Mark co-hosted our Iceland - Jan Mayen - Spitsbergen Expedition Cruise (June 10-23, 2002). and then hosted our sold-out Cruise of the Galapagos Islands in September 2003.

Back for another time, he and a group of painters enjoyed their trip to Ireland in September 2004.

Also check out Mark’s website! www.markhobson.com

Alan Morgan is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Waterloo. He first visited Iceland as a 17 year-old schoolboy on a six-week expedition to central Iceland. Since then he has returned eleven times, including during the eruption of Eldfell when he filmed the volcano for a “Nature of Things” CBC and PBS documentary. He has led or co-led excursions to Iceland in 1974, 1990 and twice in 2002.

My research interests are in Quaternary geology, initially in mapping (establishment of the Devensian type section in Britain) and relict permafrost structures in Britain and Canada. More specifically I am involved with the study of Quaternary Entomology (fossil beetles) as well as the study of paleo- and modern ecologies and recent climate change. This has necessitated travelling in northern Canada and Alaska over the past several decades. During this period my students family and I have built up a comprehensive collection of over 100,000 specimens of Arctic, sub-Arctic and Boreal Coleoptera which is housed at the Department. This serves to provide basic zoogeographic and ecological information that we use in the interpretation of fossil insect assemblages in southern Canada and the northern United States (see references below). Recent research at the Quaternary Entomology Laboratory involves the examination of stable isotopes in chitin with the hope that this will independently confirm climatic reconstructions made solely on present day distributions of beetle species.

In teaching, I am interested in communicating with persons of all ages, from Kindergarten to senior citizens. This communication involves lectures to high school and university students, to community and seniors groups and to junior and grade schools, as well as participation in educational conferences (Science Teachers of Ontario, International Geoscience Education). I also participate in outreach programmes (for example, EdGEO) and, more occasionally, field excursions. I am also actively involved in trying to reach broader audiences through Distance Education, the development of CD-ROM’s (Careers in Geoscience); participation in television (Ballard’s Jason VIII Project), film and video (The Heimaey Eruption and others), and print (Wat on Earth, Oyez3; publications for CGC, etc. I am also a firm believer in putting something back into the profession to try to make things work more smoothly for others. To this end I have tried to devote blocks of service time to the geosciences, especially to the Geological Association of Canada, the Canadian Geoscience Council, the Canadian and American Quaternary Associations and the International Quaternary Association.

Titles of Recently Submitted or Published Research:

Morgan, A.V. 1997. Aphodius holdereri Reitter (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): - Some ecological notes and new localities. Coleopterists Bulletin 51 2:

Bain, A.L., Morgan, A.V., Burns, J.A., and Morgan A. 1997. Palaeoentomology of Rat’s Nest Cave, Grotto Canada. Quaternary Proceeding 5: John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester.

Bajc, A.F., Morgan, A.V., and Warner, B.G., 1997. Age and paleoecological significance of an early postglacial fossil assemblage, near Marathon, Ontario, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 34: (5), 687-698.

Motz, J. and Morgan, A.V. 1997. Late-glacial climate and ecology of a kettle section at Brampton, Ontario, Canada, as determined from fossil Coleoptera. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 34: (7), 926-934.

Morgan, A.V., and Pilny, J.J. 1997. Elaphrus parviceps Van Dyke (Coleoptera: Carabidae): A First Collecting Record For QuÂŽbec. Coleopterists Bulletin 51 2:

Motz, J. and Morgan, A.V. 1997. Morphological variation in Elaphrus clairvillei Kirby (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from fossil sites in the Great Lakes Region. Coleopterists Bulletin 51 2: 140-145.

Morgan, A.V. 1997. Earth Sciences Awareness Day at the Joint National Science Teachers Association, Science Teachers Association of Ontario Meeting, Toronto, November 22, 1996. Geoscience Canada 24 (2): 112-115.

Huntley, B., Cramer, W., Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H.C. and Allen J.R.M. 1997. Predicting the response of terrestrial biota to future environmental changes. pp. 487-504. In: Past and Future Rapid Environmental Changes: The Spatial and Evolutionary Responses of Terrestrial Biota. (Eds, Huntley, B., Cramer, W., Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H.C. and Allen J.R.M).

NATO ASI Series, Volume I; 47: Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 523 pp.

Morgan, A.V. 1997. Fossil Coleoptera assemblages in the Great Lakes region of North America: Past changes and future prospects. pp. 129-142. In: Past and Future Rapid Environmental Changes: The Spatial and Evolutionary Responses of Terrestrial Biota. (Eds, Huntley, B., Cramer, W., Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H.C. and Allen J.R.M). NATO ASI Series, Volume I; 47: Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 523 pp.

Huntley, B., Cramer, W., Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H.C. and Allen J.R.M. 1997. Introduction. pp. 1-8. In: Past and Future

Rapid Environmental Changes: The Spatial and Evolutionary Responses of Terrestrial Biota. (Eds, Huntley, B., Cramer, W.,

Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H.C. and Allen J.R.M). NATO ASI Series, Volume I; 47: Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 523 pp.

Morgan, A.V. 1996. The Earth System: Geology Lessons for Our Future. (A Conference Report on the Earth System Symposium at the Ontario Science Centre, December, 1996). Geoscience Canada 23 (4): 267 - 275.

Electronic Publications:

Morgan, A. V., and Morgan, A.J. 1997. Careers in Geoscience. Canadian Geoscience Council and

Amerdisc. (A CD-ROM with a 5,000 press-run).

The Encarta Electronic Encyclopaedia. Microsoft Corporation Washington, USA.

Also check out Dr. Morgan’s webpage!

Dr. Morgan also has a page summarizing the Eldfell eruption on the island of Heimaey in early 1973.

