Tom Stienstra
Tom Stienstra is an American author, outdoorsman and columnist for the "San Francisco Chronicle". He has written several guide books for California, the Pacific Northwest and America. He produces a radio feature for KCBS-74/San Francisco He hosted and co-produced a television special for PBS. He has also won national awards. Early life. Stienstra was raised and educated in Palo Alto, California, and graduated from Palo Alto High School. He received his degree in journalism from San Jose State University. Later he began to work as a sports reporter for the "Palo Alto Times." In 1979, when  Palo Alto Times merged with the "Redwood City Tribune" and became the "Peninsula Times Tribune", Stienstra was promoted to sports columnist. At age 21, he survived a hatchet attack, after which he gained insights into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and gaining fulfillment through the outdoor experience. Career. Stienstra published his first story at age 8, "Searching for a Lost Friend," in the "Palo Alto Times". He was hired to write about the outdoors for the "San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle" in 1980, which he has continued into 2018. Since 2000, he has produced and broadcast a radio feature for "KCBS-74/San  Francisco," the No. 1 station in Northern California, and appears frequently as a live guest expert. He hosted the TV show, The Great Outdoors for "CBS-CW" networks and then, in 2017, co-produced and hosted a national "PBS" special, The Mighty T -- The Tuolumne River, from Glacier to Golden Gate. Works. In 2022, his book '52 Weekend Adventures" was awarded second place in the nation as best outdoor book of the year by the Outdoors Writers Association of America; https://owaa.org/2021-eic-award-winners/. The book is reviewed at the San Francisco Chronicle by Peter Fish here, https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/books/tom-stienstra-shares-favorite-spots-in-52-weekend-adventures-just-in-time-for-summer-fun. Earlier, he won OWAA's  highest Excellence in Craft Award for career achievement; https://owaa.org/eic-winners/. In 2017, he hosted and co-produced, with Jim Schlosser the national television film, "The Mighty T, The Tuolumne River from Glacier to Golden Gate," for "KVIE-Sacramento/PBS", which released the film to 352 outlets in the PBS network. It won the Emmy for Health, Science, Environmental Special from the National Academy of Television, and Science. Stienstra has written many books, including many No. 1 bestsellers in their categories. Among them is "Moon California Camping", released its 22th edition in spring of 2022, the best-selling and longest running outdoor  guidebook series in America and "Moon Pacific Northwest Camping," listed in the Portland Oregonian as a No. 1 bestseller. His novel is "The Sweet Redemption, An Inspector Korg Mystery." Stienstra writes, records and produces the radio feature, "Great Outdoors," which appears on KCBS-San Francisco. Awards. In 2018, the Outdoor Writers Association of America awarded Stienstra 1st Place, Outdoor Recreation Photo of the Year. https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/Stienstra-photo-named-best-in-the-nation-by-12981739.php In 2017, the National Academy of Television awarded the Emmy for Health, Science and Environment Special to Stienstra and co-producer Jim Schlosser for their PBS Special, "The Mighty T -- the Tuolumne River." The PBS  Special also won the President's Award from the Outdoor Writers Association of America as the best outdoors television show of any kind for the year in America. At the OWAA annual conference, Stienstra was the organization's only member recognized for first-place awards in newspaper, radio and television. In 2015, Stienstra became America's first outdoors writer to win "The President's Award" as "Best of the Best" for the fourth time from OWAA, when he won best story of the year in the Newspaper Newspaper/Website division at the organization's annual awards banquet in Knoxville. The  winning entry was “Paddling with giants,” published in the August 5, 2014 editions of the San Francisco Chronicle. To become a finalist for the President's Award, that story won first place in the Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category of the Newspaper/Website Contest. He is one of OWAA's most awarded members, and in 2009, he won first place for best outdoors column in America. Stienstra was the fourth living member inducted into California Outdoors Hall of Fame.