Kathie Durbin, née Amy Kathleen Barton, was born in Eugene, Oregon, in 1944 and lived in Oregon for much of her life. She graduated from South Eugene High School in 1962 and married James Cole Durbin the same year. She attended Lane Community College and graduated from the University of Oregon School of Journalism in 1975.

Durbin had a long career as a journalist and book author. During her collegiate years, she was a reporter for the Lane Community College Torch (1973) and the University of Oregon Daily Emerald (1974). Her later employment included the following: reporter and photographer for the Springfield News (1974); reporter for the Eugene Register-Guard (1974-1975); reporter for Oregon State University publications (circa 1975-1977); reporter for Willamette Week (1977-1978); reporter for The Oregonian (1978-1994), including beat reporter for Portland city hall and public schools, Multnomah County government, urban affairs, drugs, and gangs (1978-1989) and environmental reporter (1989-1994); freelance environmental reporter and senior editor and columnist for the Cascadia Times (1994-1999); and reporter for The Columbian, Vancouver, Washington (1999-2011). She was also a contributor to numerous publications, including the Amicus Journal, Audubon, Clementine, Defenders of Wildlife, E Magazine, High Country News, National Wildlife, and Seattle Weekly. Durbin wrote three books: Tree Huggers: Victory, Defeat and Renewal in the Northwest Ancient Forest Campaign (1966); Tongass: Pulp Politics and the Fight for the Alaska Rain Forest (1999, second edition 2005); and Bridging the Great Divide: The Battle for the Columbia River Gorge (2013, published posthumously). She received numerous journalism awards, primarily for environmental feature articles written for the The Oregonian and The Columbian.

Kathie Durbin died in 2013.