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Welcome to STEPHANIEOCKO.COM
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Exploring Places Where You Can Safely Roam
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ADVENTURE VACATIONS FOR ANIMAL LOVERS:
EXPLORING NATURE ON UNFORGETTABLE GETAWAYS
(Citadel Press, 2004).
If we were all Dr. Doolittle, would we
understand what animals have to say? Deepen
your understanding; take a trip and get closer
to the animals you love. To buy the book,
click the Contact page, above.
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This Mountain Gorilla lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Photo © Steve_____)
THE YEAR OF THE GORILLA
Mountain Gorillas get their share of the news because of the violent political turmoil of their native lands. Equally threatened, however, are Lowland Gorillas, scattered about in safe forested zones in West Africa. Like humans, they are vulnerable to ebola disease, but with fewer doctors to care for them.
This year, many wildlife organizations are working with the UN to bring world attention and help to all gorillas in East and West Africa, as well as zoos around the world. Please see: www.yog2009.org. Learn more about them through the African Wildlife Foundation's multimedia digizine: africageographicdigital.com/awf/
See also: awf.org/gorillablog "Tracking Mountain Gorillas"
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Native American Wild Turkey shows his feathers at the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, New York. (Photo © sekernas).
URBAN ANIMALS
Any wild animal that has tasted the fruits of fast food thinks twice before going back to the wilderness to pick nuts and berries. In the past few decades, more and more "wild" animals have set their sites on moving into town where the living is easy, as long as they don't make a big ruckus. Canada geese, raccoons, oppossum, coyotes, deer, black bears, grizzlies, and wild turkeys find cities far more interesting places in which to settle down.
New York City is no exception. Within a hundred miles radius of Central Park, Earthwatch teams are fanning out to catalog some of the incredible diversity of amphibians, birds, plants, and animals that call it home.
Join a team leaving once a month through August and set up camera traps, track mammals, net frogs and salamanders, identify birds, and collect native plant species.
Housing is at the Blue Mountain Park Lodge in Peekskill, about 40 miles north of the City. Nine days, about $1,750. For information, see: www.earthwatch.org/exped/burns.html
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Sally Lightfoot Crabs cover the volcanic shores of the Galapagos at low tide. (Photo © Ellen Stenard.)
2009 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth.
On the Equator in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles west of Ecuador, THE GALAPAGOS comprise a collection of 12 large and more than 50 small islands, on which occurs "the first appearance of new beings on this earth," as naturalist Charles Darwin wrote after his visit in 1835. Because of their remote location, the birds and reptiles on the Galapagos have developed into whole new species, from flightless cormorants to finches with beaks adapted to the size of the seeds they eat. Grass-eating giant tortoises gave the islands their name thanks to Spanish explorers in the 16th century.In addition to the scaly marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, albatross, tropical fish, and penguins, the islands have fantastic lava towers, deep lakes, and a cloud forest.The problem? It's fragile. Tourists are controlled; and the whole place is a national park with rules about what comes in and goes out. The least you can do is tour by sailboat, which cuts down on oil spills. MountainTravel Sobek, which has been going there since 1970, has a fleet of small vessels, including 3 sailing yachts. Excellent guides, swimming, snorkeling, sea kayaking; 7 nights, plus 3 nights in Quito, Ecuador: $4,500 to $5,500. Frequent departures. Check the website for substantial savings on Classic Galapagos Cruise discounts! Please see: www.mtsobek.com/mts/gal
Explorers' Corner, based in Berkeley, California, will take you around the islands on a safe catamaran. Lots of sea kayaking and hiking the nooks and crannies. Eleven days, between about $5,000 to $6,000, depending on the number of guests. Trips leave about 4 times a month, December to August. Please see: www.explorerscorner.com/galapagos ROW Adventures will barely leave a trace on the islands: get to the islands by sailboat or small cruising vessel, and explore on foot or snorkeling. Excellent guides, small groups, trips go year-round. Between $2,600 and $3,500. Please see www.rowadventures.com/Galapagos-Islands-Cruise.html
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In the wild, this beetle vanishes against its habitat.
NATURAL HISTORY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Maine has more coastline miles than California because of its hundreds of twists and turns and necks and coves. Up the coast in what's called Downeast Maine in Steuben, the Humboldt Field Research Institute has staked out a natural history laboratory from Acadia National Park to the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge.
It's an extraordinary area. Deepsea divers will tell you that the coral formations here are equally as dazzling as those in the tropics. The extensive coast is a fertile breeding place for a variety of algae, flowering plants, fish, and insects. Near the wetlands grow dozens of species of lichens, mosses, mushrooms, and other fungi. Frogs thrive in forest pools; butterflies are everywhere; and once you know what you are looking at, the world becomes an amazing place.
The Eagle Hill Field Seminar program invites anyone seriously interested in natural history to take a look at its wide offering of summer workshops and seminars from Introduction to North American Truffles to Medicinal Plants. For those interested in scientific illustration and fine art, weeklong courses are offered in a variety of media.
For more information, please see www.eaglehill.us/
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NATURAL NEWFOUNDLAND AND LEGENDARY LABRADOR
Join Smithsonian Journeys on a trip back in time -- in fact to some of the oldest preserved life forms on the planet, dating to the pre-Cambrian.