Dr. Morgan lectured and guided on the Circumnavigation of Iceland tour (May 27-June 10, 2002).

Gustave J. Yaki has been a life-long naturalist with a considerable knowledge of all aspects of nature. "I never remember not being interested," he says.

Gus was born in Saskatchewan, and moved to Ontario in his twenties. There, he made his hobby a career, operating his own nature touring company (Nature Travel Service) for 19 years before retiring in 1991. In all, he has travelled to 74 countries.

In 1993, he moved to Calgary. Although retired, he is still in demand to organize and lead tours. When not on tour he serves as editor of the Calgary Field Naturalists’ Society quarterly publication "PICA", and other publications.

One of his first tours was to Iceland, which he has visited three times. On that first trip, his geological resource person was Dr. Alan Morgan, who accompanied him on one of our recent tours to Iceland. "Everyone will appreciate Alan’s special knowledge and his ability to impart that information so that anyone can comprehend it," he added.

He looks forward to seeing old friends - and some new ones - on this exciting tour!

In 1980, at age 16, I immigrated to Canada from The Netherlands. I fell in love with this country and its history, and when a friend introduced me to canoeing I knew I had truly become a Canadian. I love the simplicity of the canoe and the freedom it offers. Over the years, my explorations have become more frequent, longer and to more remote places in Canada.

My interest in the Arctic began with a trip to the Yukon in 1985 after graduating from journalism school. In the years that followed, my career as a photojournalist prevented any further northern travels until 1998, when a friend asked me if I was interested in going to Ellesmere Island. I jumped at the chance to see part of this most northerly region of Canada.

Ellesmere Island’s stark, elemental landscape had a profound effect on me. Everything in this rugged, treeless landscape is out in the open. One only has to take the time to look around to find the treasures the land has to offer: beautiful, tiny flowers, mythical animals like muskoxen who look like they truly belong, and countless birds that flock to the Arctic to rear the next generation during the short summer.

In 1999, I travelled by canoe for 10 weeks with three friends on a journey from Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, to Chantrey Inlet, south of King William Island, Nunavut. We followed a route first travelled and mapped by Commander George Back in 1834, down the river that now bears his name: the Back River, the longest river entirely in Canada’s Barren Lands. (see article in Kanawa, Spring 2001)

In 2001, I did a two-month solo canoe trip down another great Barren Lands river, again following a route travelled by George Back when he was a midshipman under Lieutenant John Franklin in 1821. I began this journey at Fort Enterprise, 250 km north of Yellowknife, and after crossing the height of land, I descended the Coppermine River to the Arctic Ocean, continuing east along the coast of Coronation Gulf to the mouth of the Hood River in Bathurst Inlet. (see article in Kanawa, Spring 2003)

The following year I began another solo expedition which started at treeline, 200 km northeast of Yellowknife in the headwaters of the Beaulieu River. Spring was late in arriving and the lakes were still ice-covered. I walked on the ice for three weeks dragging my canoe following Samuel Hearne’s route from MacKay Lake to Contwoyto Lake. Hearne travelled through this area on his epic journey from the coast of Hudson Bay to the mouth of the Coppermine River and back between Dec. 1770 and June 1772.

In June 2003, my partner Janice and I paddled the Emile River west of Yellowknife. The Emile is an ancient Dene travel route used to go from the boreal forest around the north arm of Great Slave Lake to the Barren Lands where they would hunt caribou. Camped on a small island on the Emile I proposed to Janice, who accepted, and we were married in September.

During the summer of 2003, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife mounted my exhibit The Recreated Voyages of George Back which included photographs from two of my expeditions along with reproductions of George Back’s paintings from his 19th century journeys. It is amazing to see how little the northern landscape has changed in nearly two centuries of encroachment from the south. (see article in The Beaver, February, 2003)

I find the Barren Lands in the summer an ideal place for photography. The land is still free from the scars of development. There are no trees to get in the way of the view and the 24-hour daylight is a photographer’s dream come true, especially at night as the sun skirts the northern horizon, providing hours of golden light to play with.

I contribute a regular column to Kanawa, Canada's Canoeing & Kayaking Magazine, and my photographs have been published in magazines and newspapers around the world. I regularly write book reviews for The Arctic Book Review and I also present slide shows and lectures about my expeditions.

In the fall of 2004 I am planning to retrace George Back’s 1826 route down the Mackenzie River and in late winter 2005 I will retrace part of a winter journey he made in 1820 from Fort Enterprise to Yellowknife. This will complete my series of expeditions following the routes Back travelled in the 19th century, and I hope to publish a book about Back’s and my own travels in what I think is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

I am a sponsored paddler of Western Canoeing & Kayaking, manufacturers of Clipper Canoes, in Abbotsford, BC. For the 2001 expedition, I was awarded an Expeditions Grant by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Additional sponsors include: the Geoscape Canada Project of the Geological Survey of Canada, Island Alpine, Tri-M Systems, GPS Outfitters and Grain Process Enterprises, Ltd.

You can browse a gallery of my photographs here.

David Stirling was born in Athabasca, Alberta. The environment of a frontier homestead and its surrounding wilderness possibly contributed to his early interest in natural history.

During five years of service with the Canadian Army, he developed an interest in overseas birding. After graduation as a first lieutenant from Royal Military College, Sandhurst, England, and travelling to many countries, he joined the Nature Interpretation and Research Division of the British Columbia Parks.

David Stirling has contributed to scientific journals including Canadian Field Naturalist, Murrelet and British Columbia Provincial Museum reports. He has written articles for popular publications such as BC Naturalist, Nature Canada, Victoria Naturalist, Western Living and Westworld. He has assisted with and contributed to natural history and bird finding books including Pacific Wilderness, Birds of British Columbia and The Naturalists Guide to the Victoria Region. David Stirling has played an active role in natural history and conservation organizations including B.C. Federation of Naturalists, Victoria Natural History Society and international conservation societies.

