Business Meeting followed by a short program by
Bryan Kresie - High Altitude Hiking
An award winning teacher and writer, Bryan Kresie (#1186) has traveled the globe looking for adventure.
Traveling to over thirty countries, he has taught in Taiwan, Korea, along the Arizona-Mexico, and in California.
He also worked as a contract archeologist in Utah and Idaho.
Bryan is veteran of both the Marine Corps and United States Army with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
For his service in Afghanistan, he was awarded the Combat Action Badge and the Bronze Star.
Bryan completed a degree in History from the Utah State University and has a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.
Currently a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army Reserve,
he is working on a book documenting the Islamic State’s destruction of historic sites and cultural artifacts throughout the Middle East.
Tonight Bryan will present his experiences in high altitude hiking.
That is, hiking trails 10,000 feet or higher without rope or specialized climbing equipment.
Being relatively new to the sport, he will discuss his successes, failures, and plans for future treks.
Katie Allen, Algalita Marine Research and Educations’ Executive Director, will be making a presentation to the Membership on November 10.
She will provide an overview of the Organization, its beginnings, accomplishments and continuing research and education,
plus an introduction to the exciting new multi-legged Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere, departing November 2.
Destinations include the Galapagos Islands, Easter Island, the center of the South Pacific Gyre and remote Chilean shores.
The six-month long expedition offers a variety of unique opportunities for adventurers, scientists, documentarians,
and change-makers to become members of a hands-on research team.
Captain Charlie with Debris
Along the way, Algalita will collect plastic pollution samples across the Equatorial Currents, the South Pacific Gyre,
and at various stations along the Chilean coast, in order to strengthen the existing data set.
In addition to quantitative analysis, Algalita will investigate how plastic in the South Pacific threatens fish survival in this region.
Lantern Fish (myctophids) account for as much as 55% of global fish biomass and play a critical role in the food chain.
The health of the entire ocean is dependent on their survival and any disruptions can have a domino effect that may lead to ecological collapse.
A 2010 Algalita study found that 35% of these fish in the North Pacific Gyre had consumed plastic, some in large quantities.
Katie Allen is an innovator and educator, passionate about inspiring others to discover and pursue their unique contribution to the world.
After completing her music degree, Katie followed her dreams of becoming a touring musician until landing a job managing artist accounts
at Warner Bros Records.
Four years into her career, her life was changed after watching Captain Charles Moore’s interview on the David Letterman Show.
Her desire to join Algalita’s fight against plastic pollution was so strong she left the music industry to pursue a degree in science education
and a career in ocean conservation.
2014 Homecoming
Katie spent five years under the mentorship of Captain Moore as Algalita’s Education Director.
During that time, she designed and sustained programs that continue to reach thousands of students and teachers every year.
By bridging real-world science with real-time solutions, Katie transformed the organization’s reach by igniting an international,
youth-led movement fueled by more than 100,000 youth in 19 countries.
She has multiple articles published around the world and is a frequent keynote speaker at ocean conservation conferences.
Katie’s strong vision for Algalita’s future led her to the helm of the organization.
In January 2016, she took on the role of Executive Director, where she provides leadership and oversight to a team of passionate scientists,
educators, and ocean conservationists.
As a Southern California native, Katie loves hiking, music, and spending time in the water with her husband and two-year old son, Oliver.
The first thing one notices about Madagascar is that it looks nothing like the cartoon.
But when you pull out a map, this mysterious, large island off the coast of Africa, fires the imagination.
Fact remains stranger than fiction, and Madagascar does not disappoint:
A radio DJ overthrew the government in 2009.
Hitler wanted to relocate the Jews there.
Pirates used it as a base.
It’s also where you’ll find lemurs, of all varieties, all cute, all wanting to steal your food.
And there are otherworldly landscapes like something out of Star Trek.
Follow Marc Weitz as he forgoes the comforts of a guide and hired vehicle and instead travels like a local:
stuffed inside jungle taxis and down a remote river by canoe.
Hear about how he dodges leeches, drunken touts picking fights, nearly running out of money, rock climbing with substandard equipment,
and every once in a while finding a dingy old French colonial restaurant to feast on $3 foie gras.
Marc Weitz is an attorney and writer based in Los Angeles.
His parents bravely took him overseas at age 7.
He has now traveled to 101 countries, some without a McDonald’s.