Will Steger, explorer

Best known for his legendary polar exploration, Will Steger is a formidable voice calling for understanding and the preservation of the Arctic and the Earth. Will Steger led the first confirmed dogsled expedition to the North Pole without resupply in 1996, the 1,600-mile traverse of Greenland (the longest unsupported dogsled expedition in history in 1988), the first dogsled traverse of Antarctica (a historic seven-month, 3,471 mile expedition), and the first dogsled traverse of the Arctic Ocean.

Press Release

Renowned Explorer Will Steger Leads Youth on Arctic Expedition to Examine Global Warming Impact

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- 03/18/08 -- Today famed polar explorer Will Steger announced he is departing on an international expedition to document the impact of global warming in the Arctic region. Steger will be joined by a team of six young explorers -- from Norway, Great Britain, Canada and the United States -- on a 60-day, 1,400-mile dogsled expedition across Ellesmere Island, which is the northernmost part of the North American continent.

The expedition team will depart on March 28 and is currently making final preparations on Baffin Island. The team will follow in the footsteps of Arctic explorers who traversed the region in the early 1900s and use their historical routes, journals and archived photos to document the disintegrating ice shelves, retreating glaciers and destruction of wildlife habitat.

Steger and his team members seek to inspire international cooperation in environmental stewardship, mobilize Generation Y to produce global warming solutions and educate youth by providing an eyewitness account of their experiences through videos, podcasts, photos, blog entries and lesson plans at www.globalwarming101.com.

Steger, the 2007 recipient of two prestigious awards from National Geographic and The Explorers Club, selected the team members, ages 21-28, for their accomplishments in exploration: two National Geographic grantees; two kite-skiing international record holders; the 2007 Iditarod "Rookie of the Year"; a polar historian; and Sam Branson, the son of Virgin Group's Richard Branson who joined Steger on his 2007 expedition to Baffin Island.

"My team is composed of some of the brightest young explorers in the world," Steger said. "They continue to inspire my efforts to solve global warming and will serve as excellent role models for future generations."

The Ellesmere Island Expedition team -- profiled on www.globalwarming101.com -- is available for interviews until they depart on March 28.

The Ellesmere Island Expedition is produced by the Will Steger Foundation through partnerships with Fagen, Inc., the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the National Geographic Society, SuperValu, the Renewable Fuels Foundation, the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company and Piper Jaffray.

For more information about the expedition or to schedule an interview with one of the team members, please contact Meghan Krause at 612.333.4595 or mkrause@greenmarksports.com.

About the Will Steger Foundation and Global Warming 101

Established in January 2006 by renowned polar explorer Will Steger, the Will Steger Foundation promotes change through education and advocacy. Global Warming 101 is the first initiative of the Will Steger Foundation and raises broad public awareness about global warming as witnessed through Will Steger's polar expeditions. Global Warming 101 expeditions offer a unique view of people and places at the tipping point of climate change, while www.globalwarming101.com serves as an international platform for furthering education, discussion and activism, and sharing the experiences and updates from each expedition.

About the Ellesmere Island Expedition

In March, Steger will lead six young explorers from four different countries -- Norway, Great Britain, Canada and the United States -- to document the impact of and inspire solutions to global warming. The team includes two National Geographic grantees, two kite-skiing international record holders, the 2007 Iditarod "Rookie of the Year," a polar historian; and Sam Branson, who is the son of Virgin Group's Richard Branson and joined Steger on his 2007 expedition to Baffin Island. People from around the world will be able to track the Ellesmere Island Expedition team on www.globalwarming101.com, which will include profiles, videos, images, podcasts and blog entries from team members.

CONTACT:
Meghan Krause
GreenMark
612.333.4595

Will Steger bio

Will Steger (born 1943 at Richfield, Minnesota) is a prominent spokesperson for the understanding and preservation of the Arctic and has led some of the most significant feats in the field of dogsled expeditions; such as the first confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole (without re-supply) in 1986, the 1,600-mile south-north traverse of Greenland - the longest unsupported dogsled expedition in history during 1988, the historic 3,471-mile International Trans-Antarctic Expedition - the first dogsled traverse of Antarctica (1989-90), and the International Arctic Project - the first and only dogsled traverse of the Arctic Ocean from Russia to Ellesmere Island in Canada during 1995.

Having been invited to testify before Congress on polar and environmental issues, Steger co-founded the Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) at Hamline University in 1991. During 1993 he founded the World School at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).

Will Steger joins Amelia Earhart, Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen and Jacques-Yves Cousteau in receiving the National Geographic Society's John Oliver La Gorce Medal for "accomplishments in geographic exploration, in the sciences, and for public service to advance international understanding" in 1995.

Steger received recognition and numerous honors for record setting explorations and interactive educational initiatives: Explorers Club Finne Ronne Memorial Award 1997, and the National Geographic Society's First Explorer-in-Residence 1996.

He authored four books and his publications, photographs and interviews are distributed globally:

Over the Top of the World
Crossing Antarctica
North to the Pole
Saving the Earth

Past Explorer-in-Residence

Will Steger holds many job titles—educator, writer, photographer, and lecturer. But polar adventurer is perhaps his best known and hardest-won. Steger first reached the North Pole in 1986, leading a team of six (Paul Schurke, Brent Boddy, Richard Weber, Geoff Carroll and Ann Bancroft by dogsled. He returned again in 1995, while crossing the Arctic Ocean from Russia to Ellesmere Island, Canada, with a team of five by dogsled and specially adapted canoes.

Steger has also kayaked thousands of miles of northern rivers, including the Peace, MacKenzie, and Yukon. He often blazes new trails on the digital frontier, posting dispatches from his expeditions to millions over the Internet.

National Scout Jamboree

Will Steger provided mentorship for southern units at the National Scout jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America. In Minnesota's Twin Cities, he works with the School of Environmental Studies project-based learning programs. Wilderness Inquiry was inspired and enabled by Will Steger's outdoor recreation community stewardship working in collaboration with Hamline's interdisciplinary CGEE programs. (Credit: Wikipedia).

Websites

Global Warming 101

Will Steger official website

Will Steger official MySpace

Profiles

Ellesmere Island Expedition

Sam Branson

Social and Community Entrepreneurs

News

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