I work as a naturalist aboard the Dolphin Explorer, a vessel that involves the public in the study of bottlenose dolphins in Southwest florida. We have been working for over two years to develop a model whereby the general public both participates in the collection of data and funds the costs involved in an ongoing research study. The trick is to balance the need to provide an educational and fun tour while maintaining scientific standards necessary to collect valid data.
I feel the strongest fondness for and connection to the two places I have spent the most time exploring and working as a naturalist: Southeast Alaska and Southwest Florida. The contrasts are (obviously) striking - Alaska with the mist shrouded temperate rainforest; sun drenched Florida with its labyrinth of mangrove islands. It was in Alaska that I had my first experience of wilderness, that feeling of being a visitor in a timeless world whose rhythms predate our appearance on the planet.
For the human race to find a sustainable manner to live that does not diminish the viability of the natural world or subject many of its own members to poverty and oppression.
Lead Naturalist aboard the Wilderness Adventurer in Southeast Alaska.
Naturalist oboard the Dolphin Explorer and Project Director for The Ten Thousand Island Dolphin Project
