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 GEOFF GREEN
Expedition Leader
Thirty-eight year old Canadian adventure educator Geoff Green has been leading expeditions and adventures from pole to pole for the past decade. Many notable organizations such as the Discovery Channel, World Wildlife Fund, National Audubon and the Smithsonian Institution enlist Geoff to lead their groups into the world's most remote and exciting regions. In 2004, Outpost Magazine named Geoff one of the "top six Canadian Explorers" to watch. Geoff is the founder and director of the Canadian based organization www.studentsonice.com, an award-winning educational program dedicated to taking high school students, teachers and scientists from around the world on expeditions to both the Arctic and the Antarctic. The goal of the pioneering project is to give the world's youth a heightened understanding and respect for our planet's global ecosystem, and the inspiration to protect it.
As an expedition leader, he is a veteran of 63 Antarctic expeditions and 24 Arctic expeditions. He has recently been spotted in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, on horseback in Patagonia, on the shores of Pitcairn Island, and in the rainforests of Madagascar. A former school teacher, Geoff has skippered yachts; taught skiing in the Swiss Alps; was the first person to water-ski in both the Polar Regions; has been three times through the Northwest Passage; and led the largest ever expedition to Antarctica during the Millennium. A fan of Sir Ernest Shackleton, Geoff has retraced parts of the Endurance journey six times, including in 1998 when he led the retracing expedition together with several descendants of Shackleton's crew.
When not leading expeditions, Geoff enjoys sharing his unique experiences by speaking at schools, conferences and special events around the world. He is represented by the National Speakers Bureau and he has recently been a guest speaker at the Royal Geographical Society in London, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. He has taken dignitaries such as FW de Klerk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his expeditions, as well as leading scientists, explorers and celebrities, such as Diana Krall and Dan Ackroyd.
Geoff's most recent venture is as a partner in a 165-ft expedition sailboat called Sedna, named after the Inuit Goddess of the Sea, with the mission of becoming an ambassador for the world's ocean's and a platform for education, science and film. In 2002, Geoff sailed with Sedna through the Northwest Passage making a 5-hour TV series about Climate Change for "The Nature of Things", Télé-Québec, France 2 and France 5, and which won the 2004 Earthwatch Award.
Geoff and his expeditions have been featured extensively in international media, as well as in numerous documentaries. Geoff is a Fellow of The Explorer's Club, and regularly advises on conservation, film and expedition related projects around the world.
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JOHN DYSON
Writer
John Dyson is a "sea-journeyman" writer whose books and articles have covered a wide range of subjects. Mostly they concern adventure under sail, history, science, technology and lifestyle.
Sailing the high seas and roving the world on assignment, John has made remarkable voyages and journeys. He roamed much of the Pacific in South-Sea trading ketches and cockroach-infested copra cutters. His breadth of experience in both the polar regions is probably unrivalled in journalism. He worked in a British trawler fishing Arctic waters in winter and has voyaged in icebreakers, square-riggers, liners, tramps, tankers and warships. He has a coastal yacht-master's ticket, served as mate (ie, chief officer) in a British sail-training ketch, and now sails his own little ketch in English waters, often single-handed.
As one of Reader's Digest's top investigative writers, John has covered a wide variety of topical stories from genetic engineering and the drug-resistant Tb boiled out of Russian jails to the need for DDT to fight malaria and Uganda's dramatically successful stand against HIV/Aids. His documentary books and sea-adventure novels have been widely reviewed. One book, acclaimed by The New York Times, was an account of the sinking of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand. His last two books about Columbus have together sold more than half a million copies in sixteen countries. His NBC Special, Treasure at the South Pole, won an award for best TV documentary on the environment.
John Dyson is a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society in London. He has lectured to that Society and also to the Explorers' Club in New York and to a number of U.S. corporations. He and his wife Kate, who runs a successful antique shop in London, have four children aged between 32 and 22. They live in a large old house on the banks of the River Thames. It was once owned by a French spy who, in 1805, was assassinated on the stairs by an agent of Napoleon Bonaparte.
DAVID FLETCHER
I have worked for the last 34 years in Polar regions. In the Antarctic I have spent 4 winters and 30 summers--Of which 15 years was with the British Antarctic Survey, as a Dog driver, Base Commander and Field Operations Manager. I now work for myself, running small scientific field camps both in the Antarctic and Arctic. I also work as a Lecturer and Expedition Leader on Antarctic Cruise ships. I have been awarded the Polar medal, the Fuchs medal and am a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.
