About the Author

Sheila Buff has been a resident of the small town of Milan in northern Dutchess County since 1987 and has been exploring the Hudson Valley ever since. As a writer specializing in the outdoors, gardening, and natural history, she has enjoyed the many opportunities the Hudson Valley offers for hiking, birding, and enjoying the water. As an arts lover and history fan, she is also deeply familiar with the local artistic scene and the many historic sites in the region. She is active in local conservation and land use issues and is a frequent speaker at regional environmental programs. Her books on the outdoors and the greater Hudson Valley region include: Best Hikes with Children in the Hudson Valley and Catskills (additional entries for revised edition; The Mountaineers, 2002); Traditional Country Skills (The Lyons Press, 2001); Where the Birds Are (contributing author; Dorling Kindersley, 2001); The Complete Idiot's Guide to Birdwatching (Alpha Books/Macmillan, 1999); The Great Tomato Book (Burford Books, 1999); Nature's Window: Dolphins, Wolves, Bears, Penguins, Elephants, Frogs, Butterflies (small-format gift book series; Andrews McMeel, 1997, 1998); Nature Walks In and Around New York City (Appalachian Mountain Club, 1996); Birding for Beginners (Lyons & Burford, 1993; Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book Club alternate; Nature Book Club alternate) She is also a frequent contributor to About Town, a quarterly guide to the mid-Hudson Valley region. Sheila Buff has been a full-time writer since 1990. Prior to that, she held several positions in book publishing and ran a book packaging company. In addition to her work on the outdoors, she writes extensively about health, nutrition and medicine; in that capacity, she is the co-author or ghost author of six national bestsellers. Sheila Buff lives in the small town of Milan in the beautiful mid-Hudson Valley with her husband Joe, a novelist, and their dog Dina. She is an honors graduate of Washington Square College at New York University, where she was a University Scholar and received the Alfred Bush Baer Award as outstanding English major of her class.