Ecotourism Operator

Imagine you are sitting quietly in a small boat off the Atlantic coast, watching a female sperm whale and her calf surface for air. You are an ecotourism operator in the middle of one of your many summer whale-watching excursions. The other eight people on your boat are clients who have bought a five-day tour package from your company to be introduced to and guided around the ecological highlights of Canada's east coast.

As your awestruck guests watch the whale clear her blowhole and dive 20 metres below the water's surface, you quietly deliver a short lecture on the sperm whale and other species that live along this environmentally sensitive coastline. You want your clients to enjoy their vacation while learning about this ecosystem and gaining a new appreciation for natural areas. As an ecotourism operator, you like the fact that you get to spend your summers hiking, camping, and boating and your winters cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and dog sledding. But this is a tough job that takes a lot of organizational skill and physical stamina, and you have to love working with all different kinds of people. This group is only on day two of its adventure trip.

Yesterday you led everyone on a sea kayaking tour of the Bay of Fundy, teaching them not only about the amazing tides but about the geological formations and wildlife species native to this habitat. After today's whale-watching excursion, you will set up camp in another national park and lead a sunset hike, lecturing on the unique characteristics of coastal forests.

By the time the five days are up, you will have visited all four Atlantic provinces, biked more than 100 kilometres, rafted down a river, crossed a lake in a canoe, hiked through three national or provincial parks, and snorkelled in one shallow bay. You and your clients will be exhausted, but they will have learned a great deal about the natural history of the areas they've visited, and you will have the satisfaction of knowing you have both entertained and educated another group of people.