Cook Inlet and Mt. Iliamna, a volcano at the left, as viewed from a bluff at Clam Gulch..

Alaska Personal Journeys
GUEST SPEAKERS & TOPICS


An Evening in Alaska:
An Introduction to the Last Frontier
For many of us, just the mention of Alaska has a profound effect on our imaginations. Through maps and pictures, Joe Jacob will take us on a visual tour of the Last Frontier. From canoeing on the Yukon River or hiking in the backcountry of the Kenai Mountains to sea kayaking in Kachemak Bay, you will learn of some of the best places to go. Not only will you come away from this evening with a better understanding of the geography and natural history of Alaska, you will gain a greater appreciation for the people who live there and the environmental issues facing them. Joe Jacob, speaker.

The Kenai Peninsula:
A Microcosm of Alaska
A little bit of everything that can be found in Alaska can be found on and around the Kenai Peninsula in south central Alaska. From bears, salmon, eagles and moose to marshes, mountain lakes, turquoise-colored rivers, boreal forests and glaciers, the region is biologically, topographically and geographically diverse. Joe Jacob lives on the Kenai Peninsula for part of the year. He has been guiding trips there since 1989. His slide presentation will familiarize you with what the Kenai Peninsula has to offer in the way of both wilderness and touring trips and help you begin to visualize your Alaska adventure. Joe Jacob, speaker.

Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
Alaska's Wilderness Waterways
With over 3 million lakes, 3,000 rivers and more than 30,000 miles of coastline, Alaska is a paddler's dream. While paddling some of these waters during the past 16 years, Joe Jacob has taken slides of some of his favorite trips and presents them in this informative presentation. Whether you are planning an Alaska paddling adventure or just daydreaming, this presentation will orient you to the possibilities for an adventure of a lifetime. If you decide to go it alone, remember that caution must be exercised since most of the best paddling adventures are remote and the paddler must be experienced in camping in bear country and paddling on very cold waters. Joe Jacob, speaker.

Conservation Issues
Facing the 49th State
With over half of all of this Nation's National Parks and Wildlife Refuges being in Alaska, you would think there would be few threats to this wonderful place. Unfortunately, that simply is not true. The wealth of natural resources has been exploited ever since the days Russians depleted seal, whale and otter populations. When gold was discovered in the late 1800s, wildlife populations were over-harvested to feed the many miners and others who came to the North to find their wealth. In the 1900s and now, over-fishing and oil and gas development are threatening large ecosystems and the associated plant and animal populations. An environmentalist for more than 25 years, Joe Jacob explains what is happening today and what can be done about it if people care enough to get involved. Joe Jacob, speaker.



Joe Jacob
Marine biologist, environmentalist
and avid paddler


Although born and raised in the urban environment of New Orleans, Joe Jacob has spent a lifetime of adventuring in wide-open spaces. From the bottomland hardwood and cypress-tupelo swamps, black and brown water rivers, salt marshes and barrier islands of the Gulf and Southeast Atlantic coasts to the wilderness of Alaska, Joe has always felt most at home and connected to his inner spirit when in wild places.

Joe's love for nature combined with his academic training as a marine biologist led to a 20-year professional career with The Nature Conservancy, the creation of nature-based adventure businesses in both Alaska and North Carolina and three decades spent as a board member of several environmental organizations. As a canoe, sea kayak and hiking guide in Alaska, he has helped his guests reconnect with the natural rhythms of the earth and gain a deeper appreciation for the animals, plants and ecosystems that make up this part of the far North.


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