A wild plan to travel 1,550 miles around Florida's coastline by kayak, to raise awareness about the negative impact climate change and human activity has had on the fragile communities and ecosystems of Florida's coast I ran away from Florida at 18 to pursue my interest in outdoor adventures in the mountain west and internationally. I have spent the last 8 years of my life working seasonally as a
Wildland firefighter for the US forest service and undertaking wild adventures; from a six month solo off-road motorcycle trip from California to Panama, to over-landing across the Australian outback, to various other pursuits, both abroad and here in the US. I am a firefighter, wilderness EMT, advanced SCUBA diver, and licensed commercial captain and yacht crew member. I've had a life-long passion for stewardship, conservation, and outdoor adventure. I have also always dreamed of turning my adventures into something bigger than just a hedonistic pursuit in the outdoors. Now more than ever, our planet and the natural places that remain are being threatened by human activity. Florida, consisting of some of the most delicate ecosystems in the US, is quickly becoming an illustration of the detrimental affects of climate change, pollution, and free-for-all human activity. My plan is to traverse the entire length of Florida by water in a small sailing kayak, and by doing so raise awareness for environmental protection, conservation, and stewardship. The tentative start date for the trip is mid-November of this year. The fragile ecosystems of the Florida coastline are one of the areas in the lower 48 most likely to become impacted in the near future by rising sea levels, oceanic pollution/run off, and over-fishing. For many, climate change is an "out of sight, out of mind" concept. I hope through my journey I can show the impact climate change has already had, and explicitly depict the negative effects that further sea-level rise and changing conditions will have on this amazing state. Through Social Media, video and photo media content, and educational outreach, my goal is to encourage people who love this great state to act as stewards of the environment and contribute towards fighting climate change and pollution.