On this 12-day tour of Newfoundland's and Labrador's national parks, travelers will also see lots of humpback and minke whales. At the Witless Ecological Reserve, thousands of tiny puffins nest in the cliffside, racing out to get food and return before seagulls steal their eggs.
History is a big part of this trip, from the earliest Viking settlement to the fishing villages that dot the coasts. Meet ecologists and local folk and dine and drink with both.
Twelve days, June to September, about $2,500 to $2,800. Please see
www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/natnewfound2009/
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This Blue Ridge Two Lined Salamander [Eurycea wilderae] is barely visible at its home in Tennessee. (Photo © KenCanning)
DISCOVER LIFE IN AMERICA is a nonprofit that coordinates the international ATBI, All Taxa Biodiversity Index, with the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. The overall goal of the ATBI is to document no less than every species on earth, a not-so-outlandish project that enlists everyone in the field from scientists to interested volunteers.
So far, volunteers in Great Smoky have identified more than 6,100 species in the park, from fungi to mammals, and there are still a lot out there. If you are planning a trip to the Park this summer, check out the volunteer opportunities, from helping in the lab to a biodiversity excursion.You'd be amazed at what you can find when you really really look.
Please see www.dlia.org for details.
Also keep in mind that about 1,500 black bears live in the Great Smoky NP, which figures out to about 2 per square mile. Lots of photo ops, but remember they can swim, run 30 mph, climb trees, have color vision, and will eat everything you have and fight you for it, if you don't hide it.
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Bison own the territory in the Far West. Hunted for centuries by Native Americans, some bison are now raised as a low-cholesterol alternative to beef. Others graze lazily in reserves and national parks, like this one, captured at sunrise. (Photo © JudiLen)
TED TURNER'S VERMEJO PARK RANCH
Bordered by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in northern New Mexico, Vermejo Park Ranch is 588,000 acres of "Old West" land, extending from prairie grasslands to alpine tundra. Abundant herds of elk, deer, Pronghorn antelope, and bison roam in the wilds, protecting themselves from equally abundant black bear, cougars, and coyotes.
Owner Ted Turner's aim: to restore the original ecosystems by re-introducing Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep, Black-footed Ferrets and Prairie Dogs (and soon, wolves) and in the streams, cutthroat trout; and by opening the Ranch to limited hunting and fishing.
Great for corporate retreats, the Ranch is also an exclusive destination for OFF THE BEATEN PATH Journeys who offer three adventures in May and September.
VERMEJO BOOTS, BIKES, AND SADDLES, for example, begins in Colorado Springs where you hike the foothills of Pike's Peak and the high mesa territory of northern New Mexico. Then switch to bikes and horses and explore some of the dirt carriage roads and old paths through forests and around lakes in Vermejo Park Ranch, with ample opportunities to view wildlife. While you stay at the Ranch, meet the resource managers and understand the puzzles involved in integrating ecosystems.
Seven days, next trip leaves 11 September; about $3,500 to $3,700. Call 800-445-2996; or see www.offthebeatenpath.com/territories/desert-
southwest/turners-vermejo-park-ranch/?ggjid=167
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A pair of Pronghorn Antelope in Colorado. Pronghorn have been clocked running faster than Cheetah, once thought to be the fastest mammal on the planet. (Photo © yoshimedia)
FAMILY DUDE RANCH
The Sundance Trail is one of the most historic Old West trails in the Rocky Mountains. Under snow for most of the year, the Trail comes alive from May to September, when dude ranches, like the Sundance Trail Guest Ranch, open their doors to families who want to explore and relax together.
Here you can ride and hike, fly-fish and golf, learn rock climbing, white water rafting, and archery. End the day around the campfire with cowboys singing, yodeling, and reciting famous cowboy poetry. Or soak in the jacuzzi.
Rates vary according to age ("0-4" are free); from $550 to $1,450 (adults) for 6 nights, all meals, ranch, and a horse for a week.
For more information, call 800 357 4930; or see: www.sundancetrail.com.
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A grey wolf considers its options in Yellowstone National Park. (Photo © NathanHobbs)
THE SERENGETI OF THE AMERICAN WEST
It's all here: herds grazing, migrating, and balancing predator-prey tension. Only the species are different: elk, bison, Pronghorn, and bear, cougar, wolf, instead of zebra, wildebeest, antilope, and lion, leopard, cheetah.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK has been an American treasure since 1872. Few single destinations offer as much, when you include some grand old hotels, geological wonders, and geysers, one as faithful as its name.
Naturally, it attracts crowds, mostly in cars. But the Park is big enough to offer offroad exploring. For example, you can join Austin Lehman (voted one of the best adventure companies around) and explore the Park hiking backcountry trails, riding horses into the Absaroka Mountains, and rafting the Yellowstone River. Most of the Park is in Wyoming, but this trip explores the lesser-traveled Montana Yellowstone, beginning and ending in Boseman, magnet for Hollywood celebrities.
Six days, early September; about $2,200. Please call 800 575 1540; or see www.austinlehman.com/trips/yellowstone___
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