About Shelley Gill
Shelley Gill is in love with Alaska! She is the author of 25 children’s books celebrating the wilderness and stark beauty of the 49th State. An environmental activist and adventurer who has lived in Alaska 50 years, she was one of the first women to race in the Iditarod. She has worked as a humpback whale researcher in Prince William Sound for the last 30 years and has hung out with whales all over the world. Often during the coldest months in Alaska you'll find her in Baja Mexico riding with the vaqueros, or in Central America exploring ancient rain forests. She has sailed to Antarctica, danced with rockhopper penguins and flirted with fur seals. But whether she’s restoring coral reefs in Fiji or playing hide-and-seek with Maui dolphins in New Zealand, she inspires kids to dream big. She comes from a fishy family and spends a lot of her time in bear country. Gill visits schools all over the world and has spoken to more than 2 million students. Each summer she works as a naturalist aboard ships or goes fishing. This year she worked on a salmon tender in Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska.
Watch this video by Shelley Gill to learn a bit about who she is and why she likes to talk to kids.
- how she developed a taste for adventure
- how she became a children's book author
- why her approach is authentic
If you'd like your students to get a taste of what it's like to have an adventurous spirit while they learn about the environment at the same time, contact us about scheduling a visit from Shelley.