Will Steger
Encyclopedia
Will Steger 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)
. In 2006, Will Steger established the Will Steger Foundation which is dedicated to creating programs that foster international leadership and cooperation through environmental education and policy.
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, National Geographic Society's First Explorer-in-Residence 1996, Lindbergh Foundation's Lindbergh Award 2006, Gov. Tim Pawlenty
's Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group 2006, Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award 2007, and the National Geographic Adventure Lifetime Achievement Award 2007.
He authored four books and his publications, photographs and interviews are distributed globally:
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 kayak
ed 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.
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.
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
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
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
(without re-supply) in 1986, the 1,600-mile south-north traverse of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
- 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
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
in 1991. During 1993 he founded the World School at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
. In 2006, Will Steger established the Will Steger Foundation which is dedicated to creating programs that foster international leadership and cooperation through environmental education and policy.
Will Steger joins Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, Robert Peary
Robert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary, Sr. was an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole...
, Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
and Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water...
in receiving the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
'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, National Geographic Society's First Explorer-in-Residence 1996, Lindbergh Foundation's Lindbergh Award 2006, Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
's Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group 2006, Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award 2007, and the National Geographic Adventure Lifetime Achievement Award 2007.
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 PoleNorth Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
in 1986, leading a team of six (Paul Schurke, Brent Boddy, Richard Weber
Richard Weber
Richard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
, Geoff Carroll and Ann Bancroft
Ann Bancroft
Ann Bancroft is an American author, teacher, and adventurer. She was the first woman to successfully finish a number of arduous expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic.-Biography:...
) by dogsled. He returned again in 1995, while crossing the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with a team of five by dogsled and specially adapted canoes.
Steger has also kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ed thousands of miles of northern rivers, including the Peace
Peace River (Canada)
The Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River flows into the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is the 12th longest river in the world,...
, MacKenzie
Mackenzie River
The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
, and Yukon
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
. 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 jamboreeNational Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)
The national Scout jamboree is a gathering, or jamboree of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America, usually held every four years and organized by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Referred to as "the Jamboree", "Jambo", or NSJ, Scouts from all over the nation and world...
of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. In Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
's Twin Cities, he works with the School of Environmental Studies project-based learning
Project-based learning
Project-based learning, or PBL, is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence . Students use technology and inquiry to respond to a complex issue, problem or challenge...
programs. Wilderness Inquiry was inspired and enabled by Will Steger's outdoor recreation community stewardship working in collaboration with Hamline's interdisciplinary CGEE programs.
External links
- Will Steger Foundation
- Will Steger's Website Expedition Journals
- Expanded biography (PDF - 3pp)
- Past Polar Explorer-in-Residence: National Geographic SocietyNational Geographic SocietyThe National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
- Biography and digital library
- Lindbergh Foundation 2006 Honorary Lindbergh Award
- Hamline University Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) program
- Discover Adventurers Ely, MinnesotaEly, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 3,724 people, 1,912 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,369.5 people per square mile . There were 1,912 housing units at an average density of 703.2 per square mile...
photos and profiles - Global Warming 101 An initiative of the Will Steger Foundation
- A feature article in Minneapolis's City Pages
- Public School Insights' Interview with Will Steger Posted April 15, 2008