b'Traveling to Alaska is a bucket list item for many travelers, and the team at The Boat Company has found that many people have five common priorities: they hope to catch a fish and see glaciers, bears, eagles, and whales. The biggest educator isly identical berries. They may look like blueberries, but it turns out one is a bog berry that tastes like watermelon. the Tongass and MotherMuch of the education for guests comes simply from time spent with the crew where information can be shared in Nature. Put people out, fascinating ways. let them put feet on McIntosh has seen major changes in the environment they sail through. They do onboard presentations on glaciers the ground, and as we because theyve witnessed such a massive recession of the glaciers that they visit. What used to take us half a day to like to say, they drink thego up, see the glacier, and come back out of the fjords is now a full day, he explained. Theyve recessed four to six Tongass Kool-Aid. miles in the past 30 years, which is an enormous amount when youre talking about the volume and size of a glacier.The cruises visit a whale conservation society research sta-tion in Warm Springs Bay to learn from the teams there. species is in decline or in danger. In the fishing skiffs,If available, researchers from the society periodically travel theseconversationsnaturallyprogresstodiscussionsofto the boats to give presentations. In addition to talks on conservation: what the rules are, why theyre in place, andglaciers and whales, The Boat Company naturalists share a how they change from year to year.general presentation on the forest, in part looking at threats the ecosystem faces. The Southeast Alaska Conservation Thenaturalistsareskilledforagers,andonhikesteachCouncil has reported that since the 1950s, more than 1 guests facts such as the differences between three seeming- million acres of the Tongass have been clearcut. McIntosh 17 APRIL 2025'