He is involved in international eco-tours and has managed and led groups to many countries from Texas to Australia and from Africa to the Arctic.

David Fraser, M.Sc. R.P.Bio.

Naturalist, photographer, artist, and professional biologist, Dave is known for the enthusiasm that he brings to the groups he leads. He has been the naturalist on many trips, from the Firth River that leads to the Beaufort Sea, the wild Tatshenshini, the deserts of the southern US, the cloud forests of Costa Rica to the exploring the endemic species of Cuba. He has traveled widely and along with his biologist wife Leah Ramsay has photographed lemurs and fossas in Madagascar, anacondas in Venezuela and wild flowers in his native British Columbia. When not travelling Dave is the Endangered Species Specialist for the province of British Columbia and sits on the elected Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Along with his brothers he owns Thimble Farms, a nursery business specializing in rare, unusual and native plants. In his spare time he heads the team that runs the Visitor programs in the provincial parks on southern Vancouver Island, including Victoria’s Goldstream Park Visitor Centre, known for its children’s programming and famous salmon run. Whether it is pointing out small plants, or telling a story about some unusual bird or helping a group come to grips with the size of an iceberg, David’s knowledge, respect and love of the natural world makes the experience a special treat for the entire group.

Ron graduated from the Photographic Arts program at Ryerson University in Toronto and joined Simon Fraser University the same year. Thirty-five years later he is still employed as a full time photographer at SFU and what an eventful thirty-five years it has been.

Fifteen years as photographer to the Biological Sciences department has given Ron an extensive background in Biology and directly led to a project which to date has had him locate, photograph, identify and catalogue over 1000 species of British Columbia wildflowers. He has written and lectured extensively about BC plants and his photographs appear in many plant-related publications.

During this period Ron also developed an interest in marine biology, became an expert SCUBA diver and has photographed and studied hundreds of marine organisms. His diving adventures have included diving trips in the Queen Charlotte Islands, Alaska and the Canadian Arctic.

As the photographic work for many Biologists involved close-up photographs of extremely small and very active creatures Ron, of necessity, has become a leading expert in macro photography.

During the last twenty years at SFU, Ron has expanded his photographic services to include the entire university. This activity has provided the opportunity for him to develop expertise in virtually all aspects of photography ranging from portraiture to aerial photography.

Having always kept abreast of the technological changes that affect photography, Ron now works extensively with digital cameras and computer imaging.

Some twenty-two years ago, Ron was asked by the director of the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden to develop a course on plant photography. From that small beginning has come an entire second career. These days Ron spends almost as many hours a week teaching photography as on photography itself, and is finding it every bit as enjoyable.

Ron’s on-going courses currently include the Learning Photography seminar series for Lens and Shutter - the largest photographic dealer in Vancouver. This seminar series has been running three times a year for the past eighteen years.

Current teaching commitments also include the popular Advanced photographer Program for Kwantlen University College. First developed some eight years ago, this Fall to Spring course has proved so popular that it is now offered at all three of the Kwantlen campuses. Graduates of this course have gone on to careers as professional photographers.

Every year, as a personal undertaking, Ron organizes and conducts the highly successful Port Townsend Photography Workshops. These week-long workshops have continued, uninterrupted, for seventeen years.

Ron says “I enjoy teaching because it not only allows me to pass on my experience but associating with students who can’t contain their excitement about photography and seeing them transform into skilled photographers never fails to revitalize my own pleasure in photography.”

Ron’s adventure travel experience extends from the Arctic tundra to the Amazon rainforest and includes two trips to South Africa. These journeys, always with small groups, combine all the elements that Ron values most highly - photography, nature and the company of enthusiastic people.

To Ron, adventure travel means visiting exciting places but in complete comfort. He will not permit any avoidable discomfort to detract from the experience of the trip. Careful planing ensures that the enjoyment of the experience will not be marred by unforeseen glitches.

Kevin has been helping the public interpret nature for the past thirty years, sharing his expertise in bird, mammal and plant identification with children as young as three and adults as old as ninety three. A well known and respected naturalist, Kevin has an engaging way of imparting information that both informs and entertains. As well as natural history, which has been his passion since childhood, he also has a keen interest in world history and culture.

His thirty year career with the North Vancouver District Parks Department started at the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre as chief naturalist/manager, and later continued in the Parks Department where he was responsible for managing the District’s extensive natural parkland areas.

During the early 1990s he led a grassroots citizens campaign to save an endangered remnant of vital wetland on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet. The wetland, located at Maplewood Flats in North Vancouver, was eventually restored into a wildlife sanctuary and Kevin’s role became volunteer manager of the wildlife plant nursery and tour guide of the conservation area. Now retired, Kevin is active with a number of organizations, including the Wild Bird Trust of B.C., the North Shore Bear Network, Vancouver Natural History Society and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. He is also a member of the North Vancouver District Parks and Environment Advisory Committee.

Born in Northern Ireland, Kevin has travelled extensively through the British Isles, Europe and North America studying birds and their habitats.

Alison Watt is an artist and writer who has worked as a naturalist in parks across British Columbia and on sailing vessels up and down the west coast. Her passion for the neotropics was kindled in Amazonian Peru where she worked at a biological research station. She has led tours to Honduras for three years. Alison has a background in botany, but also has a special interest in birds. Her book, “The Last Island” - a Naturalist’s Sojourn on Triangle Island, which came out last year, is about a field season studying Tufted Puffins on B.C.’s biggest seabird colony. Written and illustrated by Alison, it won the Edna Staebler (national) creative non-fiction award.

