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About Slide Programs Since October 1995, more than 10,000 children and adults have attended my slide presentations about the Etowah River, Chattahoochee River and Appalachian Trail. These presentations, which incorporate music, dialogue and hundreds of images shot during my journeys are designed to educate, entertain and inspire. To arrange a slide presentation, use the feedback page to send an e-mail or call (706) 235-1170. Slide Shows for all Ages
This 30-minute program is a celebration of this unique family adventure and shares the trials, tribulations and triumphs of the journey. It also delves into issues facing residents of the fast-growing Etowah River Basin of North Central and Northwest Georgia, and gives a glimpse of the beauty and history surrounding this small river. During the program, the audience gains an understanding of the importance of the river to the area's economy and quality of life. We also introduce the audience to the many issues affecting the river--wastewater treatment, land development, dams and dredging for navigational purposes, as well as the politics that have set the Chattahoochee River at the center of a decade-long controversy between Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The program ends on an inspirational note, encouraging the audience to pursue their own personal dreams whatever they might be. It's a show for dreamers, nature lovers and everyone interested in our country's water resources  Living Waters Expedition--a
program for adults as well as high school and middle school students. The
35-minute Living Waters Expedition slide show tells the story of my and my
former wife’s unique 100-day, 540-mile journey down the
Chattahoochee River. In
it I share our experiences along the journey--everything from the pick up
driver who offered us a ride "because he wasn't doing anything but driving
around getting drunk anyway," to the wise woman on Lake Eufaula who told us,
"What's progress for some is destruction for others."  During the program, the audience gains an understanding of the importance of the river to the area's economy and quality of life. We also introduce the audience to the many issues affecting the river--wastewater treatment, land development, dams and dredging for navigational purposes, as well as the politics that have set the Chattahoochee River at the center of a decade-long controversy between Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The program ends on an inspirational note, encouraging the audience to pursue their own personal dreams whatever they might be. It's a show for dreamers, nature lovers and everyone interested in our country's water resources.
This 35-minute slide show is a compilation of more than ten years and 3,500 miles of backpacking and photography along the Appalachian Trail. It introduces the audience to the joys, beauty, pain, and humor that long-distance hikers encounter during their treks on the famous footpath. The audience meets many of the characters that, for one reason are another, set out to hike all or a portion of the AT--everyone from the 78-year-old who used the AT to hike more than 1200 miles to his 60th high school class reunion to the cancer patient who literally walked until his death. The audience also gets an intimate introduction to the natural beauty of the trail from Maine's craggy peaks to the moist, lush hollows of Georgia's Blue Ridge. The show celebrates the triumph of the human spirit, offers insight into the changes brought on by spending six months in the woods and attempts to explain the allure of long-distance, wilderness backpacking. It's a show for anyone--not just those interested in hiking the Appalachian Trail. Educational Programs for Kids
Drawing from experiences on the Etowah River and Chattahoochee River journeys, I show children how the activities we conduct on the land of our river basins (farming, forestry, land development, past industrial practices, etc.) have a direct impact on the quality of water in our rivers and streams. The program is part classroom lecture, part slide show, and part student/teacher participation. In one segment, a student volunteer wears a Velcro water droplet suit while the rest of the class follows this water droplet on its journey from the mountains to the sea. During the volunteer’s "journey" other students attach non-point source pollutants (pesticide spray cans, plastic bottles and other props) to the suit. Through this exercise students learn what non-point source pollution is and how they can prevent it.
I introduce them to the river, showing them how a tiny spring in the mountains grows to a mighty river and flows to the ocean. I explain how inhabitants of the area have used the river for thousands of years, and show them how the river now provides us with everything from drinking water to electricity to oysters. They learn about the animals that call the river home, and in an audience participation illustration, they learn the importance of our rivers, lakes and streams. The 35-minute program concludes with a "music video" that inspires children to explore the streams in their backyards and protect their neighborhood's water resources. The program makes an excellent companion to curriculum centered on water resources and geography such as adopt-a-stream and similar programs.
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Exploring the Etowah—the
story of an inspirational 26-day, 160-mile family canoe adventure down
Georgia’s Etowah River. Ever wondered what might happen if you put a
three-year-old in a canoe for a month? The show answers that question. In
April 2002, I, my three-year-old daughter Ramsey and her mother traveled the
length of the Etowah River from its beginning as a spring along the
Appalachian Trail to its end in the Northwest Georgia town of Rome.
Afoot on the Appalachian Trail--an educational,
inspirational and entertaining photographic journey on the Appalachian Trail
for all ages.
Non-point source Pollution Elementary Education Program—developed
in 2002 in cooperation with the Coosa River Basin Initiative, this program
introduces elementary school children to non-point source pollution,
currently the leading cause of water pollution in our nation.
An Introduction to the Chattahoochee River & Water Resources--an
educational program for children in grades K-5. Ever wondered what it'd be
like to spend 100 days on a river? In this program I tell children exactly
that.