Jon Bowermaster facts for kids

Jon Bowermaster, born on June 29, 1954, is an expert on oceans. He is also a journalist, author, and filmmaker. Jon is known for his adventures and has received six grants from the National Geographic Expeditions Council. He is even called one of National Geographic's 'Ocean Heroes'. His first big project for National Geographic Magazine was to write about a 3,741-mile trip across Antarctica by dogsled.

Jon has written eleven books and made over thirty documentary films. Some of his well-known films include Dear President Obama, Antarctica, on the Edge, After the Spill, and Ghost Fleet. He has also written for many popular magazines like The New York Times Magazine and Outside.

His "Oceans 8" project, supported by National Geographic, involved traveling around the world by sea kayak for ten years (1999–2008). He and his teams explored places from the Aleutian Islands to French Polynesia. They reported on how the world's ocean, its animals, and coastlines are doing today. This project also became an eight-part TV series for the National Geographic Channel.

For the past few years, Jon and his team at One Ocean Media Foundation have focused on Hudson River Stories. This is a series of short films about the Hudson River Valley in New York. The films show both the environmental risks and the hopes for this important river. The Hudson Valley is where the American environmental movement began.

Jon is a guest teacher at Bard College in the Environment and Urban Studies Department. He also hosts a weekly radio show and podcast called 'The Green Radio Hour with Jon Bowermaster' on Radio Kingston.

Jon lives in New York's Hudson Valley. He is the President of the One Ocean Media Foundation. He also leads the advisory board for Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation.

Jon's Early Life and Education

Jon Bowermaster was born in Normal, Illinois, in 1954. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and Rockford, Illinois. He later went to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. While there, he worked at the Des Moines Register newspaper for two years. He earned his bachelor's degree in journalism in 1976. In 1977, Jon received his master's degree in public affairs reporting from American University in Washington, D.C.

Jon's Career Journey

Starting His Career

After finishing graduate school, Jon moved to New York City. He worked for New Times magazine. Later, he returned to Iowa and helped start a weekly newspaper called The Daily Planet.

While living in Iowa from 1977 to 1984, Jon wrote his first book. It was about Governor Robert D. Ray. He also worked in the film business, making industrial films and TV commercials. He produced his first documentary films for Iowa Public Television.

In 1985, Jon moved back to New York. He became the managing editor of Record magazine, which was owned by Rolling Stone. From 1986 to 1998, he worked as a freelance writer. He wrote for many national and international magazines. These included The New York Times Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and Outside.

First National Geographic Project

In 1986, Jon became friends with Will Steger, a polar explorer. Will had just returned from a historic dogsled trip to the North Pole. Will introduced Jon to editors at National Geographic Magazine. They asked Jon to cover Will Steger's seven-month trip across Antarctica by dogsled. This expedition happened in 1989–1990.

Exploring the World with OCEANS 8

From 1998 to 2008, Jon led his OCEANS 8 project. This project involved many expeditions to explore the world's ocean by sea kayak. Jon and his teams included top photographers, filmmakers, scientists, and navigators. They reached parts of the world that are rarely seen. These trips were mainly paid for by grants from the National Geographic Expeditions Council.

Jon started the project hoping to visit all seven continents, plus Oceania. The project included eight adventures. Jon and his teams traveled to the Aleutian Islands, down the coast of Vietnam, and through the Tuamotu Atolls in French Polynesia. They also crossed the high plains of Bolivia/Chile/Argentina and explored the wild coast of Gabon in West Africa. Jon explored Croatia's Dalmatian Coast and visited Tasmania in 2006. In February 2008, Jon and his team finished the last trip of the 10-year project. This final journey was along the Antarctic Peninsula.

Stories from each OCEANS 8 trip became books, magazine articles, lectures, TV shows, and educational materials for the National Geographic Society.

Adventures in Antarctica

After Jon's first trip to Antarctica with Will Steger, he became very interested in the continent. He has returned many times since then. He has explored both the cold interior and the 600-mile Peninsula. In 2008, Jon finished his ten-year OCEANS 8 project with a trip to the Larsen Ice Shelf and the Antarctic Peninsula. This trip is the focus of his 2009 film, TERRA ANTARCTICA: Rediscovering the Seventh Continent. This hour-long film shows Jon exploring the Peninsula by sea kayak, on foot, and by small plane. It was named the best "Ocean Issues" film at the 2009 BLUE Ocean Film Festival.

Telling Stories of the Hudson River

Jon and his team at Oceans 8 Films have made over twenty short films. These films are about the Hudson Valley of New York, where Jon has lived for over thirty years. The Hudson River Stories project shows Jon's dedication to telling stories about his own community. These stories cover environmental, cultural, and political topics.

The Hudson Valley is known as the birthplace of the American environmental movement. Its main feature is the Hudson River, sometimes called America's First River. At first, the Hudson River Stories focused on environmental dangers. These included oil trains, a leaking nuclear power plant, and PCBs polluting the river. But the project slowly began to tell more hopeful stories. These include efforts to save Native American corn and a profile of Pete Seeger's "Clearwater." The "Clearwater" is an environmental education boat that celebrated its 50th anniversary. The films also show how removing dams on smaller rivers helps ecosystems return.

The Green Radio Hour

Since March 2018, Jon has hosted 'The Green Radio Hour with Jon Bowermaster'. This is a radio show and podcast. It is broadcast live on Radio Kingston every Sunday. Jon talks with environmentalists, writers, filmmakers, artists, and politicians from around the world. Their conversations focus on "green" or environmental issues. Guests have included Bill McKibben, Carl Safina, and State Senator Michelle Hinchey.

