Lynn Chelewski was born and raised in Nebraska, the descendent of a long line of farmers and homesteaders who lived in sod huts or simple uninsulated frame structures and scratched out a living on the tough prairie by raising crops and livestock. Lynn spent much of his working career in the great Southwest, in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Having come from a long line of farmers and stock producers, he had often dreamed of being a rancher someday. His parents tried to teach a business ethic to Lynn and his siblings, and the first calf Lynn purchased was a shorthorn steer named Red. After a tour in the Marine Corps, he worked another twenty-five plus years for the federal government, most of which was with the National Park Service at five different sites. A man of diverse interests, he has participated in structural and wild land firefighting, emergency medical care, and search and rescue. He is an avid amateur naturalist, photographer, and hiking enthusiast and has an intense interest in preserving and protecting both natural and cultural/historical resources. He worked at Guadalupe Mountains National Park two of his tours, working there a total of thirteen and a half years.