Sitka Salmon Tours Staff
Director, Nicolaas Mink
Nic is your fearless tour guide and a specialist in local, national, and global food systems. He earned his PhD in history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where his research focused on the way that food choices transform natural environments. He has published widely on all aspects of the American food system, from immigrant cuisines and U.S. farm policy to fisheries and restaurant culture. His research, most recently, has been funded by the Smithsonian Institution and the Mellon Foundation. When not salmon touring, he spends his time cooking, fishing, camping, and teaching in the Environmental Studies Department at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Find out more about Nic here.
Sustainable Salmon Specialist, Helen Schnoes
Helen will guide you when Nic's away. She graduated in June 2011 from Knox College in Galesburg, IL with a BA in Creative Writing and Political Science and a passion for understanding food systems and sustainability. Last summer she worked with Nic to create the Sitka Salmon Tours educational walking tour program for SCS. Helen is excited to return this year to continue sharing with visitors the story of Tongass salmon. In addition to running the daily walking tour that guides guests through Sitka’s salmon fishery from forest to plate, Helen helps to coordinate community events relating to salmon education and outreach. This summer she will also serve as the volunteer Co-Coordinator of Education and Outreach for the Sitka Seafood Festival. In August she will commence a masters in City and Regional Planning at Cornell University focused on Sustainable Food Systems.
Sustainable Salmon Intern, Elizabeth Cockrell
Elizabeth graduated in June from Knox College, with a BA in environmental studies. She hails from Jacksonville, Illinois, and as an undergraduate she pursued her interests in the overlap between environmental, social, and economic issues. Elizabeth spent last summer in an internship with the U.S. Forest Service and the Sitka Conservation Society in Southeast Alaska and is excited to return to Southeast. She plans to pursue a career doing habitat restoration and sees her internship with the SCS as a way to share her knowledge about the importance of salmon habitat restoration work in the Tongass National Forest.
Fisheries Consultant, Marsh Skeele
Marsh is a second-generation fisherman born and raised in Sitka and Port Alexander, Alaska. He grew up fishing Southeast Alaska's pristine waters with his father, and now fishes his own salmon troller, the F/V Loon. Marsh will be providing insight and insider knowledge of Sitka's salmon fisheries that only a fisherman could offer. During his time away from fishing, he enjoys gathering wild edibles and exploring the water's surrounding the Tongass by surfboard, kayak, and commercial fishing vessel.
