2007
Today, more than ever before, the places Cloud Ridge travels to are chosen because they are at greatest risk—the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the marine and island ecosystems of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic, the Southern Polar Ocean, the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest and their counterparts in the Patagonian Andes, and the West’s wilderness rivers. The earth is in crisis—a condition born of overpopulation, wasteful consumption, pollution, habitat loss, and our profound failure to protect the diversity of life on earth.

From its inception, in 1979, Cloud Ridge Naturalists has focused its efforts on natural history education and on providing opportunities for enriching our understanding of the complex interrelationships that govern the natural world. Today, our survival as a species depends more than ever on informed, passionate citizen advocates for wilderness and biological diversity.

Towards this end, Cloud Ridge’s program of educational seminars in the coming years will focus on five areas of critical concern: (1) Wilderness Rivers; (2) Antarctic, Arctic, and Alpine Ecosystems; (3) Marine Ecosystems; (4) Temperate Rainforests; and (5) Desert Ecosystems. Wherever we travel, our itineraries reflect a multidisciplinary perspective. Because we also recognize the powerful role that conservation writers, photographers, and artists have played in environmental education and advocacy, we occasionally offer seminars that enable our participants to hone these skills as well. Whatever your interests, each of our trips opens a magical window on the natural world!

Audrey Benedict