Guides

	Michael Sanders, President and Founder of Environmental Adventure Company, offers a vast collection of experiences in wildlife & resource management. He has worked as a wildlife biologist for Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, Everglades, and Grand Canyon National Parks, and has become a foremost authority on human/mountain lion interactions. His work has brought him local, national, and international recognition. He has led trips throughout the Northern Hemisphere including whales in Baja, polar bears in Manitoba, and the aurora borealis at the Arctic Circle. In addition, Michael has achieved an expertise in photography, being published in numerous magazines and newspapers nationwide. His special interest in photography and group dynamics, coupled with his Masters degree in natural resource management provides an outstanding foundation for his guide experience and adventure travel. Michael and his daughter Laine live in the mountains outside Livingston, Montana.
	Jessica Kerr has worked for the past decade as an outdoor educator, naturalist and wildlife ecologist in the Rocky Mountain west, southwest and Alaska. She is presently the Adventure Director for the Environmental Adventure Company. An outdoors enthusiast, Jessica spends her spare time hiking, skiing and canoeing throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Currently, she is pursuing a graduate degree in Biological Sciences from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Jessica resides in Livingston, Montana with her husband Chris and their two dogs, Jasper & Charlie.
	Sam Francis anchors our office. A jack-of-all-trades and biologist by training, Sam has lived and worked in Montana for the past 20 years. An avid traveler, environmentalist and outdoor enthusiast, Sam brings a variety of experiences to the company. His goal is to help our clients select and arrange their trips to insure a smooth and carefree adventure. Sam along with his wife and two daughters make their home in Livingston, Montana.
	Dr. Jim Halfpenny, a scientist and educator, owns A Naturalist's World, a company dedicated to providing educational programs, books, slide shows, and videos about ecologically important subjects. Since 1961, Jim has taught outdoor education and environmental programs for state, federal and private organizations worldwide. Although a tracker at heart, bears hold a special interest for Jim which he has tracked, photographed, and crawled into the dens of all species of North American bears. Jim also works with wolves having studied wolves in 15 locations world-wide. He authored two books on the wolves of Yellowstone. Jim was a Research Affiliate of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado where he served as Field Director of the Mountain Research Station. Jim is a Fellow of the Explorer's Club and has led research expeditions in Antarctica, China, Greenland, Kenya, Tanzania, and the United States and is listed in Who's Who of the World and the West. Jim lives in Gardiner, Montana where he spends as much time as possible in the backcountry, especially on his cross-country skis.
	Phil Knight lives in Bozeman, Montana on the northern rim of the Yellowstone country, with his wife of eleven years Alaina. Phil knows the northern Rockies intimately, having traveled all over this wide land on foot, ski, canoe and bicycle over the past twenty three years. His expertise with wildlife, geography and natural history come from his educational background and from personal experience. Phil travels throughout the Rockies and the Canyon Country frequently in all seasons for personal recreation as well as in his capacity as a guide. Phil is a musician, poet, world traveler and outspoken conservationist. Phil's passion and lifelong avocation is protecting wild places and wild creatures. He shares his deep knowledge of and love for the land with the public through his guiding career.
	Guido C. Berguido is a highly praised master birding guide native to Panama City, Panama and is completely fluent in English. He has a degree in Biology from the University of Panama and is a Certified Guide through the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) in the USA. He acts as Director of Education for Panama Audubon Society and has extensive knowledge of the birds, flora and fauna, and local culture throughout Panama including the Darien Province. Guido has led both birding and natural history tours for the most important tour operators of the region for more than 10 years. He is listed in the Top Guides section of Lonely Planet's Panama Guidebook where he is described as "....one of the country's most patient, qualified, and enthusiastic all-around guides". He has been involved in environmental education and conservation activities with the Smithsonian Institution and the Panama Audubon Society.
	David Hallock, Ecosystem Specialist, is a land use ecologist/planner and his passion for the environment landed him in Colorado where he led the task of developing a comprehensive ecosystem plan for the Front Range. Dave is a professional birder, leading the data collection team for the annual Breeding Bird Survey. He is also an expert naturalist who leads EAC‘s desert ecology programs. Dave owns and operates Earthwork Conservation Planning, Inc., a conservation easement planning company based in Eldora, Colorado and Payson, Arizona. Dave and his wife Diane share their time between Colorado and Arizona.
