Eric E HendricksonEric Hendrickson and his wife, Elaine, are both retired natural science educators currently living in Presque Isle, Maine. As a child, Eric lived in East Millinocket, being taught by his father from a very young age to have an appreciation for the oudoors and understand the value of the cultural and natural history associated with the outdoors. As an adult, he has continued this love for exploring, being awarded the Certificate of Merit for Exploration in 2002 by the National Speleological Society for contributions to the caving community. With the original purchases of the lands of the monument and the closing of it to hunting, it became an area for him to explore with an emphasis on seeing both the natural and cultural history of the area. Traveling by mountain bike, as many of the roads were either closed to traffic or overgrown, he systematically explored the area, gaining a reputation for knowing where things could be located. He traveled to Washington, D.C., to explain to the people at the Department of Interior what was so special about the area and what could be found there. Once it became Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, he has acted as a leader for the monument and NPS staffs to the locations and history of those special locations. Read More Read Less