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Alastair Newton
"It's the first trip of the season and we are drifting off Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island, surrounded by a sea of ice. There's a beautiful sunrise over the snow-covered island and the ice off shore. Out a ways from us is a lone Zodiac, the driver standing, silhouetted against the rising sun, looking just like another piece of ice."
Alastair grew up sailing everything from dinghies to 50-foot yachts and developed apassion for all things nautical. He came to the United States from England in 1997 for a six month internship at the Large Animal Research Station in Alaska. He returned home with the intent of attending college in London, but after a year of missing Alaska and its incredible wildlife, he packed up and moved back to Alaska to complete his degree.
While living in Anchorage, Alastair taught natural history and general biology at the University of Alaska. He brings to Cruise West a tremendous enthusiasm for biology, wildlife and the great outdoors. Alastair’s special interests include environmental education, hiking, reading and sailing. He is also fascinated with how animals adapt to the challenges of their specific environments.
Alastair recently became a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. He spends his off time visiting schools in England, giving lectures on life and biology in northern climates. He was also a guest speaker in several English schools during National Science Week. If he could tap the heels of his hiking boots and go anywhere in the world? He'd go to Fairbanks, Alaska.
Bethany Ryals
Bethany comes to Cruise West with a wide variety of expertise and experience. Her degrees are in Earth Science and Education. After 22 years of teaching 3rd – 12th grade Physical Education/Outdoor Adventure, she “retired” to follow her passion as a Marine Naturalist. She has traveled the Oceans of the world with a personal goal to SCUBA as many coral reefs as possible.
Bethany is also Lieutenant Colonel Ryals and has served 27 years in the Air Force Reserve. She is a Veteran of Iraq where she served as an Operations Officer for Aeromedical Evacution. She currently serves as a Liaison Officer for the Air Force Academy and counsels young people on Military service opportunities and challenges.
Born in Washington State, Bethany is an outdoor enthusiast. She explores and “worships” her wilderness home by backpacking, kayaking, sailing, and biking through the wonders that surround us. Over the years she has led thousands of students on exploration trips from islands of the San Juans in Washington to the islands of Hawaii.
She has traveled and studied extensively through the wilds of Alaska and is thrilled to share her knowledge and “sense of wonder” with you.
Cal Ulberg
"To me your trip is more than what you see or hear; it is a total experience."
Cal joined Cruise West in 2007 bringing a diverse background with him. And so far his experiences at Cruise West include serving as a licensed deckhand in Southeast Alaska, an inflatable excursion craft operator and Exploration Guide in Mexico.
Cal grew up in Seattle, graduating from the University of Washington with a chemistry education major, a physics minor and a master’s degree in education from Seattle Pacific University. Cal spent over two years serving in the Coast Guard teaching at their academy in Connecticut, and sailing the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Bering Sea.
Cal’s other teaching experience includes 14 years at the elementary school level and 10 years teaching high school science and math. He also coached wrestling and soccer. Cal has earned a 100-ton near coastal masters license and has worked in Alaska as a fishing guide, in Hawaii as a deckhand on a snorkel boat and in Seattle as a duck driver.
Chelsea Leven
Chelsea'slove of geology inspired her to get her bachelor’s in geology from Amherst College. Her studies were supplemented with field courses in Hawaii, New Zealand and Montana. Chelsea participated in a geological survey in the Nez Perce National Forest of north-central Idaho, a paleoclimate and ecology study into the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, and on a spotted owl and northern goshawk observational study into Yosemite National Park. She also went on a scuba-based field study of tilefish in Cozumel, Mexico.
Chelsea has done volunteer work at a wildlife rehabilitation center in a tiny Costa Rican village in the rainforest, and in Sri Lanka following the tsunami. She is ready to share her love of geology, the formation, composition, and rock movement as well as exploring how geology can affect so much of our lives – breathtaking landscapes, wildlife and plant distributions, population movements and the history and legends of local peoples. When she’s not working, Chelsea likes to ski and snowboard, go caving, kayak, read, paint, draw, photograph, SCUBA dive, sail, backpack, bike…as you can see basically anything to be outside.
David Miller
"We were cruising through the Russian-owned Kuril Islands on a repositioning trip from Singapore to Alaska and made a stop at a recently abandoned submarine base on one of the wind-swept, volcanic islands. As we came ashore it quickly became apparent that we'd arrived at a modern-day ghost town. Old army vehicles lay rusting in the misty air. As we entered the buildings, it was as if the entire population had left with but a moment’s notice. In one of them – it must have been the military operations headquarters – the floor was piled knee-high with books, manuals and personnel photos. Wherever you looked, the red star of Russia offered the only splash of color in this mysterious, forgotten outpost."
Born and raised in Seattle, David attended the University of Washington, earning a Bachelor's degree in Forest Management and Environmental Science. After graduating, David worked as a forester in the Columbia River Gorge. He's worked as a driver and guide in Alaska’s Interior and Denali National Park and also aboard various cruise ships as a cruise director, lecturer and singer.
