the region's visual history, building an archive of hundreds of thousands of historic photographs that document the people, industries, landscapes, and everyday life of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. His work has earned numerous honors, including the 2022 Upper Peninsula Folklife Award, and his collection has become an invaluable resource for museums, authors, historians, and communities across the region. Through his photography, archival work, and storytelling, Jack has helped preserve the history of the Upper Peninsula for future generations.In this conversation, Jack digs into the history of George Shiras III and the nighttime wildlife photography that changed the world.

Superior View: http://www.viewsofthepast.com/topics/gallery.htm

Karen Kasper is the vice president of the Ishpeming Historical Society and one of the Upper Peninsula’s most dedicated local historians and preservationists. A lifelong Ishpeming native who returned to her hometown in 2009, Karen has spent years uncovering and sharing the stories of the people, places, and events that shaped the community. Since beginning her volunteer work with the Ishpeming Historical Society, she has also become deeply involved with the Central U.P. and Northern Michigan University Archives, the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, the Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum, and the Northland Historical Consortium. She has led Ishpeming cemetery tours since 2018, written extensively about local history, and received the Historical Society of Michigan’s 2020 Distinguished Volunteer of the Year award.

In this conversation, Karen talks about her fascination with history, the importance of preserving the stories of ordinary people, Ishpeming’s mining and cultural heritage, and why understanding the past is so important to understanding the Upper Peninsula today.

Superior View Photography: http://www.viewsofthepast.com/

www.ishpeminghistory.org