Galapagos is an exciting prospect for Alison - a chance to bring her love of the tropics and seabirds together. She looks forward to sharing her enthusiasm and expertise with fellow travelers, on the trip of a lifetime.
Bestway Tours & Safaris is pleased to relay the news that Alison's Galapagos tour (November 05 - 15, 2004) was thoroughly enjoyed by all who participated.

Bruce Whittington is a naturalist and writer who has lived in Victoria since the 1960s. He graduated from the University of Victoria, and became involved in the field of natural history as an amateur, joining the Victoria Natural History Society in 1981. He is currently Past President. As a keen birder he began to lead field trips and birding courses, and for ten years wrote a bird column in the Victoria Times-Colonist called “Island Birds”. He ran “The Field-Naturalist”, a natural history retail business for fifteen years, and has also worked as a naturalist at Goldstream Provincial Park and Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary.

Bruce has led many tours in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and is passionate about the conservation of neotropical species. In 1995, he was part of a small group which founded Habitat Acquisition Trust, a regional conservation organization, and served as a director until 1999, when he became HAT’s Executive Director.

He is a volunteer at the Rocky Point Bird Observatory banding station on southern Vancouver Island, and serves on the new Environmental Fund Advisory Committee of the Victoria Foundation.

In 2002, he left Habitat Acquisition Trust to return to freelance writing and contract work full time. He is an avid photographer, continues to write for several magazines, and has a book about birds in the hands of a publisher.
Bestway Tours & Safaris is proud to have Bruce leading a tour to Panama in February/March of 2006.

The Canadian Arctic is a premier destination for those with a strong interest in nature. Situated above the Artcic Circle, Bathurst Inlet Lodge is known world wide. With an exceptionally knowledgeable staff and a diverse program of activities from archaeology to zoology, (virtually everything from A to Z!) this opportunity to experience the Canadian Arctic is an opportunity not to be missed. Having recently returned from Alaska’s islands in the Bering Sea, I am excited to welcome you on this exploration. From the comfort of Bathurst Inlet Lodge we will seek out muskoxen, caribou, saxifrages and jaegers found in this arctic oasis.

Bill Merilees, Tour Leader.

Bill’s early interests in natural history were cultivated by his parents. Through Scouting he earned a Junior Honorary Associate Membership in the Vancouver Natural History Society. This introduced him to William M. Hughes, leader of the Society’s Birding Section in 1955, and they became almost inseparable on field trips, bird banding excursions and Society activities, including a volunteer association with graduate students studying seabirds under Dr. Miklos Udvardy at the University of British Columbia.

In 1958 Merilees obtained his bird banding license from the Canadian Wildlife Service and the following year entered U.B.C. majoring in Zoology and Botany. His volunteer participation with Udvardy’s grad student program, in particular Rudi Drent, continued. For the years 1961 and 1962 he co-ordinated the B.C. Nest Record Scheme. His participation in the Scheme began in 1956 with nest records for Warbling Vireo and Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warbler among others. Except for one or two years when he was out of the country, his nest record keeping has continued.

BC Parks fledgling Interpretation program offered him summer employment with David Stirling in 1960 and in 1964 on Mitlenatch Island where he asked Wayne Campbell to join him. From 1966 to 1968 Bill worked for the Australian National Antarctic Research program in charge of life history studies of Royal Penguin, Wandering Albatross and Southern Elephant Seals. Bill and June Houghton were married in Brisbane in July.

In 1968 he accepted a teaching position at Selkirk Regional College in Castlegar where he initiated and co-ordinated the “West Kootenay Bird Study” until 1976. This project lead to the formation of the West Kootenay Naturalists’ Association. The results from this study have sadly never been published though the records gathered have been “on loan” to the Birds of B.C. Project. As a field consultant he produced a number of reports on birds of the East and West Kootenays. Through a Rotary International Scholarship he completed a M.Sc. degree in Recreation at Colorado State University.

In 1978, Bill, June and family moved to Nanaimo where he was employed by BC Parks as an interpretation/visitor services officer until his retirement in 1997.

Bill’s broad natural history interests are reflected in his major writings: “Humpback Whales of Georgia Strait”, “Gardening for Wildlife”, “Trees, Shrubs & Flowers to Know in British Columbia and Washington” (co-authored with Chess Lyons), and a history “Newcastle Island - a Place of Discovery”. One of his main areas of interest continues to be the marine moliusc fauna of coastal B.C. Recently, along with Guy Monty, a year long study of the birds of the Nanaimo River Estuary has been completed and an ongoing inventory of breeding song birds in Greater Nanaimo continues.

For his work Bill has been honored by the Kootenay Doukhobor Historical Society, the Federation of B.C. Naturalists (Elton Anderson Award), the Nanaimo Field Naturalists, the Vancouver Natural History Society and the City of Nanaimo.

In 2002 he was awarded the Australian Antarctic Medallion for his service to the Australian Antarctic Program and in 2003 The Queen Elizabeth II - Jubilee Medallion.

Looking at the odds, Ly (pronounced “Lee”) and David Kitler were probably never going to meet. Ly was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and did not know much about Canada, except that it was somewhere north of the U.S.A. David was born in Toronto, ON, and only thought of Brazil as a place to visit for its wildlife. Yet, their paths crossed in 1989, when Ly moved to Toronto in search of a better standard of living. Within 3 weeks of arriving, she started a job at the company where David also worked, just as he was starting to plan a trip to Brazil. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not…

David’s appreciation of nature began in his youth as he explored the Canadian outdoors. Once he realized that the whole world was only a plane trip away, he embarked on longer reference gathering trips to places such as Kenya, Tanzania, Nepal, and India, as well as most of the U.S.A., including Alaska. In the meantime, David taught himself to paint. While growing up, David received support and encouragement from his mother, who sometimes allowed him to stay up late on school nights so he could finish a drawing. David still vividly remembers one of the last things his mother ever said to him; it was “don’t let anyone ever tell you that you are not an artist.” Unfortunately, when he was 17, David lost that source of support in a tragic manner, when his mother was killed by his father. This event impacted David’s life, and that of his four younger siblings, in immeasurable ways. Introduced abruptly into the adult world, David had to find ways to support himself and secure his future.

