George Sirk

George Sirk has a refreshing perspective and his enthusiasm and passion for the wonders of nature are contagious. He has been an avid birder since 1964 and his lifelong career as a naturalist guide began in 1969 while working for the British Columbia Parks Branch. Specializing in tropical ecology, in places such as Australia, Papua New Guinea and tropical America, it’s surprising to find him now exploring arctic Canada! His northern experience includes four seasons in Churchill, Manitoba—leading polar bear tours—and six seasons with Cruise North Expeditions in the high Arctic. He has navigated over 25,000 kilometres of this archipelago. George has explored and visited many major habitats and Inuit villages within this enormous area. His expertise, rapport with the Inuit and knowledge of wildlife; from Gyrfalcons to Bowhead whales, from butterflies to muskox combined with his personal tales will mesmerize you. ‘On deck’ is where you find the wildlife, and that’s where you’ll find him spinning his yarns and sketching. “You won’t see Polar bears in your bunk!”, exclaims George. He spent nine years in the political arena on the Canadian west coast and during his tenure he relished in the struggle to champion for the creatures and habitats that needed attention and protection. He has been a host and regular contributor to CBC radio, and had his own radio show for four years: “Nature Boy” at the University of Victoria. George has a broad range of interests, from paleoanthropology and astronomy to marine biology and geology- all with a ‘Gaian perspective’.