	Lou Bruno is an ecologist, naturalist, and teacher. He has worked as an elementary school teacher, tour leader and wilderness guide for three decades. Lou is an expert birder and has led programs from Canada to Mexico. In addition, Lou remains very active with local and national conservation organizations and served as the President of the Montana Wilderness Association for three years. His dedication to teaching and love of the natural environment makes him the perfect tour leader. Lou makes his home just outside Glacier National Park.
	Dr. Michael R. Pelton is Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Science in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee. Dr. Pelton taught a variety of courses during his tenure and continues to teach in the UT Noncredit Program, Smoky Mountain Field School, the National Wildlife Federation's Annual Conservation Summit, and periodically with the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. His 29-year study in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the longest continuous study of any bear species in the world. Mike and his wife Tamra now reside on their mountain farm in western Virginia where he enjoys a wide variety of activities in the out-of-doors including hiking, gardening, fishing, hunting, and canoeing.
	Nathan Varley has been living in Yellowstone for most of his life and works with wolves and other wildlife species. As a professional wildlife guide, Nathan has been leading people through Yellowstone for exceptional wildlife sightings and to share many of his favorite spots for over a decade. He currently guides groups of all sizes and ages, year-round, is a wildlife and backcountry instructor for the Yellowstone Association Institute, and maintains a wildlife ecology research program in partnership with the park and several universities.
	Linda Thurston has worked with wolves in the Rocky Mountains for much of her career as a wildlife biologist. She has done conservation work for agencies including the National Park Service in Yellowstone and Idaho Fish and Game in the Clearwater region of Idaho. She worked on a wolf research project in Banff National Park, Alberta, for the University of Alberta. Currently she works for Defenders of Wildlife on programs that aim to solve chronic problems of wolf predation on domestic livestock in Montana. She also guides many people to see wolves in Yellowstone each year and shares her extensive experience in field courses for the Yellowstone Association Institute and other non-profit organizations.
	George Robinson, earned a degree from San Jose State University in biological science and is a second generation National Park Service naturalist & interpreter. George served for ten years as the Chief of Interpretation at Yellowstone National Park as well as Chief of Interpretation in Everglades National Park, Florida, and Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. He was also one of the first professional interpretive planners stationed at the Harpers Ferry Center in West Virginia. George was involved in developing interpretive plans for several new and existing units of the National Park System, including, Crater Lake National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mammoth Cave National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. He has also worked in Glacier, Sequoia-Kings Canyon, and Lassen Volcanic National parks. Since his retirement, George has been a private consultant and freelance writer. He is an expert on U. S. National Parks and Belize, and the author or co-author of 16 natural history publications. He calls his one-person firm the wild side. George lives in Bozeman, Montana with his wife Kae and their “kids,” basenjis Webster and Wema, and miniature schnauzer Wookie.
	Dick Rasp earned a degree in wildlife biology from Humboldt State University. He lives in Belize on 28 acres along the Belize River with his wife Peggy, four dogs, and a kinkajou named Kipa. He grows pitaya cactus (also known as “dragon fruit” or “strawberry pear”) for sale in local markets. In 2000, Dick retired from a 32-year career with the National Park Service and moved to Belize from Hawaii, where for eleven years he served as Chief of Interpretation at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Prior to that, he was the Chief of Interpretation at Redwood National Park, also for eleven years. Other assignments included Pinnacles National Monument, Everglades National Park, Fort Jefferson National Monument (now Dry Tortugas National Park), Hot Springs and Shenandoah national parks. While at Redwood and Hawaii Volcanoes, he wrote two natural history publications. Dick is an adventurous person who loves to dive, kayak, walk forest trails, and explore Mayan ruins. Since his retirement he has experienced some of the immense biodiversity of Belize and photographed numerous native orchids and wildlife. He enjoys helping people develop emotional and intellectual connections to the natural and cultural resources of Belize.
	Nathanael Dodge fell in love with the outdoors as a young man, venturing into the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. His first guiding experiences were on those same lakes, where he took adjudicated youth into the wilderness to learn basic survival skills and self reliance. Nathanael then took this "dog and pony" show into the mountains of Montana, where he practiced wilderness therapy with "at risk youth" from around the country. His guiding expertise ranges from Glacier National Park to the Grand Canyon, and everything in between. As a resident of Livingston, MT he feels fortunate to have Yellowstone National Park as his playground, and sharing it with clients is a particular passion. Take a trip with Nathanael and not only will you have a vacation of a lifetime, but you'll gain a deeper appreciation of the wonders our National Parks have to offer.
Environmental Adventure Company strives to be culturally considerate and environmentally conscious. Whenever possible, we strive to work with local biologists and naturalists from our destinations so that we may positively impact those communities we visit.