Because of his love of wildlife, David had initially geared his education towards becoming a veterinarian, thinking that art was something to be treated only as a hobby. Soon, however, David’s early sketches and paintings began to garner attention, opening a door to a world he never knew existed. It was then that he decided to pursue a degree in art. Fending for himself, David overcame incredible odds and later graduated with honours from the Ontario College of Art. David’s paintings have quickly gained recognition and are part of corporate and private collections the world over. David is a member of the prestigious Society of Animal Artists and his work can be seen in some of North America’s major exhibitions and art shows. David currently has his studio in Calgary, Alberta. Besides painting, he spends time on research trips, and with the many students with whom he enjoys sharing his passion for art. A strong supporter of conservation projects and of his community, David continues to donate works in support of fund-raising activities by numerous organizations.

While living in Brazil, Ly had been attending English language classes since she was 10 years old and, by 1985, had become a translator and interpreter. Over the years she travelled extensively in Brazil, and then throughout Great Britain and Europe, where she also spent a year studying in Germany. After having experienced a more stable way of life, it was difficult for her to remain in Brazil, where the economic and political situation was always so volatile. In 1989 she made the difficult decision to emigrate, and chose Canada as her new home for its diversity and natural beauty. Her knowledge of languages and adaptability to different cultures made the transition less stressful, although she still missed her family, friends, and the temperate climate she had left behind. The move became easier after she met David and they became close friends. In 1992 Ly and David got married and relocated to Calgary, AB. While holding a full-time job, Ly also managed to complete a Business Management certificate and, later, a Bachelor of Commerce degree program. Today she manages David’s art business and is also a free-lance management consultant.

Ly and David love nature and travel, and are always looking forward to their next adventure. David’s interest in wildlife is only matched by Ly’s, and the animals seem to sense it. Ly can usually be found with a monkey slowly climbing on her back or a bird perched on her head, while David frantically tries to get as much reference as possible, as each experience will probably become his next painting.

Bestway Tours & Safaris is proud to have David & Ly co-hosting a tour to Brazil in June 2006.

Roger Burrows and his twin brother, Tony, were born in Northampton, England, in 1942 and enjoyed the usual sporting pursuits of football, rugby, cricket, tennis and badminton and travel to several parts of Europe until his late twenties. Two events, however, combined to change Roger’s life forever.

The first was the formation of the Northampton Grammar School Field Club in 1953 by older students keen to interest younger students in nature. Bicycle trips to local reservoirs were followed by car rides to more distant destinations and a memorable week’s stay in Cley, Norfolk, with Richard Richardson, the inspiring illustrator of the first major British field guide. After that, birds replaced sports as a major outdoor focus and, some 50 years later, Roger still has a passion for birdwatching and overseas travel.

The second was meeting with a Canadian from Vancouver who convinced Roger that Canada offered the opportunity to widen his natural history interests. A one-month cross-country visit in the spring of 1969 confirmed this, and Roger saved up enough to emigrate to Toronto the next spring. After a frustrating year in TO, Roger decided to move to Point Pelee and enjoy its birdlife. What started out as a vacation eventually led to the first year of a science degree, marriage, work in northern Ontario and eventually Canadian citizenship and naturalist work with Parks Canada in Atlantic Canada, where his daughter, Sharon, was born in 1974.

Short-term contracts led to an interesting, but ill-fated, stay at Louisbourg, Cape Breton, and eventually life as a single father in Newfoundland, where Roger established himself as one of the province’s most active birders—culminating in three years at Terra Nova National Park and the first provincial bird list topping 300 bird species. A move to St. John’s in 1982 coincided with the printing of Roger’s first book, which evolved into the locally-published 3-volume Birding in Atlantic Canada in 1988-90. At the same time, Roger wrote and traveled for Memorial University’s Decks Awash magazine, with occasional birding trips throughout Atlantic Canada. Eventually, Roger became its owner—an ill-advised move that forced a move to British Columbia in November 1993.

Ever the optimist, Roger endured nearly three years of relative inactivity before becoming an onboard naturalist on Alaska cruise ships for five summers. This allowed him the relative luxury of travel without having to foot the bill and gave him enough information to put together a Northeast Pacific manuscript to take to publishers in 2001. Never one to resist a challenge, Roger left the security of cruise ship employment to take on the writing of Birds of Atlantic Canada and Birds of Oregon for Lone Pine Publishing, followed by similar books on New England, Pennsylvania and the Great Plains States for later publication. His Wildlife-Watching in Northeast Pacific Waters is still with Lone Pine and should appear in the near future. Now that he is “retired”, Roger expects to resume his cross-country, marine and overseas travel, starting with a birding trip to Cuba in February 2004. Although hooked on birds, Roger is always ready to share his interest in other aspects of natural history and his love of travel.