DIZ GLITHERO
Environmental Educator
Diz Glithero is a committed educator who has spent the majority of her life pursuing unique educational experiences immersed in the natural world. From teaching English in the Himalayan village of Chhomrong to teaching grade 4 in the Heiltsuk community of Bella Bella on the northwest coast of BC to teaching integrated high school environmental leadership programs to leading 30 day environmental education-based kayak expeditions in Labrador for high school/university students, Diz's passion lies in fostering a more socio-ecological consciousness in today's youth. Most recently Diz has just completed a Master in Education degree at Queen's University while working for the Outdoor Experiential Education program at the faculty. She is now working on the EYES Project-a personal initiative to build public awareness for the need to bring more environmental and sustainable education ideologies into mainstream schooling policy and practice.
DANIEL GOMEZ
Biologist, photographer
Daniel is a world-travelled free lance professional biologist, born and raised in Argentine Patagonia. He is a nature photographer, environmental educator and keen naturalist, with significant career experience working for major international natural history documentary film-makers. Some of Daniel's projects include "The Blue Planet" and "Andes to Amazon."
As a highly skilled, motivated, and multilingual person with a comprehensive knowledge of natural history and environmental issues Daniel brings unique field experience gained from working in collaboration with scientific, environmental, and government institutions and agencies.
SANTIAGO IMBERTI
Ornithologist
Santiago was born and raised in Patagonia, which meant that wilderness was only a short step from his front door. A long lasting love for nature was the logical consequence of the years lived there. He obtained a degree in tourism and ornithology, which allowed him to combine his love for nature and the outdoors with his work as a bird-watching, fly-fishing mountain guide. During the off-season Santiago continues his ornithology research focusing his attention on the birds of Patagonia and Bolivia. He also uses this time as an opportunity to travel around the world bush walking and birding, studying different bird communities and their surrounding environments. Santiago photographs and writes about the places he visits and his experiences as a guide, trying to convey in words and pictures some sense of the magic of nature. He has traveled to Antarctic many times. This will be his 5th Students on Ice expedition! His articles and stories have been published in scientific journals and popular travel magazines.
WILLIAM (BILL) LISHMAN
Bill Lishman is an award winning sculptor, film maker, inventor, naturalist and entrepreneur. From simple beginnings on a small farm in southern Ontario he has pursued an eclectic and dynamic career.
During the 1970s, Bill was the creative director of People or Planes, the grass roots citizens group that stopped the building of The Pickering Airport. Ironically he went on to become a Canadian pioneer in ultra light aviation and the first person to lead birds in the air, originating the process of leading birds on new migration routes.
In his forty-year sculpture career he has created a wide mix of commissioned pieces varying from larger than life animals to landscape sculptures. His works have been exhibited internationally in an array of mediums, from world fairs to an Imax film .
Since the early eighties, Bill has been Vice President of Paula Lishman Limited and has assisted his wife Paula in establishing a highly successful International fashion business based on her invention of a fur yarn. It is a process that has revolutionized and revitalized the Canadian fur trade.
Bill is also well known for the design and creation of his family's energy efficient underground dome home, a project which was completed in the early 90's.
In 1996 Bill's autobiography Father Goose became a best seller in Canada and the 1996 Oscar nominated Columbia pictures film Fly Away Home was inspired by this life story.
In 2000 Bill received the Meritorious Service Medal for his pioneering work with migratory birds.
Bill co-founded and chairs Operation Migration Inc., the not for profit organization which is currently working to establish a new migratory flock of the highly endangered Whooping cranes in eastern North America. He is currently continuing his work with the Whooping crane project as well as working on a documentary on renewable energy to be aired on the CBC's Nature of Things in 2005.
HOWARD OWEN
Howard joined the British Antarctic Survey at 16 from school and worked
for the next 9.5 years on the supply and research vessels in and around the
Antarctic, Arctic and Indian Ocean. Whilst onboard Howard helped with many
environmental programs for different science groups from all over the world.
In 2000 he had the chance to stay at Rothera research station on the
Antarctic peninsula as boat operator and maintainer. Howard then went on to King
Edward Point, South Georgia to set up the new marine fisheries station and
the marine fisheries science program. Through the above experiences, Howard has spent nearly 13 years living in Antarctica.
