Our Team in the Field
Tour leaders are an integral part of the Worldwide Quest and Quest Nature Tours experience. They bring a particular expertise in some - and sometimes many - elements of the destination you are visiting and the theme we are exploring. They work with our expert local guides and naturalists to help you see and experience more and to create a context for the observations you will make. Our leaders take care of logistical concerns in order to maximize your experience. Last but not least, they ensure your safety and comfort. We carefully select our leaders and match them to tours based on their experience, their interests, and their compatibility with the destination and tour theme. Meet our exceptional group of leaders below and see where they're heading next.
Naturalist
Andrea Kingsley
Prince Edward County-area resident and expert naturalist and biologist Andrea Kingsley has over 35 years of experience in field biology and guiding through various environmental consultant jobs, teaching, and research projects. Many of her projects both in Ontario and across Canada have involved birds and she is highly experienced at field identification by sight and sound.
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Ornithologist
Bonnie Chartier
Bonnie Chartier was born and raised in Churchill, Manitoba. She has been involved in Churchill’s tourism industry since its inception and was instrumental in introducing the world to Churchill’s Polar Bears, Belugas, birds, and natural history. Bonnie’s familiarity with the Churchill region is boundless and guests quickly appreciate her tremendous wealth of knowledge!
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Wilderness Guide
Boris Wise
Boris Wise is a passionate naturalist, wilderness guide, and excellent photographer. He began his career guiding in Southeast Alaska, where he worked for 10 years before sailing on his first expedition cruise ship in 2010. Boris is a seasoned polar expedition explorer having sailed throughout Arctic Canada, along the coasts of Greenland, Antarctica and throughout Svalbard many times, among other places. He spends much of his professional and personal time exploring with his wife Eva Westerholm.
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Executive Director at Ontario Nature
Caroline Schultz
Caroline Schultz is the Executive Director at Ontario Nature. Caroline has directed Ontario Nature’s programs and operations since 2005. Caroline previously served as conservation director for the Canadian Nature Federation for 10 years, leading the organization’s national advocacy, science and stewardship programs.
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Ornithologist
Catherine Jardine
A graduate of the University of Guelph, Catherine Jardine is a staff ornithologist and data analyst with Birds Canada, based at the organization’s National Data Centre in Delta, B.C. She has conducted field projects in remote locations around the world and is the Bander-in-Charge at the Iona Island Bird Observatory.
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Naturalist
Chris Earley
Chris Earley is the University of Guelph Arboretum’s Interpretive Biologist and Education Coordinator and a self-proclaimed 'nature geek'. He teaches workshops at the Arboretum, and participates in research around the world. Chris has led many previous Quest trips around the world.
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Ecologist
Dylan White
Dylan White grew up in the city but fell in love with wild places and the creatures that inhabit them long before he could walk. It is this lifelong passion for experiencing, conserving and learning about nature has motivated his work. He is a professional ecologist with 10 years of experience on more than 175 diverse projects, and moonlights as a wilderness and wildlife guide.
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Polar Explorer
Eva Molin Westerholm
A veteran Svalbard explorer and animal-loving outdoor enthusiast, Eva Molin Westerholm considers herself very lucky having explored many countries of the world in the last 15 years. The polar regions are of particular interest to her, and she cannot wait to share whatever can be found out there – whether it be a whale, bird, or the flora – nothing is too small to inspire investigation.
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Naturalist
Gabriel Foley
The Coordinator for the Maryland Breeding Bird Atlas, Gabriel Foley grew up on a small farm in southeastern Ontario, where his curiosity cultivated an appreciation and wonder for nature. After receiving a diploma in fish and wildlife conservation from Sault College, he headed west to Saskatchewan to pursue undergraduate studies in Biology. Subsequently he completed graduate studies on the Common Nighthawk. He is an obsessive birder and outdoorsman and is passionate about sharing his love of nature with others.
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Naturalist
Glenn Barrett
Past-President of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, Glenn Barrett has a degree in Wildlife Biology and has worked in outdoor education programming for educational institutions and as a Wildlife Technician for Environment Canada since 1994.
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Professor, Biological Sciences
Jane Waterman
Jane Waterman is a professor in Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba, where she specializes in behavioural ecology. She has taught courses such as Biology of Mammals, Animal Behaviour, Ecology, Ornithology, and Conservation Biology, and offers field courses in the biology of African mammals. Her research focuses on the factors that influence the evolution of sociality and mating systems and the majority of her research focuses on sociality in ground-dwelling squirrels. For the past 30 years, Jane has also studied sociality in the Polar Bear.
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Ornithologist
Field Biologist
Josh Vandermeulen
Josh Vandermeulen is a professional Field Biologist and is an active and well-known member of Ontario’s naturalist community. He regularly travels the province in pursuit of his two core interests, field herpetology and ornithology.
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Professor
Kevin James
Kevin James is Professor of History, Director of the Centre for Scottish Studies, and holder of the Scottish Studies Foundation Chair at the University of Guelph. A graduate of McGill and Edinburgh Universities, he publishes widely on Scottish tourism history, and has appeared in print, radio, and on television, including on BBC Scotland's hit tv show 'Grand Tours of Scotland.'
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Naturalist
Kyle Horner
A graduate of the University of Guelph, Kyle Horner is a consummate environmental educator and well-travelled, lifelong naturalist who can proudly say he’s been birdwatching since before he could walk! He has also worked as a field technician for a variety of research projects. He is currently the NatureCounts Engagement Coordinator at Birds
Canada, where he helps to build awareness and adoption of that
innovative bird data platform. Kyle is also completing a book on turtles of North America, to be released in 2024!
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Biologist
Martin Cohen
With 30 years as a professional wildlife biologist, Martin Cohen has gained extensive experience and a broad range of skills, all of which have contributed to his ability and passion to educate, communicate, and inform a diverse array of people about the wonders of our natural world.
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Naturalist
Mike Kent
Mike Kent is an excellent all-round naturalist and educator based in southwestern Ontario. He has worked as a Park Naturalist at Ontario’s Killbear Provincial Park and the famous Algonquin Provincial Park, and as a Tour Manager at the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens in Costa Rica’s highland cloud forests. He has a keen and abiding interest in all life forms with a particular fondness for insects, fungi and other under-appreciated groups.
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Owen Slater
Owen Slater (BSc. 2000; DVM 2006) first visited Uganda in 2001 on a solo backpacking adventure through East Africa. While in Uganda he volunteered with the Jane Goodall Institute in Entebbe, providing care to an injured and orphaned chimpanzee and trekked to the mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park. Uganda’s amazing biodiversity and landscapes made a lasting impression on Owen and he has returned several times since.
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Naturalist
Patrick Moldowan
A graduate of the University of Guelph, Patrick Moldowan is a devoted lifelong interpretive naturalist and field biologist with a special interest in herpetology and biogeography. Patrick works for the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galapagos Islands, where he oversees a giant tortoise research program.
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Naturalist
Scott Roberts
Behind the jovial exterior resides one of Australia's most committed and experienced Wildlife Guides. Scott Roberts has guided throughout Australia and New Zealand and is a highly respected guide trainer.
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Naturalist
Sherry Kirkvold
Sherry Kirkvold brings a deep love of nature along with her more than 30 years of experience as a naturalist, geographer and expedition leader. She has worked in the national, provincial and regional park systems as well as museums in British Columbia.
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More About Us
- The Worldwide Quest Experience
- Our Team in the Field
- Our Team in Toronto
- Explorers Club