As a child, Sherry loved to roam the grasslands, gullies and groves of her prairie homes. Her family always on the move, she became an avid explorer. In high school, as president of the Eco Club, she became an advocate for the environment and recycling and continued on with a B.Sc. in Geography and Environmental Science. Her love of nature and the environment led to a full-time occupation some twenty-five years ago as she worked as a naturalist in the provincial, national and regional park systems in BC and became the interpretation specialist for BC Parks. Her career also led her to museums and teaching college. She currently teaches in both a community college and an adventure tourism school. She was the principal writer of the art book Carmanah: Artistic Visions of an Ancient Rainforest that raised awareness for and ultimately helped to protect the magnificent Carmanah Valley. With her own business she has developed displays and exhibits for many parks and Visitor Centres. For the last ten years she has worked as a naturalist or trip leader sailing the Pacific Coast on various ships, rafting wild rivers, leading hikes and tours and has become an enthusiastic photographer.

A passion for travelling began while backpacking through Europe at age 17. Sherry’s itchy feet have found their way to Africa where she did volunteer work and studied traditional music, to South America with its rich cultural and biological diversity, to Central America where she has kayaked and dived, and to Asia where she has trekked in many of the high mountain ranges, travelled part of the Silk Road and developed an interest in many different cultures. In some instances she has been with the first group of westerners to explore an area. She loves to share special places with others who are willing to participate and appreciate.

Bestway Tours & Safaris is proud to have Sherry hosting two tours in 2006: Kham Inner Circle (China/Tibet) in May, and the Galapagos in October..

Terry was born in Stratford, Ontario, and grew up next door to two young Dutch boys who taught him how to see and listen to nature in the expanses of farmlands and forests that surrounded the city. He learned about many wonderful things, including jack-in-the-pulpits, monarch butterfly larvae, praying mantises, and the abundance of warblers. The love he developed for nature in these early years has accompanied him throughout his life. He became the nature leader at Silver Lake Mennonite Camp near Lake Huron after high school and taught sciences at an elementary school in Hamilton.

Leaving teaching, he completed an undergraduate degree in biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, mainly studying native plants, then accepted a Commonwealth Scholarship for graduate work in New Zealand. During his M.Sc. work on alpine ecology in “the land of the long white cloud”, he traveled far and wide across this biologically rich and remarkable country. He then crossed the ocean to Vancouver where he completed his PhD on dryland mosses in the grasslands and steppe in the interior of the province. He returned to Ontario, teaching biology at Wilfrid Laurier University for 10 years, then reversed his path once again, finally settling in Vancouver where he presently owns a small ecological consulting company.

Throughout these travels and up to the present, Terry has enthusiastically led many trips, large and small, with a diversity of people, young and old. He has been a tour leader at the Meadowlark Festival in the south Okanagan Valley for the past five years, and has guided many groups in coastal BC. Most recently, he was the botanist for a spring bird migration ship tour from Japan to Alaska.
Bestway Tours & Safaris is proud to have Terry hosting a tour to New Zealand in February of 2006.

B.Sc. (Hons.), Ph.D. (British Columbia)

Scientist, outdoorsman, photographer, artist and lecturer, Michael is known for the knowledge and enthusiasm that he brings to his subjects. A keen adventure traveler, Michael has explored more than 80 countries. His travels have taken him to the Himalayas, down the Amazon River, on safari in Africa and to distant Tierra del Fuego. Southern Africa is an especially appealing destination for Michael. In South Africa he has visited African penguin colonies on the Cape of Good Hope and marveled at the spectacular floral displays of Namaqualand, Northern Cape province.

In Namibia, Michael has hiked the towering sand dunes of the Great Namib Desert and observed game in Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s least known but most rewarding parks.

In Botswana, Michael has studied the stunning wildlife of the magnificent wetlands of Okavango Delta, the Moremi Wildlife Reserve and the grassy Savuti plains. In Zambia he has seen the stupendous Victoria Falls at full flood as they crash into the improbable series of zigzag gorges that lie downstream.

Michael is a frequent lecturer at VanDusen Botanical Garden and at Vancouver-area garden clubs and plant societies. His topics have included Flora of Namaqualand (South Africa), Safari to Botswana, Evolution of Garden Design in Spain and Flora of Hawaii and the South Pacific.

For the past 35 years Michael has been steadily painting botanical illustrations (in watercolour) of the flora of southwestern British Columbia. In 2003 a solo exhibition of his work, entitled Fragile Beauty, was held at VanDusen Garden. Michael currently serves on the Board of Governors at the Garden and for more than five years was editor of the garden newsletter, the Bulletin.

In the fall of 2006, Michael will make his first visit to the island of Madagascar and invites you to join him on a voyage of discovery to this unique ecosystem, where 80% of the flora and fauna is endemic. Madagascar has it all—a stunning 12,000 species of plants of which 1,000 are orchids; 30 species of enchanting lemurs, one of which was only discovered in 1998; the bizarre spiny forest; bulbous baobabs; camoflauged chameleons; and extraordinarily diverse and colourful birdlife with no fewer than 36 endemic genera.
Bestway Tours & Safaris is proud to have Michael hosting a tour to Madagascar in October of 2006..

Dear Friends:

Have you seen the low light of a midnight sun? Watched it raise creases in the landscape and cast a glow across the entire world? Have you knelt close to an esker to marvel at the strength of an arctic poppy bent against an eternal wind? Have you heard the eerie, plaintive cry of a long-tailed duck set against candling sea-ice?

The arctic is a land few of us are privileged to witness. Often romanticized, feared and marvelled; now is your chance to experience it first hand!

I invite you to join me for a week of unsurpassed beauty and adventure. Whether your passion is wildflowers, birds, marine life, cultural history or all-night sunsets, a wonderful world of discovery awaits you at Bathurst Inlet Lodge.

There is perhaps no better time to visit the arctic than late June. The summer solstice has slowed the sun’s movement, stalling at its annual peak. Shaking off the long winter and bitter cold, the land around us explodes in a celebration of life. Wildflowers abound; birds are everywhere, busily tending nests and raising young. And if we’re lucky, we may even beat the mosquitoes!

