Sustainable Practices Seldovia Nature Tours has adopted:

I follow Leave No Trace principles for all my tours, and don’t lead people to places that are likely to erode from foot traffic or be damaged in other ways by our visit. I am extremely strict about how I behave around wildlife and make sure not to approach too closely or disrupt their behavior. Because I lead walking tours and don’t own a vehicle or manage a physical location, my carbon footprint is extremely low. I encourage my clients to visit Seldovia with my business partner, Scott McEwen from Tutka Tours, who operates a very fuel-efficient boat. I encourage clients to bring their own water bottle and use the refill station at the Harbormaster’s office. I do sometimes provide filtered tap water and use stainless steel reusable cups when clients neglect to bring their own.

 

How Seldovia Nature Tours benefits local communities and economies in philanthropic ways outside the tourism industry: 

Seldovia is a very small town, population 450 (including outlying areas.) Like many small communities, it’s run mainly by volunteer power. I serve on the board of the Seldovia Public Library and volunteer there on average 10 hours per week in the summer months, and 20-30 hours per week in the winter months. So, you could say that Seldovia Nature Tours supports the Seldovia Public Library in a big way. On stormy days, I have taken clients to the library, where I read stories to them from real characters of Seldovia’s past.

 

Through my business, I also provide birding lessons to homeschool students, and have worked with the Susan B. English School, Seldovia Village Tribe, Homer schools, Project GRAD, and other educators to provide programming for kids. I volunteer to help maintain the Otterbahn Trail and coordinated two big trail work days in spring 2024. I donate gift certificates to events like the Human Powered Fishing Derby and the Seldovia Public Library’s Summer Reading program. I also work with the Diocese of Alaska (Orthodox Church) by giving tours of the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. A portion of the proceeds go directly to the church restoration fund.

 

Other ways (beyond philanthropy) that Seldovia Nature Tours helps to conserve the environment:

I personally advocate for wildlife, natural areas, and fish whenever I can. This includes volunteering for the Kachemak Shorebird Monitoring program; filing eBird lists and helping to edit the Kachemak Bay Birds Checklist; and networking with other environmental organizations like the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, Cook InletKeeper, and the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust (KHLT). In November 2024, KHLT presented me with their King Maker award, which celebrates “individual Alaskans making a difference for salmon in Alaska, especially acknowledging the value of salmon habitat.”

 

I have a big garden and a couple of smaller garden boxes in town, and include stops at these during my tours so we can eat fresh snap peas or radishes right out of the garden. This is a great segue to talk about local food and farming and food security -- important issues in sustainability. Because I live in this community, I know a lot about the subsistence lifestyle practiced by many of my friends and neighbors, how we fish, hunt, pick berries and mushrooms, and collect seaweed and other ocean foods. I can tell my clients about my personal subsistence fishing for halibut and even show them my boat and fishing gear.

 

Ways Seldovia Nature Tours provides Alaska cultural or historical experiences to clients:

Alaska history and culture are topics integral in all my tours; that’s what I do. When focused in wilder places, such as the Otterbahn Trail or Outside Beach, I tell clients about edible and medicinal plants, mushrooms, lichens, and sea life. In the town of Seldovia, I answer the questions, “Why do people live here? And how did people first settle here?” by educating about the habitats and natural resources found in this area… which leads, of course, to a summary of the different Native Alaskan cultures and technologies. Russian and American colonization followed, all because of the rich environment here. If clients are particularly interested in Native Alaskan history, I encourage them to visit the Seldovia Village Tribe’s excellent museum and visitor center.

 

Safety Policy: I take safety very seriously, and through a combination of situational awareness, risk assessment, sensitivity to my clients' needs, abilities, and comfort levels, and luck, I have a spotless safety record. I don't take this for granted, however, and am prepared for the unexpected. I have had Wilderness First Responder certification since 2020 (just renewed in early November 2024, and valid through 2026).