Will Steger

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Will Steger (born 1943 at Richfield, Minnesota) is a prominent spokesperson for the understanding and preservation of the Arctic and has led some of the most significant feats in dogsled exploration; 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 Environmental Education (CGEE)^[1] at Hamline University in 1991. During 1993 he founded the World School ^[2] at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).

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, and the National Geographic Society's First Explorer-in-Residence 1996. ^[3]

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

1 Past Explorer-in-Residence
2 National Scout Jamboree
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Past Explorer-in-Residence

Will Steger holds many job titles—educator, writer, photographer, and lecturer. But polar explorer is perhaps his best known and hardest-won. Steger first reached the North Pole 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 kayaked 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.

[edit] National Scout Jamboree

Will Steger provided mentorship for southern units at the National Scout jamboree 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.