Arthur Melville Pearson

Arthur spent 12 years working as an actor in regional theatre throughout the country.  As a writer, he is the recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Playwriting/Screenwriting and winner of the Midwestern Playwright’s Festival for his stage play, Cairo.  His passion for the environment is reflected in the articles he has published in Chicago Wilderness Magazine, Illinois Steward and Snowy Egret, the nation’s oldest journal of environmental writing. Arthur is the principal author of The State of Our Chicago Wilderness:  A Report Card on the Ecological Health of the Region. His biography of George Fell (co-founder of The Nature Conservancy and the driving force behind the establishment of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission) recently has been accepted for publication by Northern Illinois University Press. He has consulted with the foundation since 1995.