Author—Do you want to publish what you write?
Scientist—Do you wish to communicate your studies? Or perhaps reach a popular audience in addition to your peers?
Photographer—Do you wish to write as well as take photographs?  Maybe write articles to tell why, when, or how your pictures were taken?
Environmentalist—Do you wish to reach out to supporters? Or to persuade the general public more effectively?
Government Personnel—Do you wish to tell what you do and why it is important? And do you want to reach a broader audience?

There will be three afternoon seminars on writing and why it matters.

Seminar I • Monday, November 9, 2:30–500 p.m.
Writing as Inspiration

• Why is writing important? To reach out to people across time and space. We write to evoke emotion and to provoke action.
• Some examples will be given of great and influential writers who have changed the world. Possible slide show to give sense of place, accompanied by readings that help evoke emotional imagery of the place.
• Some examples of bad writing will be given—people who did not get their message across. Why wasn’t their writing successful?
• Who are the inspirational writers in your country?

Panelists:
Boyd Norton (USA)
Chad Dawson (USA)
Mike McBride (USA)
Ian McCallum (South Africa)
David Torres (Mexico)

Seminar II • Tuesday, November 10, 2:30–5:00 p.m.
Tailoring Your Message
There are several methods of writing your story.

• Why do you want to get your message out? Who is your audience?
• Web—websites, blogs: how is it different from magazine and book writing?
• Newspapers
• Magazines and Journals
• Books
• News Releases—how to write and use them effectively.
• Defining audiences and effective ways of engaging them.
• Some authors will discuss their experiences in each area.

Panelists:
Bob Baron (USA)
Ulf Doerner (Germany)
Kat Haber (USA)
Morgan Heim (USA)
Yourianne Plante (Canada)
Larry J. Schweiger (USA)

Seminar III • Wednesday, November 11, 2:30–5:00 p.m.
You and Your Writing—Learn from the Experts

• Experienced Editors and Writers will be on hand to discuss making you a better writer.
• Some of these people will be in the room as a panel, others will be on a video link.
• This is the time to get your questions answered.

Panelists:
Bob Baron (USA)
Chad Dawson (USA)
Les Line (USA) (via remote)
Boyd Norton (USA)
Jo Roberts (UK)
Bittu Sahgal (India)

The Panelists

Bob Baron (USA)—founder and president of Fulcrum Publishing, is a historian, scientist, and the author or contributor to 25 books. He was program manager for the Mariner II (Venus) and the Mariner IV (Mars) onboard space computers. In 1971, he founded Prime Computer, which became one of the Fortune 500 largest American companies, and was its first president and chief executive officer, building a worldwide business. He is chairman emeritus of The WILD Foundation.

Chad P. Dawson (USA)—is professor and former chair of the Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management, College of Environmental Science and Forestry at the State University of New York, USA. He is managing editor of the International Journal of Wilderness and co-author of Wilderness Management, 4th edition. Dawson is also a member of The WILD Foundation board of directors.

Ulf Doerner (Germany)—President, Wilderness Foundation, Germany. An electronic engineer, and environmental auditor, Ulf was responsible for saving the wetlands of St. Lucia in South Africa from exploitation. In addition to consulting and training in project management, Ulf specializes in environment and quality management systems (EMAS and ISO), as well as in issues pertaining to operational safety.

Morgan Heim (USA)—Heim has an undergraduate degree in Zoology and a masters in Environmental Journalism. A photographer (an emerging member of ILCP), and environmental blogger (Nature Files and Red Desert) Heim works in the realm of electronic media. Currently with CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Studies) at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Kat Haber (USA)—Has created award winning gardens and innovative programs (Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, Colorado and the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer, Alaska), is a risk taker (freestyle aerialist and hot air balloonist), pioneered new paths (one of the first women to attend the US Air Force Academy), and has dug deep within through different paths of knowing, to the soul serenity found in wild places. Haber is also a board of director for The WILD Foundation.

Les Line (USA)—Longest-serving editor of Audubon magazine from 1966 to 1991, Line is credited for evolving the publication into “...the most beautiful magazine in the world...” (New York Times). Les has written, edited or photographed more than 30 books on nature and conservation. His honors include a doctorate in literature from Bucknell University and being named a fellow of the Rhode Island School of Design. He was accorded the Jade of Chiefs Award from the Outdoor Writers Association of America; the Hal Borland Award from the Audubon Society; and was named one of 100 heroes of the American conservation movement during the 20th century.

Mike McBride (USA)—Has lived in the remote China Poot Bay, Alaska, an area accessible only by boat or float plane, since 1969. A long-time member of the Explorers Club, is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and has served on the board of many non-profit organizations including The WILD Foundation. He is founder of The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, that during the past 20 years has taken over 30,000 people of all ages, into the marine environments and wilderness areas around Kachemak Bay, Alaska.

Ian McCallum (South Africa)—is a medical doctor, Jungian psychologist, wilderness guide, founder of the Wilderness Leadership School in the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, and director of the Wilderness Foundation Africa. He is the author of Thorns to Kilimanjaro, Ecological Intelligence: Rediscovering Ourselves in Nature, and a poetry collection, Wild Gifts. In the 1970s he played fullback for Springbok, South Africa’s national union rugby team. McCallum currently lives in Cape Town with his wife, Sharon.

Boyd Norton (USA)—has been photographing and working to save wilderness worldwide for more than 43 years and is the author and/or photographer of fourteen books. His work has been featured in most major magazines in the United States and Europe. Norton, a conservationist, has testified before the US Congress on behalf of park legislation and was a major factor in establishing the Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, and the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in the United States.

Yourianne Plante (Canada)—is coordinator of communi-cations at Citoyens pour la nature, The Voice for nature in Quebec (www.citoyenspourlanature.com), and writes for their website and enewsletter. Plante also has an undergraduate degree in journalism. During WILD 9, Plante will provide a live-feed blog to the members of Citoyens pour la nature. (http://www.branchenature.net)

Jo Roberts (UK)—Chief Executive Officer of the Wilderness Foundation, United Kingdom. South African by birth, Jo has enjoyed a rich life of wild places in many parts of Africa as she grew up. She trained and worked as a Social Anthropologist during the time of Apartheid, working mostly with rural communities. Her main interest in life is the vital connection between humanity and nature, and the value that experiential learning and outdoor education brings to social and personal change.

Bittu Sahgal (India)—the editor of Sanctuary Asia, India’s premier wildlife and ecology magazine and is at the forefront of the battle to protect India from the worst impacts of climate change. In 2000 he founded Kids for Tigers, the Sanctuary Tiger Program that reaches over 650 schools in 15 Indian cities covering one million children. Their motto: “The tiger will only be saved if its forests are saved. By saving these forests, India protects over 600 of its purest rivers. And in the process the forests sequester and store carbon in the most effective way possible.”

Larry J. Schweiger (USA)—is president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, the United States’ largest conservation organization. He also serves as cochair of the board of directors of the Alliance for Climate Protection and has received many awards for his conservation efforts, including the Distinguished Service Award from the National Wildlife Federation and the Conservation Service Award from the Christian Environmental Association. Schweiger is also author of Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth.

David Torres-Mejía (Mexico)—holds degrees in political science from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the University of Essex. He has been both a full time lecturer and an official in UNAM, the Metropolitan University (Mex), the National Association of Universities, the National Council of Science and Technology and the Secretary of Education. Currently he is director of Este País, a magazine of political culture.

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