The great-grandson, grandson, and son of North Park ranching people, Paul Willard Richard was raised in the days when ranchers worked the land they owned. He grew up wild and free at 8,100 feet elevation on the Two-Bar Ranch on the northwest edge of Walden

His love of the ranch's rivers and outdoor life led him to eventually become a professor of biological science at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. He taught junior high, high school, university, and adult students for 32 years.

His heart has always been in the beautiful North Park he writes about. Over the years he has authored three science books and is currently working on additional books about North Park. A professor emeritus of the biological sciences from UNC, he writes and resides in Greeley, Colorado, with his family.