Bathurst Inlet Lodge is truly a naturalist’s paradise. The land-water interface supports the richest life in the arctic and daily excursions take us to a variety of landscapes, ecosystems and destinations to observe it close-up and in action. This is a land where history lingers. Though close to 10,000 years has passed since the retreat of glaciers, their scars are remain fresh. Tent rings, meat caches, travel beacons — maybe a thousand years old — lay seemingly untouched on the pebbled ground.

The arctic is a land often described as “fragile”. But, as those who have travelled in the arctic know, “fragile” doesn’t last long here! There is, then, no better place for an arctic adventure than Bathurst Inlet Lodge! Located in the centre of Canada’s arctic, the hospitality and warmth provided by our hosts is more than enough to take the chill off any traveller.

Return home from your day of discovery to comfortable accommodations, a hearty meal and welcoming smile. The Lodge staff are immensely knowledgeable on almost every topic in the area. The resources available to us are impressive! The evening presentations are fascinating and diverse, a great way to wrap up your own day’s excursion and plan tomorrow’s!

If all this sounds like there’s hardly time for sleep — don’t worry! You’ll find the 24-hour daylight invigorating and energizing. Yes, you will sleep (and sleep well, even though it may not be dark) but the long daylight will help keep your body meeting your mind’s curiosities.

Be warned though — the north is an intoxicating place. This may not be Robert Service’s Klondike, but it will nonetheless cast a spell upon you urging you to return again and again. I know it’s captured me!

I look forward to meeting you in Yellowknife in late June for the trip of your life!

Ian Adams


About the Leader:

Raised in Toronto, Ian Adams spent his youth trying to escape an urban life. You could say he has succeeded. Avid naturalist, wildlife ecologist, engaging writer and fervent explorer, Ian brings a wealth of wilderness experience. He has worked as a wildlife ecologist across much of Canada — from Point Pelee in the ‘deep south’ to arctic tundra, Algonquin Park, the Hudson Bay lowlands and Yukon’s Kluane where he met his eventual wife in a rustic cabin in the shadow of the St. Elias Mountains. Ian has worked with a variety of wildlife — from mice to mountain goats and flying squirrels to snow geese. He currently leads the recovery efforts for endangered badgers in British Columbia and works with bighorn sheep.

An engaging author, Ian writes a regular natural history column for his local daily newspaper and has published articles in magazines such as Kanawa and Up Here. As a photographer, he has spent many hours playing with the low arctic light. He’s also a musician and history buff.

Ian has canoed the Horton River in Canada’s arctic, as well as innumerable other trips, and has been a guest naturalist on the wild Tatshenshini River in northwest B.C. However, Ian does like to be warm from time to time. Travels through Central America, Venezuelan jungles and Australia’s tropics have seen to that. When not traveling farther afield, Ian, his wife Kari and young daughter Erin can be found exploring the mountains and valleys near their home in British Columbia’s East Kootenays.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the USA, Laura Blumenthal first began to travel when she left Philadelphia at the age of 21 to spend a year abroad in Europe. She ended up in Berlin, where instead of one year, she spent seven years, working variously as a biological technician, translator, and restaurant manager, and taking courses in historical comparative linguistics. Since then she has lived in many different places, including California, New Jersey, and Utah in the U.S., Turkey, and now Vancouver, B.C.

Her main profession is training teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL), and she received an M.A. in this field in 1989. Her main hobbies are a lifelong pursuit of languages, knowledge about other cultures, and the music and dance of the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East.

Besides being fluent in German, Modern Greek, and Turkish, she has a good working knowledge of French and Spanish. She has also at various times in her life taken courses in Arabic, Japanese, and a few dead languages, such as Latin, Ancient Greek, Old High German, Ottoman Turkish, and even Old Church Slavonic.

One of the high points of Laura’s travels was an opportunity she took in 1990 to join a friend who is a percussionist with a Greek musical group on a two-month tour with the band throughout Greece. Laura used her interest in the music of Greece and Turkey to help create a musical group here in Vancouver, “Musiki Parea”, which plays the music of Greece, Turkey, Armenia, and the Sephardic Jews.

During her stay in Germany and the four years she spent living and working in Turkey, she traveled extensively, especially in Turkey and Greece, always learning as much as she could about the places and people she visited. She has been storing up this knowledge for years, just waiting for an opportunity to share it with someone like you!

Bristol Foster has been a naturalist as long as he can remember. Like many other people, he was first attracted by the beauty, vitality and visibility of birds. But as he studied biology at the University of Toronto, he began to concentrate more on mammals. His studies culminated in a MSc thesis on the ecology of Phenacomys, a subarctic rodent. The research for the thesis was done at Churchill, Manitoba, where Bristol fell in love with the arctic.

He then took a break from schooling and drove across Africa, Asia and Australia for 18 months with wildlife artist Robert Bateman. With the wanderlust satiated for awhile he next enrolled at the University of British Columbia to study the evolution of the native mammals of the Queen Charlotte Islands, culminating in a PhD. Experiences in Africa led him back to Kenya where he taught wildlife ecology to graduate students for five years. Giraffe were his specialty, and he eventually wrote a book on this facinating species’ behaviour and ecology. Bristol’s itchy feet next took him back to Victoria, B.C., where he was Director of the Royal B.C. Museum for six years. Then the wilderness attracted Bristol away from this largely desk job. In 1974 he began the Ecological Reserves program for the government wherein natural areas are set aside for research and teaching. This took him to the farthest corners of the most spectacular parts of British Columbia.

