After graduating from the Honours Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Tourism and Bachelor of Arts, Geography double degree program in 1995 I went back to complete my Bachelor of Science, Natural Science (Honours) in 1996. I then was fortunate to be offered a job as a Recreation Therapist/Leisure Lifeskills Instructor at the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital. I continued to work in the Adult Mental Health with St. Joseph's Care Group in Community Mental Health Services. Knowing the benefits of leisure and recreation in holistic care and mental health I continue to advocate for clients, families and the recreation profession.

I remained in Thunder Bay (loving the outdoors) and was married in 2000. I now have 2 active and truly enjoyable little boys (ages 6 & 3) and am currently completing my Masters in Environmental Studies, Nature Based Recreation and Tourism in the ORPT Lakehead U program. Participation in outdoor activities with my family, school and work certainly keep me busy, but I love every moment.

The ORPT program has been beneficial through the skills that I have acquired in critical thinking, writing, research, and practical skills in outdoor recreation and leisure activities. The ORPT program is balanced in practical and technical skills learning as well as academic and educational learning. The academic portion of the program has given me the foundation for research, report and proposal writing, and maintaining best practices in therapeutic recreation. The skills and philosophies that are taught have formed and enhanced my career and life.

• R/TRO
• HBOR
• BA Geog
• BSc Nat.Sci. (Hons)
• MES-NBRT Candidate

I consider myself an avid adventurer… I am always in the midst of some adventure or indulging in the planning for the next… I grew up in southern Ontario in a town called Dundas just outside of Hamilton. I got introduced to the outdoors from camping trips with my family in the Algonquin Park area and then later through scouts. These experiences inspired me to go to Lakehead University in Thunder Bay Ontario on the shores of Lake Superior, here I completed a double degree program in Geography and Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism.

I had previously worked guiding canoe trips at a few different summer camps but soon got involved with Outward Bound Canada by working with their youth program in Burks Falls, Ontario and then participating in an extended expeditionary course on the Sunshine Coast and Coast Mountains of British Columbia. I then knew I wanted to work in the field of outdoor education so i started building more experience. I then spent a summer guiding sea kayak trips on the north shore of Lake Superior in the town of Rossport, Ontario. Here I lived the summer in a trailer with no power and no running water in a town of no more than 100 people with no one my age around. This allowed for me to spend a lot of time solo paddling around the islands off the coast of Lake Superior and I became intimately connected to this part of the world. This strong connection had stuck with me through the next year even after a few personal paddling trips on the west coast of Vancouver Island and a season of instructing with Outward Bound USA in Washington.

I didn't quite know where or what i wanted to do but had this vision to conduct a very long sea kayak expedition on Lake Superior. With the announcement of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area (LSNMCA) in the fall of 2007 i knew that this was my opportunity. I then came together with my two good friends Jessica Johnson and Aaron Nicholson and made it happen. We planned and organized a 50 day sea kayak research expedition into the LSNMCA, an area that can be paddled comfortably in a week. Spending this extended period of time paddling the vast majority of shoreline and islands let us become even more connected, meet many locals, and record invaluable information about levels of human use, coastal sensitivity, and risk management. Since then i remain intimately connected and dedicated to the protection of this area.

To learn more about Zachary, his adventures, pursuits, and experiences, please visit his website: http://www.zackkruzins.com