CURRENT MISSION

A massive turtle conservation project, and growing my nature centre towards self-sufficiency.

ABOUT ME

I grew up by a lake outside a small town. I lived in the big city for a few years. Now I live by a stream outside a small city. Technically, I'm a fish biologist, but I spend most of my time travelling around teaching people about Canadian reptiles. It's a pretty harsh climate for them to survive here, so there aren't many and most of them are in big trouble.

I built a nature centre focused on these creatures for families, schools, etc. to visit, and it has been operational for a few years. I live in the upper level of this building, along with up to a dozen staff and international volunteers at various times. It is a pretty crazy and unusual place.

In my limited spare time, I paddle a canoe or kayak, go biking, swimming, snorkelling, SCUBA diving, take pictures of stuff, and many other things. I'm trying to get more into sailing at the moment, and I hope to learn to play guitar soon. In general, my life is rarely typical and always busy, which I like- boredom tends to result in my getting crazy ideas that I then try to turn into reality. Like a cross-Canada reptile program tour- four years later... done!

What else can I say... 178 cm/ 5'10", light brown hair, highly analytical but with an oft-hidden sensitive side, open-minded, and a very open person in general. I can talk about almost anything, and enjoy a good debate. Adaptable, and resourceful. Sometimes, overly verbose...

PHILOSOPHY

My philosophy is best described as "Carpe diem- but with a conscience!"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have couch-surfed and hosted many times without the aid of this site, so hopefully I can do more of both in the future! We don't get too many people stopping in through this site, but we do get a lot of wwoofers!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

MANY nights spent on the couches, floors, and sometimes beds, of friends, relatives, and others. Not that I'd consider them strangers, though some are pretty strange!
Growing up, there were always friends and friends of friends crashing at our place; it just seemed normal.
My place is sometimes crowded with staff and volunteers, but we can usually find couch space for someone!

Interests

Didn't I just cover most of that? Okay... Canoeing, kayaking, biking, swimming, snorkelling, SCUBA, volleyball, fishing, reading, travelling, photography, rock climbing, caving, wildlife conservation and environmental issues.

• cats
• wildlife
• fish
• reptiles
• photography
• cooking
• running
• instructor
• boating
• reading
• traveling
• guitar
• cycling
• fishing
• canoeing
• kayaking
• spelunking
• scuba diving
• sailing
• sports
• rock climbing
• volleyball
• swimming
• biology
• ecology

Music, Movies, and Books

Music- a wide variety, just about anything though I'm not big on opera or rap. Most of my favorite stuff would be classic rock.
Movies- Star Wars (the originals), Lord of the Rings, The Breakfast Club, Top Gun, Lake Placid, The Princess Bride, Footloose
Books- Eye of the World series, LOTR, Song of the Dodo, Song of Ice and Fire

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Walked into an ice cave in a glacier. Pretty neat. I've done more 'amazing' things but that was cool.

Teach, Learn, Share

Want to learn? Besides sailing and guitar? Probably pretty much everything. Especially about wildlife from other parts of the world.

What can I teach? A long list. I used to be a certified instructor for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, boating safety/rescue, so any of that is good. I have also taught snorkelling, innertube waterpolo (best sport ever), and probably other aquatic things I can't remember now. Of course, there are lots of things related to biology- especially reptiles and amphibian (particularly North American), new world cats, and coral reef ecology.
I am a pretty good cook and have taught quite a few of my staff and volunteers about it- sometimes I feel like I run a life skills program :)
I'm also good with plumbing and electrical, though I don't imagine anyone wants to discuss them much!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Discussion? Stories? Pictures? Cooking?

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada

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