Since 1984 he has acted as an ecological consultant, made 15 TV natural history documentaries, and led natural history trips from Ellesmere Island, to Alaska, the Queen Charlotte Islands, Mexico, the Galapagos, Costa Rica, Panama, the Amazon, Kenya, Tanzania and the Antarctic. His greatest joy is to share nature with others in exotic places which could be far away or the amazing beauty in your own back yard.

Briony Penn hosts a weekly TV show on environmental issues and natural history for CHUM TV on Vancouver Island. She has also been writing and illustrating a natural history column for Monday Magazine for over a decade which has won her best columnist for the Western Magazine Awards and runner up for best columnist in the North American weeklies. Prior to going full-time in the media, she worked for 15 years in partnership with her husband designing, writing and illustrating natural history exhibits and publications ranging from the visitor centre for Gwaii Haanas/Queen Charlotte Islands National Park Reserve to historic exhibits for the National Trust for Scotland. She has published several books including “A Year on the Wild Side” which was on the BC Bestsellers list for 2000. Her work also appears in an award-winning anthology of nature writing of Canada called Northern Landscapes, as well as Canadian Geographic and many other publications. Briony got her Ph.D. in Geography at Edinburgh University in Scotland and worked there for eight years before returning to BC where she grew up.

An ardent activist, Briony is a founding director of The Land Conservancy of BC which was named best environmental organization for 2001 by the BC government. She also co-founded the Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society which drew attention to the plight of southern Vancouver Island's endangered oak ecosystems. She is best known for her ride through Howe Street as Lady Godiva during a campaign to save 5,000 acres of Garry oak and old growth Douglas-fir, on Saltspring Island, from development. It is now a provincial park. As a sessional instructor at the University of Victoria, Briony has taught courses on biodiversity, forestry issues, restoration and public education. She teaches workshops on community mapping and her maps have appeared in many publications including Canadian Geographic and the bestseller Cougar Annie's Garden. She also teaches workshops on nature journalling and nature writing.

An experienced traveller, Briony spent a year in Belize working as an archaeological technician documenting trade networks in Belize and guiding scuba divers. She has worked as a cowboy on Douglas Lake Ranch, a fish packer on the coast and a cartoonist in Yugoslavia. She has lived and travelled widely in Europe and Africa and joined expeditions annually as a naturalist on schooners on the Scottish, Norwegian and Pacific coasts. She lives with her two small boys and wildlife artist husband, Donald Gunn, on Saltspring Island.

Dianne Globe, a long time resident of the West Coast of British Columbia was born and educated in Southern Ontario. She brings a background of teaching (Music, Latin and French). A love of people and a mature sense of service have combined with her gift for planning and organizing to bring success and respect to many interesting projects.

When the travel bug took hold some 27 years ago, Dianne set off to travel and to formally study the multifaceted tourism industry. This led her to a niche market of special interest, small group tours where Dianne excelled with her dedication to service, destination knowledge and ability to lead. Since then, Dianne has led hundreds of groups of Canadians on Cultural, Music and Garden Tours overseas and in turn has guided hundreds of British visitors each year on tours across Canada.

Dianne Globe, a tour leader with a serious passion for life and travel made joyful when shared with like minded others.

I was born and raised in the Okanagan Valley in a family keenly interested in natural history. This early involvement in birds, bugs and plants led me to a university education in zoology, including a BSc degree from the University of British Columbia and a MSc from Memorial University of Newfoundland. After living away from the Okanagan for 25 years, I returned to what has always been home, and am now working as a consulting biologist in Naramata. I work half-time for Bird Studies Canada, coordinating BSC programs in British Columbia and organizing Canadian Christmas Bird Counts and the British Columbia Owl Survey. I also serve as the chair of the Birds subcommittee for COSEWIC—the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
Six summers as a Park Naturalist in my university student years gave me a broad knowledge of the ecology of British Columbia. This knowledge was deepened through my 15 years as Curator of the Cowan Vertebrate Museum at the University of British Columbia. That position not only gave me a tremendous opportunity to learn more about my favourite subject--birds--but also gave me experience in teaching ecological field methods and natural history to university students. I still teach a field ecology course for UBC every year, held in such diverse places as Ecuador, Costa Rica, Arizona and the Yukon. My main research interest is the breeding biology of birds, particularly small owls.
I have produced regular radio items on natural history themes for CBC and taught continuing education courses on birding and nature. I’ve also led about 50 natural history tours to destinations around the world, particularly in the New World tropics.
I have written five books: The Birds of the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia with my brothers Sydney and Robert Cannings; British Columbia: A Natural History with Sydney Cannings, The BC Roadside Naturalist, The Birds of Southwestern British Columbia and The Rockies: a Natural History. British Columbia: A Natural History won several awards in 1996, including the Bill Duthie Booksellers Choice Award for best book published in British Columbia, the Canadian Science Writers’ Book Award and the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for best book on the history of British Columbia. We have expanded four sections of British Columbia: A Natural History and published them as separate, smaller, soft-cover books(The Geology of British Columbia, Life in the Pacific Ocean, The World of Fresh Water and Mountains and Northern Forests.

Born in central Spain in 1958, Josele moved toLoporzano (Huesca) with his family in 1994. There he founded the Birdwatching Centre “Boletas”. He is a member of several conservationist groups. Since the age of 10, Josele has been involved with mountaineering groups in Catalonia and he is well acquainted with the pre-Pyrenees and the Pyrenees. In 1984 he moved to England for one year to study English and acquired his interest in birds. Since the 80’s he has been a keen visitor to the network of natural areas of Spain, especially Catalonia, Aragon, Picos de Europa and Extremadura, which helped further his ornithological interest. He is a nature guide and educator and has collaborated as a mountain and birdwatching guide for individuals and groups.