David has been with Cruise West since 1983, aboard the Spirit of Alaska , the Spirit of ’98 and the Spirit of Oceanus. As an Exploration Leader, he brings first-hand experience (and with that, countless stories!) from years spent backpacking the world, living and photographing native, indigenous cultures, teaching English in Thailand, sailing the Caribbean and facilitating sea turtle breeding and rehabilitation in Florida. His goal is to instill a passion for and appreciation of the natural world in the people around him. David now lives in Orlando, Florida, where he teaches 7th grade science.
Jack Greene
If Jack Greene loves anything more than he loves nature, it’s teaching people about it. Greene has an undergraduate degree in Agriculture Education and a Master’s of Science degree in Biology from UNC Charlotte, and has taught both ecology and biology there. He’s also taught nature photography at Central Piedmond Community College. His career has included stints as a raft guide and canoe instructor, a nature columnist and a North Carolina State Parks district naturalist. In addition, he’s led nature tours to Africa, Costa Rica, Canada, France, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia and the British Virgin Islands. Greene is well respected for his knowledge of fungi including mushrooms and lichens (mycology) and has been the co-foray chairman of the North American Mycology Association for the last five years.
James Shaw
James was born in Taiwan and raised in the suburbs of New York City. The outdoor and wilderness bug bit him when he joined Project WILD (Wilderness Initiatives and Learning at Duke) at Duke University. The initial outing, roughing it, camping, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, and other outdoor activities, in the Pisgah National Forest of western North Carolina instilled his deep appreciation for the great natural surroundings and beings of our world. Since then, James has eagerly pursued travel opportunities and adventures on the seas and in the wilderness, which have included sailing around the Bahamas, swimming with dolphins during a fishing trip near the Hawaiian island of Lanai, hiking the Grand Tetons and the coastal mountains of the Italian Riviera, climbing Black Tusk in British Columbia, traveling through Alaska and the Inside Passage, working as a tour guide in the Canadian Rockies, and much more.
After spending the past ten years in the corporate world as an attorney James zealously returns to the life of tour guiding and exploration with Cruise West. A resident of Seattle for over 14 years now, James moved here to live near the mountains and the waters of Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest. James enjoys hiking, skiing, kayaking, boating, and all outdoor challenges. Besides the adventure and exploration, James loves to learn about cultural history and the natural world around us and looks forward to sharing his knowledge and experiences with the guests of Cruise West.
Kate Caldwell
"Nature has a way of inspiring people all on its own, but it's the 'ah ha!' moments that I look forward to the most – the times when I'm interpreting a plant, or an animal, say – and the light bulb goes off and the guests say, 'I get it! … and then that moment is theirs."
Passionate about travel, adventure and nature, Kate has worked for The Nature Conservancy in Florida and Colorado for the past sixyears, where her responsibilities included facilitating community outreach programs, naturalist workshops, donor visits and ranch tours, coordinating with the Florida State Chapter Department and sitting on the board of the Colorado Field Institute. Prior to that, Kate spent 10 years as a Programs Coordinator at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where she managed youth and adult education programs and earned the Walt Disney World Partners in Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award and the Excellence in Training Award.
An animal lover at heart, Kate has volunteered for the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust and the Central Florida Zoological Park, where she facilitated learning and conservation efforts and assisted with mark/recapture and radio telemetry studies of Florida box turtles. Kate enjoys scuba diving, whitewater rafting, kayaking, camping, rock climbing and biking and is a horse trainer, riding instructor and downhill ski instructor. When she slows down, she enjoys a good book (especially if it's about nature), paints watercolor and studies interior design.
Kieron Weidner “I love to share my knowledge and thirst for adventure with any who are willing to take the road less traveled and gain inspiration from nature.”
As a young man Kieron was constantly in the outdoors. Twelve years in Boy Scouts and growing up on a farm in rural Wisconsin provided plenty of opportunities to explore all kinds of outdoor recreation. By the time he graduated high school he had logged hundreds of hours exploring nature; canoeing in Canada, hiking the Rocky Mountains, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, rock climbing and just about anything else you can do outside.
Kieron earned a degree in Biology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison with coursework focused on Environmental Studies, Ecology and Conservation. During college he spent five months studying Tropical Ecology and traveling in Costa Rica and Panama. Upon graduation Kieron attended a UNESCO graduate program in Europe called Ecosystem Management in Cultural Landscapes – which explored how culture and politics affect natural resource management.
In his career Kieron has worked as a restoration ecologist with the BLM, National Park Service and Washington Department of Ecology. He has lived, worked and played in a full spectrum of environments from desert to rain forest. When he’s not working for Cruise West, Kieron resides in Seattle, Washington.
Kirsten Feifel
Kirsten Feifel is nearing completion of a double Masters Degree in Oceanography and Climate Change from the University Of Washington in Seattle. Born and raised in Seattle, Kirsten’s interest in marine biology led her to the University of California at Santa Cruz. There she trained two California sea lions, a harbor seal and a Northern Elephant seal in an acoustic and cognitive research laboratory. Kirsten has traveled and studied in Australia conducting coral reef studies and doing research on parasite abundance on tropical fish. She has also worked as a naturalist for a marine biology
Summer camp.
