John Watson has a PhD in political science and teaches American government and environmental public policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the author of Prairie Crossing: Creating an American Conservation Community, a book about free market remedies for mitigating the environmental degradation associated with suburban sprawl. He received a U.S. Fish and Wildlife grant to revive prairie and oak savanna remnants on his Wisconsin woodland property, where he manages the land for ecosystem function. An avid birdwatcher and environmentalist, he has 1,313 birds on his international life list.