May 10, 2005

Editors Note: The Borealis Paddling Expedition was equipped with a TerraFix™ GPS 406 Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) manufactured by ACR Electronics in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Expedition crew member, Beth Halley, said her team appreciates the confidence and comfort that this state-of-the-art PLB offers them. ACR is the only way to go. It’s the best. The PLB is so vital and compact. With the internal GPS built in, they will know exactly where we are, Halley said.

Contact: Nina Emery
(860) 559-6775
borealispaddlingexpedition@yahoo.com

COLLEGE WOMEN TAKE ON 1200-MILE, 90-DAY CANOEING EXPEDITION 
Three-month journey to the Arctic Ocean will celebrate female leadership, raise money. 

This May the five women of the Borealis Paddling Expedition will undertake a 90-day journey to the Arctic Ocean to raise money for scholarships to Camp Manito-wish YMCA. Expedition members, Meg Casey, Nina Emery, Beth Halley, Karen Stanley and Emily Stirr, ages 21 to 23, plan to paddle and portage over 1,200 miles of remote Canadian rivers and lakes to reach Chantrey Inlet on the Arctic Ocean in late August. The mission of the expedition is to reinforce the traditions of strong female trip role models and to enable future campers of Camp Manito-wish YMCA to pursue similar experiences by raising financial assistance.

Meg Casey, 23, a native of Washburn, Wisc., graduated from St. Olaf College in 2004 with a degree in political science and environmental studies and now lives and works in Madison, Wisc. Beth Halley 23, from Milwaukee, Wisc. is a graduate of UW Madison¹s neurobiology program and also currently lives in Madison, Wisc. Nina Emery, 21, of Hartford, Conn. is finishing up her degree in philosophy and physics at Cornell University. Karen Stanley 22, Waukesha, Wisc. was a recreation management major at UW La Crosse, now living and working in Waukesha. Emily Stirr, 22, Madison, Wisc. took a degree in biology from the University of Puget Sound last fall and currently works in a UW Madison genetics lab.

The women of the Borealis Paddling Expedition met over a decade ago as campers at Camp Manito-wish YMCA. During their many years as campers and staff Manito-wish has provided these women with the framework to understand both themselves and their environment, and has instilled in them a passion for wilderness travel. In recognition of the role Manito-wish plays in the development of young female leaders, their vision has developed into a 90-day canoe expedition to the Arctic Ocean to raise money in support more of wilderness trips for other young people. The expedition members have set a goal of raising $50,000 to endow a fund that will provide a need-based scholarship for one deserving camper on a yearly basis. 

The Expedition will begin at Wollaston Lake in North Saskatchewan, a traditional starting point for Manito-wish trips. From there the women will follow three major waterways north: the Fond du Lac, Dubawnt and Back Rivers. This route will take them through the heart of the Barrens, one of the most remote areas of Canada. They hope to dedicate three days at the end of their journey to a service project in Gjoa Haven, the small Inuit village which is a two-day motorboat ride from Chantrey Inlet.

The Borealis Paddling Expedition is sponsored by ACR Electronics, Bell Canoes, Cook Custom Sewing, Sierra Designs, Eastern Mountain Sports, Kokatat, Nalgene, NRS, and a number of other outdoor gear, service and food companies. Articles about the team have appeared in the Isthmus paper in Madison, Wisc. and the County Journal in Bayfield, Wisc. Two members of the expedition were recently interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio and on Wisconsin Public Television. More information is available at the expedition website: www.borealispaddlingexpedition.com and a Q&A sheet is available upon request.