Ekos Explorations came into being early in 2016 as a sole proprietorship of Rick Searle.
It’s mission is to create tours and travel experiences for people who love to learn while having fun. In particular, Ekos Explorations seeks to attract and serve individuals and groups who are interested in learning about natural world and our species relationship with it. The end goal or vision is the advancement of responsible and ethical behaviours that protect and restore the planet.
The roots of Ekos Explorations can be traced back to early childhood walks with his grandfather. His maternal grandparents lived on the edge of Riding Mountain National Park in southwestern Manitoba. Mostly following faint trails made by the wild denizens of the park, Rick and his grandfather explored the dense aspen and spruce forests for hours on end.
It was during these ramblings that Rick first experienced what it was like to have a guide. Not only did his grandfather know how to find their way safely through the forests and around the swamps, but he also opened Rick’s eyes to the workings of the natural world. From his grandfather, he learned how to read the tracks left in mud and snow, how to call in chickadees and other small birds, or how to tell direction by the white powdery bloom that grows on the south side of the aspen. Not surprisingly, through these experiences, a deep sense of connection with the natural world took root and grew strong.
Nearly a decade and a half later, after completing his first year of university, Rick landed his first professional job as a park naturalist working in Riding Mountain National Park. In this role, he got to do as his grandfather had done with him. He led school groups and visitors into the park to experience and learn about it’s ecosystems first-hand.
After working as a naturalist/interpreter for Parks Canada and Manitoba Provincial Parks from 1972 - 1983, Rick decided to return to university to pursue a graduate degree in geography. Upon graduating, he launched a consulting practice mostly serving park and protected area agencies in the areas of biophysical inventories, management plans, interpretive plans and programs and the like.
While visiting a friend on campus who was still completing his PhD, Rick was offered the opportunity to teach undergraduate classes in the Department of Geography. Thus began nearly twenty years of post-graduate teaching during which he led numerous multi-day field trips for groups of students.
Approaching the age when many of his friends were retiring, Rick realized he wasn’t ready to put up his feet or take up golf or gardening to fill the hours. Instead he wanted to remain productive and continue to do what he could to help with the protection and restoration of the planet. Climate change and the loss of wild biodiversity weighed heavily on him. What was he to do next?
After much soul-searching and trying different things out, he decided to focus on the very thing his career had begun with: guiding. To his surprise and delight, he found he had come full circle. And so Ekos Explorations was born!
As mentioned under the various services he offers, over the past three years, Rick has had the privilege of working with some of the best travel companies in the US and Canada, including Road Scholar, Orbridge, Maple Leaf Adventures and Mile Zero Tours. He has led their guests to such places as the Yukon, Northwest Territories, the Arctic, Haida Gwaii, and the Canadian Rockies.
During the off-season, Rick has provided guided bus tours and presentations to residents in retirement residences in Greater Victoria including Carlton House of Oak Bay, the Kensington, Ross Place, Parkwood Place, and the Wellington.