SCOBIE PYE
Antarctic Scientist and Historian
Scobie Pye is a research scientist with a Master of Science degree awarded by the University of Tasmania, Australia. Over the past 30 years much of his life has been spent in southern latitudes working with the British Antarctic Survey (B.A.S.), the Australian Antarctic Division and the University of Tasmania. He has spent four winters and seven summers on the Sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, two summers on the floating ice shelf station of Halley Bay in the Weddell Sea and two winters and nine summers on Australia's Macquarie Island. Scobie's main scientific interests are focused on the conservation and management of the Sub-Antarctic Islands, the impact of introduced mammals on these fragile ecosystems, sustainable tourism in the Antarctic and conservation of the region. In 1978, Scobie was awarded the Fuchs Medal for outstanding service to the British Antarctic Survey.
CECILIE H. VON QUILLFELDT
Marine botanist and environmental adviser at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI)
Cecilie graduated in marine botany at the University of Oslo and received her Ph.D. in marine botany from the University of Tromsø in 1996. She has undertaken scientific expeditions to the Arctic (Canadian and Russian) and the Antarctic from 1985 to the present. Cecilie's research has also taken her to Alaska, Greenland, and Svalbard. Her main focus of study is phytoplankton and ice algae with additional interests in the relevant issues influencing the abundance, distribution, biodiversity, production, physical-biological couplings and interactions within marine ecosystems. Cecilie currently works at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) as an environmental adviser and is specifically in charge of an international project in which the NPI is developing the scientific basis for ecological quality objectives for the Barents Sea. Other responsibilities with her work include: marine protected areas, marine management plans, environmental monitoring programs, biodiversity and related topics in polar areas, some of which also include international processes in the Arctic (AMAP, CAFF, OSPAR) and in the Antarctic (CCAMLR, CEP). For more than 10 years Cecilie has also been teaching marine botany as part of a course offered in marine arctic biology at the University Centre in Svalbard. Field work along the coast of Svalbard and in the marginal ice zone, as well as student projects are important components of the course which focuses on how marine ecosystems are built up and how they function.
DR. FRED ROOTS
Expert in Polar issues and Science Advisor Emeritus to Environment Canada
Dr. Roots is Science Advisor Emeritus to Environment Canada. He graduated in geological engineering at the University of British Columbia, and received his Ph.D. in geology from Princeton University. He was senior geologist in the first international scientific study of Antarctica, the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1949-52: co-leader of Operation Franklin, the major study that established the petroleum potential of the Canadian arctic Islands in 1955; and leader of Operation Stikine 1956 and 1958, the first integrated geological study of the Canadian northern Cordillera. In 1958 he organized the Polar Continental Shelf Project and served as its coordinator until 1971. From 1968 he became involved in discussions of the environmental responsibilities of the Canadian government, which led to the organization of the Department of the Environment. In 1971 he was appointed Advisor, Environmental and Northern Programmes, Department of the Energy Mines and Resources, and in 1973 he became Science Advisor to the Department of the Environment, and served in that capacity until becoming Science Advisor Emeritus in 1989.
Dr. Roots has been active in a number of international and non-governmental scientific and environmental activities and researchers. He was a member of the Polar Research Board of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences 1970-83 and subsequently on several of its technical committees. From 1979 to 1983 he was President of the International Commission on Snow and ice, served on the Science Advisory Board of the Geophysical Institute University of Alaska 1976-88 (Chairman 1980-84).
He was a founder of the International Arctic Science Committee and served as its first President (1991-94) and since 1983 has been chairman of the Northern Sciences Network of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. He is author of over 250 scientific papers and published reports on Polar, environmental, and global change subjects. Dr. Roots has a mountain range in Antarctic named after him. His many awards include the Gold medal from the Royal Geographical Society and the Order of Canada.
JULIET SHRIMPTON
Marine scientist
Based in the UK, Juliet has always had a keen interest in the natural environment and its conservation. This led her to study Environmental Science as a first degree. Since graduating in 1996, Juliet has specialized through her work and study in the marine field, and in 1999 completed a Masters degree in Marine Resource Development and Protection. Juliet's primary interest is in cetaceans and this was first sparked whilst working as a marine consultant in Hong Kong where she undertook boat surveys to assess the distribution of local cetacean populations. Since then she has been involved in projects in Nepal, Scotland and the Seychelles.
For the last two and half years Juliet has worked largely on the West Coast of Scotland for a charitable organization. The focus of which is the conservation of whales and dolphins in Scotland, through education and science. Her main role has been to organize and run the science program of boat based research work and to provide training for students and volunteers who assist with this work.
This work has meant a lot of time spent at sea, onboard a 56ft yacht. This has not only earnt Juliet her sea legs (and the ability to cook for eight heeled over at 30 degrees!), but also a unique opportunity to observe and experience the marine environment and its creatures up close.
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