Kathleen Braden is a Professor of Geography at Seattle Pacific University and Affiliate Faculty in Geography at the University of Washington. She specializes in Geography of Russia and Central Asian states of former USSR, Russian nature conservation, and resource use. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington and a BA in Russian Language from Boston University. She has held a Fulbright grant four times for research in Russia or Kazakhstan. A recent publication is “The Challenges of Ecotourism Development in the Altay Region of Russia,” to be published in journal Tourism Geographies, February, 2008.