Gustav W. Verderber, Environmental Interpretation Nature & Photo Workshops 2000 The following workshops are currently open for enrollment.  Itineraries incorporate experiential learning into an affordable ecotour format for anyone interested in natural history, photography, or outdoor recreation. Post-secondary credit is available for select workshops from Thomas Aquinas College where indicated.  However, faculty are welcome to consider any of these itineraries as field components for courses in the appropriate areas. More detailed workshop/course syllabuses can be made available upon request. Please print and post to your colleagues, students, members, and visitors. For further information please visit http://www.GustavWVerderber.com. THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS Aug 15 to Aug 23, 2000 / Cost: $1,860.00 pp Optional Amazon Extension: Aug 24 to Aug 28 / Cost: $870.00 pp It is my pleasure to invite you to join me as I return to the Galapagos Islands this coming August to experience and photograph the natural history of the Land of Darwin. I am limiting the workshop to a maximum of 12 participants.  Such a small group will encourage a comradely atmosphere among all the participants as well as afford me the privilege of attending personally to the particular abilities and needs of each individual participant. The workshop will accommodate serious (not to be confused with expert ) wildlife photographers as well as anyone with a passion for natural history, evolution, and travel. In other words, we will arrange our visits to the various islands to maximize photo opportunities and we plan to linger, observe, and photograph the wildlife and landscapes we encounter rather than be in a hurry to return to the yacht.  Days are long and, if you are intent on getting high-quality images, even strenuous.  Please take this into consideration. Once again, in cooperation with Rainforest and Reef, we have made this workshop as sustainable as possible in that all guides, accommodations, etc. are provided exclusively by Ecuadorian business interests.  We will be led by an expert naturalist guide who will also keep our particular interests in mind. I very much hope that you will think about joining what will be one of the most pleasant, intimate, and memorable experiences that I could imagine sharing with you.  Visit my web site (URL below) to view the itinerary, browse the Galapagos Gallery, and to be very pleasantly surprised by the cost of this wonderful opportunity. Proceed directly to web page for this workshop: http://www.gustavwverderber.com/galapagos.html SOUTHEAST ALASKA WORKSHOP Available Dates 2000: Jun 15 to Jun 28, Jul 2 to Jun 15 (filled), Jul 20 to Aug 2 Cost: $1,050.00 pp (undergraduate credit available from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI) This workshop immerses you in the natural history and culture of SE Alaska. Highlights include rafting the beautiful Sauk River, a federally protected ?Wild and Scenic? river that offers views of the Cascade Mountain Range, hanging glaciers, and wildlife.  This is regarded as one of the premier rafting experiences in the Pacific Northwest.  You will then embark on a fantastic voyage through the Inside Passage of SE Alaska, past spectacular scenery that includes glacially carved fjords, waterfalls tumbling down from snow-capped mountains, quaint fishing villages, pristine temperate rainforest, humpback whales, bald eagles, and much, much more.  Most of our ensuing activities will be _base_d out of Wrangell, Petersburg, and Sitka. Naturalist John Muir staged expeditions out of Wrangell.   Among them will be camping in the Tongass National Forest, largest in the U.S., sea kayaking, whale watching in Frederick Sound, and fishing for salmon & halibut.  A boat trip to LeConte glacier is also planned.  LeConte glacier is the southern-most tidewater glacier in N. America and constantly calves large icebergs into LeConte Bay.  Killer whales, seals, and porpoises are common here.  We will also stay in Sitka, considered Alaska?s most beautiful seaside village, hike the 2.5 mile Sealion Cove trail into old growth Sitka spruce and hemlock forest, visit Tlingit Indian and Russian cultural features, and be entertained by Tlingit elders. Proceed directly to web page for this workshop: http://www.gustavwverderber.com/alaska.html The Lake Eden Photo Camp-In: Basic Field Techniques in Close-up Nature Photography Jun 9 to Jun 11, 2000 / Cost: $290.00 pp This year?s spring workshop is another of the popular photo camp-ins at picturesque Lake Eden in the heart of Vermont?s northern Green Mountains. Bring your tent or RV and spend a delightful weekend in the company of fellow nature photography enthusiasts.  Classroom sessions are combined with field excursions to Belvidere Pond, an undeveloped pond teeming with wildlife, and the Babcock Nature Preserve during which I will share with you my professional field techniques of close-up nature photography.  The spring wildflowers will be in bloom, peepers will be chorusing, and, of course, the insects will be hung with care in the dew-drenched meadows. This workshop is designed for anyone merely thinking about photographing the natural world as well as for those of you who have already spent some time stalking nature near you home.  All the techniques that enable me to produce publishable close-up images of insects, frogs, flowers, and even microscopic subjects (without a microscope) will be discussed.  In just one weekend, this workshop will take you from beginner to serious amateur and do it in one of the most pleasant settings you could imagine.  Groups are kept to a maximum of 15 people to assure a cozy, comradely format and to allow for personal attention to everyone?s particular interests.  As with all of my other workshops, after you have processed your film, I invite you to send me nonreturnable copies of the images you take during the workshop so that I can critique your efforts. Deborah Godin and her family will be our hosts; they will be seeing to all our corporeal needs, that is, they will provide us with shelter, food, coin-operated showers, other basic amenities and, well, you might not want to leave after the workshop is completed.  (Whatever you do while you?re at Lake Eden, DO NOT ORDER THE BANANA SPLIT!  I came to Lake Eden in 1997 intending to camp for the summer while I looked for a home.  The setting, the people, the variety of photographic opportunities are enough to seduce most anyone.  Then, one day, I ordered one of Deb?s banana splits.  After I finished it, I decided to put off buying a home.  Instead, I returned to Lake Eden and lived there in an RV for three years!  I believe she puts something in the toppings.) Proceed directly to web page for this workshop: http://www.gustavwverderber.com/eden.html For detailed workshop itineraries please visit my web site:  http://www.GustavWVerderber.com  If you think that you might want to join us, don?t hesitate too long; these workshops fill up quickly.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and, of course, to find out how to register. With gratitude and respect, Gustav W. Verderber Environmental Interpretation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY * FREE-LANCE WRITING * NATURE TRAVEL http://www.GUSTAVWVERDERBER.com Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it P.O. Box 153, Lowell, VT  05847 Toll Free: (877) 560-0623 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~