Our leaders are our most important resource. Their knowledge is wide and diverse; the sort that doesn’t usually make it into the travel information books – unless one of them is writing the book! Expect a fun and remarkable local host for your vacation.
Newfoundland and Labrador presents dozens of logistical challenges for anybody coordinating a tour or learning holiday. There are travel routes without public washrooms or other basic services; yet these areas feature sites of international significance and world-class life experiences. Sometimes, these remote locations even lack the support of a simple plaque or sign!
Wildland Tours’ years of experience has allowed us to connect to many vital resource people around the province as well – whether it be someone with a good well, willing to provide visitors with a clean washroom or a retired fisherman who protects the “secret” nesting site of an endangered bird. Other important connections are associated with our parks, museums, ecological reserves, and other protected areas. Every year our leaders and guests make new discoveries and contributions and Wildland Tours’ knowledge base expands.
Jane Smith Parsons’ passion to share her knowledge about all things Newfoundland and Labrador with every guest she meets comes from her travels and work experiences around the province, diverse career, and educational background. She is proud to sometimes be referred to as the ‘Forrest Gump’ of tourism. Her love of nature began at a very early age as a Brownie when her Girl Guide leaders would take her on outdoor excursions. The first time she unrolled a leaf and found a caterpillar inside, she was hooked! Jane became a Scout leader at the age of sixteen and has mentored all ages in many areas through the years in cultural, geological and natural history; whether it be while she was a park naturalist, an environmental educator, a post secondary instructor, a community engagement officer, a volunteer, and more. Jane learned the love of birding from some of the best when she would open the gates of the Memorial University Botanical Garden two hours ahead of her scheduled shift every Sunday. She later had the first definitive sighting for the very rare Rufous Hummingbird and the very rare Harris Sparrow in the province.
Jane is a true naturalist; a lover and broad knowledge of all things. Trees and plant identification are her true passion, probably because of her forestry training; she loves bugs, fish, and critters of all kinds. As an avid gardener, with butterfly gardening being her obsession, Jane knows the importance of planting stinging nettle in the back of the flower beds and fights to not mow the dandelions! She grew up on the beach overlooking Conception Bay and so needs no introduction to beach combing and the wonders of the oceans and all that resides there. She has studied and worked with freshwater riparian systems as well. One of Jane's many exciting passion point for Newfoundland and Labrador was when UNESCO Heritage Site status was achieved for Mistaken Point on July 17th, 2016 for which she had served as Community Engagement Officer in pursuing the ‘criterion viii’ designation; no coincidence the date was one of her five sons’ birthdays! In the winter months you will find Jane and her husband Craig travelling whenever/wherever possible, and enjoying life with their family and friends.
Writer, media expert and travel guide, Susan Flanagan knows Newfoundland and Labrador. Fluent in both French and English, Susan has been providing bilingual tours in the province for more than three decades. She began her guiding career in Quebec City in 1985-6 and returned to The Rock in 1987 to guide at L’Anse aux Meadows and Cape Spear National Historic Sites. In 1995, Susan began her own company specializing in tours, motivational speaking and corporate relocations. She has led numerous groups for Wildland Tours taking groups of folks around the province sharing informative stories and personal experiences of living in this unique part of the world.
Her formal training as a journalist (BJ, King’s College, NS, 1991) has led to interesting forays in TV, radio and print. Her written works have appeared in Canadian Geographic and National Geographic (maps), among others. Susan has also been involved in offshore emergency response exercises since 1995, coordinating mock disasters and training senior managers in communications.
For the past fifteen years, Stewart has been passionate about “sharing” the story of Newfoundland and Labrador with his Wildland Tours' guests. He is a retired geologist with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Stewart is quick to say that he is very fortunate that his work experience took him to many isolated and quaint locations around the province, all the whilst learning about the natural and cultural histories of this unique corner of the globe, in addition to the geological history.
Stewart is a transplanted Scotsman who has called Newfoundland and Labrador home for 40 years. He is an avid fly fisher, skier, and sometimes hockey player. Married and father of three, Stewart resides in Pasadena on the island of Newfoundland’s beautiful west coast. He is always eager to meet guests from all over the world and to pass on his knowledge of the history and culture of this beautiful province! Stewart always has a story to share no matter what part of our home you are visiting!