You can find links to the show's past conversations here.

Awards and Recognition

Jon's work has earned him many awards and grants:

• 2019: "Ghost Fleet" won Best Activist Documentary and Audience Award at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival Amsterdam.
• 2019: "Ghost Fleet" was named Best 'People and Oceans' Film at World Wildlife Day Living Oceans.
• 2019: "Ghost Fleet" received the Spirit of Activism Award at the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival.
• 2018: Received the Roger W. Mabie Award from the Hudson River Maritime Museum.
• 2018: Named Climate Change Champion by Food & Water Watch.
• 2018: "City on the Water" won Best Wild NY Film at the New York Wild Film Festival.
• 2017: "Restoring the Clearwater" received an Award of Excellence from Best Shorts.
• 2017: Received the Green Shovel Award from the Center of Discovery.
• 2017: "Restoring the Clearwater" won an Award of Excellence at the Impact Docs Awards.
• 2016: "Dear President Obama" won the Humanitarian Award and Grand Prize at the Accolade Global Film Competition.
• 2016: "Dear President Obama" also won an Award of Excellence at the Accolade Global Film Competition.
• 2016: "Dear President Obama" was a winner at IndieFest, also receiving a Humanitarian Award.
• 2016: "After the Spill" won an Award of Excellence at the Impact Docs Awards.
• 2014: "Antarctica, On the Edge" won Best Exploration and Innovation at the Blue Ocean Festival.
• 2014: Received the Keeper of the Catskills Award from Catskill Mountainkeeper.
• 2013: "Dear Governor Cuomo" won Best of Theme at the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival.
• 2011: "SoLa, Louisiana Water Stories" won Best of Festival at the CMS Vatavaran International Film Festival.
• 2009: "Terra Antarctica" won Best Ocean Issues Film at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival.
• 2008: Received Croatia's "Golden Pen" award.
• 2008: "Birthplace of the Winds" won Best Adventure Travel film at the Reel Paddling Film Festival.
• 2007: "OCEANS 8" won Best Oceans Series at the Santa Barbara Ocean Film Festival.
• 2007: "Terra Antarctica" won Best of Festival at the Vancouver Mountain Film Festival.
• 1999: Received the Lowell Thomas award for Environmental Reporting.
• 1998–2008: Received six grants from the National Geographic Expeditions Council.

Jon's Films

Here is a list of some of the films Jon Bowermaster has made:

• Ghost Fleet VR, 2019
• Ghost Fleet, 2018
• Hudson River Stories series:
  • The Hudson, A River At Risk, 2014–2016, including films like:
    • PCBs, A Toxic Legacy
    • A Pipeline Runs Through It
    • Anchors Away
    • Bomb Trains on the Hudson
    • The Long Shadow of Indian Point
    • A Bridge Over Troubled Waters
    • High Voltage / Dark Shadow
  • Hope on the Hudson, 2016–2018, including films like:
    • Seeds of Hope
    • City on the Water
    • Restoring the Clearwater
    • Growing with the Grain
    • Source to Sea
    • Undamming the Hudson
    • Keeping Carbon
    • Farmscape Ecology
    • The Wonder of the Bobolink
• Sink or Swim, 2015
• Dear President Obama, 2014
• Paradise is There, 2014
• Dear Governor Brown, 2014
• After the Spill, 2014
• Antarctica 3D: On the Edge, 2014
• Dear Governor Cuomo, 2012
• SoLA: A Louisiana Water Story, 2010
• TERRA ANTARCTICA, 2009
• What Would Darwin Think? Man Versus Nature, 2008
• Sea Kayaking Adventures, National Geographic Channel, 2004–2007, including:
  • Birthplace of the Winds: Sea Kayaking Alaska, 2006
  • The Lost Coast of Gabon: Sea Kayaking West Africa, 2006
  • Around Tasmania: Sea Kayaking Australia, 2006
  • Into the Altiplano Part 1: Sea Kayaking Argentina, Bolivia & Chile, 2006
  • Into the Altiplano Part 2: Sea Kayaking Argentina, Bolivia & Chile, 2006
  • Borderland: Sea Kayaking Croatia, 2006
  • A Slow Boat to Somewhere: Exploring French Polynesia, 2004
  • The Dangerous Archipelago: Sea Kayaking French Polynesia, 2004
• Descending the Dragon, National Geographic Explorer, 2002

Jon's Lectures and Talks

Jon Bowermaster has given many lectures and talks around the world, sharing his experiences and knowledge:

• National Geographic Live!, Washington D.C. (many times between 2000 and 2017)
• National Geographic Society "Quest for Adventure" Lecture (several times between 2001 and 2008), Washington, D.C.
• Royal Geographical Society, London
• Harvard Traveler's Club
• Princeton University
• Yale University
• The Explorer's Club, New York City (many times between 2001 and 2019)
• Commonwealth Club, San Francisco
• TEDxAlbany
• TEDxSchenectady
• Aspen Institute, Aspen, CO
• American Museum of Natural History "Polar Weekend," New York
• Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival, CA
• Santa Barbara Ocean Film Festival, Santa Barbara, CA
• Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, Banff, Canada
• Telluride Mountain Film Festival, Telluride, CO
• San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, San Francisco