By Kim Powell–
(Editor’s Note: Kim Powell of Blue Water Ventures for decades has co-hosted outdoor adventures with “Betty’s List” and the San Francisco Bay Times. Members of our team have long admired Powell’s dedication to education, using the natural world as a classroom. Her excursions are often transformative, from individuals later deciding to go into environmentalist work themselves, to LGBTQ+ singles meeting during Powell’s expeditions and becoming now long-time devoted couples. Whether the trip is to the blue glaciers of Alaska, to California’s central coast for marine mammal viewing, or to the Amazon Basin with its tropical greenery, it is sure to be a journey worth taking with Powell at the helm.)
In September of 1985, I led my first “eco-adventure” to a remote Georgia Sea Island. I was the leader of an energetic group of high school students from Baylor Academy. I recall the absolute thrill of sharing the ecology and human history of these fascinating islands that line the Georgia Coast, each island unique and revealing a dynamic history of Southern culture. My career as a naturalist educator had begun, a lifelong passion that remains my central focus.
After graduate school, I landed a so called “job” as a naturalist guide for Wilderness Southeast based in Savannah, Georgia. We worked with students of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, a tradition that has continued through Blue Water Ventures, an eco-adventure business based in Santa Cruz.
As the owner of Blue Water Ventures, I can say that this incredible journey of nearly 40 years has defined my life. Over the decades, we have trekked with students through steamy jungles, snorkeled expansive coral reefs, and visited remote villages in Central America. We have joyfully watched kids grow up in these villages and tearfully observed the decline of our planet’s magnificent coral reef ecosystem.
In more recent years, Blue Water Ventures has offered expeditions to the biologically rich Sea of Cortez, as well as to Tonga and Fiji, dramatic archipelagos dotting the South Pacific. The educational experiences that we have the unique opportunity to share are profoundly rich. No matter where in the world we are, we are always so thrilled to return home to Monterey Bay, an ecological treasure of the California coast.
Blue Water Ventures offers naturalist-led school field trips, family adventures, and programs designed for the LGBGTQ+ community. We are passionate outdoor educators; we absolutely care about the natural wonders that we share with our audience.
As our planet is faced with many ecological challenges, from a rapidly changing climate to human population growth, we remain committed to educating students of all ages. We also remain hopeful that our planet will continue to flourish under the care of future generations.
Kim Powell is a Santa Cruz-based naturalist, guide, and the founder of Blue Water Ventures https://bluewaterventures.org/
Earth Month 2024
Published on April 18, 2024
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