Hello! Thank you for dropping by my website!
Here you can learn about the work I currently do as a tour guide, lecturer, photographer and consultant. I’ve also added videos and educational resources I’ve produced in the past.
On the About page, you’ll discover that I’m a former instructor in the Geography Department at the University of Victoria, where I taught upper level courses in environmental and resource management for 20 years. I also have taught in the Environmental Science program and in the Masters of Environmental Education and Communication programs at Royal Roads University. In addition to my teaching, I have hosted two radio shows, co-hosted an environmental television program, and written numerous articles for national and international magazines.
The About page also presents my volunteer work as a director of the Victoria Natural History Society and past involvements with the Wilderness Tourism Association, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and several other similar not-for-profit organizations.
What drives me is a deeply-held sense of a mission or calling. I was fortunate to have been born and raised on the edge of one of Canada’s national parks surrounded by wild nature. This experience instilled in me a determination to do whatever I could to protect it. My infrequent blogs typically touch on themes, issues and ideas related to this mission.
If I can be of service to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Tours
The 2023 tour season got off to a great start. I led a 7 day tour of Kauai in January. Over the next five months, I’ll led 8 more. One of the tours I’m most excited about is a nine day tour of the badlands of Southern Alberta. This is a tour that I created and it takes guests to all of my favourite places in this remarkable landscape. To learn more about this and the other tours I’m leading this year…
Lectures
While leading tours, I take lots of photos. Upon arriving back home, I use the best of them to create travelogue style lectures. Being a geographer at heart, I like to blend natural and cultural history into creating educational and engaging presentations. To learn more about the subjects of the presentations I have created to-date and about the audiences I present them to …
Contracts
For the past six years, I’ve been on contract with the Friends of Shoal Harbour, assisting them with a variety of public and school programs. Five years ago, I was contracted to provide secretariat services on a part-time basis to the Greater Victoria NatureHood. This is a unique collaboration among a dozen or so organizations that share a common goal of connecting children, youth and families with nature that is found within the region. A recent project was the creation of an online interactive version of our award-winning “Nature in the City”. To learn more about these organizations and the work I do with them…
Volunteer Work
For the past five years, I’ve served as a director of the Victoria Natural History Society. In this capacity, I created a Youtube channel of the video recordings of the Society’s monthly presentations. I also assist with staffing our booth and exhibits at public events. But what really excites me are the letters we write and submit to local mayors and council members on critical environmental issues, such as designating Panama Flats – a birding hotspot – a nature sanctuary. To learn more about the Society and the volunteer work I do with it…