"Kenny Salwey is a modern-day American hermit who has lived most of his life in the Mississippi river bottoms, coming to know the river ecosystem with an intimacy unavailable to most. Kenny shares his love of, and knowledge about, the mighty river. Covering a year of Kenny's life on the river, The Last River Rat will give readers a greater appreciation of the natural world, living off the land, and protecting the river's ecology. Kenny Salwey is the last of a breed of men whose lifestyle has all but disappeared in this fast-paced, high-tech digital world. For thirty years, this weathered woodsman eked out a living on the Mississippi River, running a trapline, hiring out as a river guide, digging and selling roots and herbs, and eating the food he hunted and fished. Today, Salwey is a master storyteller, environmental educator, keynote speaker, nature writer, and advocate for the Upper Mississippi River. J. Scott Bestul is a regional editor for Field & Stream Magazine and a contributing editor for Sporting Classics magazines. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin, where he grew up loving the outdoors, hunting, and fishing. After graduating from Winona State University, he taught English in secondary schools for four years before he decided to pursue his dream of writing. He now writes full time for a variety of magazines"--