Kirsten has worked in Alaska, Mexico, Canada, and the San Juan Islands as an Exploration Leader for Cruise West. Her love of Alaska is contagious, and
she looks forward to sharing her passion for the wildlife and natural wonders encountered on The Inside Passage.
Her interests include scuba diving, surfing, wake boarding, swimming, soccer, and her ultimate passion is traveling.
Meriwether Gill
"We were in Endicott Arm Fjord when out of nowhere, a 'shooter' exploded in the foreground of Dawes Glacier. I'd never heard nor seen anything like it before … the thundering sound and the blue of the ice left our guests awe-inspired. The experience defined, in my mind, the true grandeur of Alaska."
Meriwether sharesher love for marine mammals and her background in cetology – the study of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Meriwether attended Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia and double majored in Biology and Psychology. She's since earned a Master’s in Liberal Arts, with a focus in marine mammal behavior and training. While an undergraduate, Meriwether worked as a marine educator at Sea World of Florida. She's also interned at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida, training dolphins and learning about dolphin therapy.
Part of Meriwether's past life was spent in Hawaii, where she worked as a naturalist for the non-profit Pacific Whale Foundation, educating guests on humpbacks, Hawaiian spinner dolphins and coral reefs. She also worked in the Foundation's research department, studying the function of the humpback whale’s song and the behavior patterns of Hawaiian spinner dolphins. Meriwether is involved in several conservation efforts and enjoysto educating Cruise West guests on current conservation and management issues as well as the latest research endeavors surrounding marine mammals. She recently completed a project with The Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Washington, assisting Ken Balcomb and his team in keeping their photo-id catalog of resident orca pods up-to-date. Through this work, she's learned to recognize individual orcas by the shape of their dorsal fins and saddle patches.
When not cruising, Meriwether enjoys sailing, skiing and traveling, and has returned recently from travels in Patagonia, Iceland and the Galapagos Islands.
Something you might like to know about her?
Meriwether is a descendant of the Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark. A possible source of her passion for exploration? We think so.
Paulino Perez
Paulino’s experiences have taken him from sailing small ships in the icy waters of Southeast Alaska to the protected areas of the beautiful islands in Mexico’s Gulf of California.
Paulino resides in La Paz, Mexico, with his wife and son. He has a degree in Marine Biology and an intimate knowledge of the flora and fauna that we will encounter on our voyages.
Taking a nature hike with Paulino will enlighten you to the fragile eco-system some of the places we visit. He will point out flora and fauna that most eyes simply pass over.
When he is not at sea, Paulino indulges in his love of art. As an accomplished artist he often paints the inhabitants of the fragile environments through which he travels. In addition, Paulino works with the children of La Paz, teaching them environmental education through art by creating casts of plants and animals and generating multimedia presentations on natural history and cultural heritage.
Teresa Mealy
"I was taking a group kayaking in Glacier Bay when we spotted a pack of wolves (rarely seen in the park) on the shore across a small inlet. We paddled closer and as we approached, the wolves began to howl. There were 5 of them, all bellowing, noses pointing towards the sky … and I'm not quite sure why – but we joined in! Suddenly, there were 7 of us howling back and forth with the pack – it was as if we were exchanging conversations about our day."
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Teresa grew up exploring the woods and waters of the Pacific Northwest. From walking the shores of the Puget Sound to hiking the Siskiyous and kayaking the pristine waters of Glacier Bay, Teresa has experienced much of what the region has to offer.
Teresa graduated from the University of Portland where she majored in Environmental Ethics and Policy and minored in Environmental Science and Social Justice. Teresa spent three years volunteering as a naturalist for the Seattle Aquarium, where she educated visitors on the marine environment, interpreted exhibits and organized and facilitated the Marine Science Day Camp. Teresa has also spent two summers as a crew leader with the Northwest Youth Corp, a non-profit organization specializing in providing jobs integrated with environmental education to youth in the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, Teresa has worked as a teacher's assistant for a Marine Biology class at the University of Portland. Teresa is Red Cross certified in Wilderness First Aid and Small Craft Safety. She was a four-year member of the University of Portland Crew team and is an avid hiker, sea kayaker and rock climber.
Weston Eiler
"Standing next to guests who are totally new to Alaska, it's priceless to see the look on their faces when a whale breaches or when porpoise ride off the bow."
Born and raised in Juneau, Weston knows Alaska like the back of his hand. One of the things he loves most about it is the fact that even for someone growing up there, "there's always something new to see and experience."
Weston has spent several seasons leading tours for Cruise West and as a tour guide at the Alaska State Capitol Building. Currently a student at Willamette University in Oregon, he's pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Politics and Environmental Science. Weston's strong interest in Alaska’s unique political history has led him to volunteer at the annual Model United Nations conference at the U.N. in New York. He's also interned at the Oregon State Legislature and on Capitol Hill, and has done research on the politics and policy of Pacific fisheries management.
When not studying or guiding a Cruise West tour, Weston enjoys kayaking, running, soccer, reading and falconry.
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