Jon Bowermaster facts for kids

Jon Bowermaster (born June 29, 1954) is an amazing explorer, writer, and filmmaker. He knows a lot about our planet's oceans. National Geographic even calls him an 'Ocean Hero'!

Jon has received special grants from the National Geographic Expeditions Council six times. His first big job for National Geographic Magazine was to write about a super long trip across Antarctica. This journey was over 3,700 miles long and done by dogsled!

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

From 1999 to 2008, Jon led a huge project called Oceans 8. He and his teams traveled around the world in sea kayaks. They visited places from the Aleutian Islands to French Polynesia and Gabon to Tasmania. Their goal was to report on how the world's oceans and coastlines are doing. This project also became an eight-part TV series for the National Geographic Channel.

For the past few years, Jon and his team have focused on Hudson River Stories. This is a series of short films about the Hudson River Valley in New York. The films explore both the environmental challenges and hopes for this important river.

Jon is a Visiting Lecturer at Bard College, where he teaches about the environment. 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.

Jon's Early Life and School

Jon was born in Normal, Illinois, in 1954. He grew up in the suburbs near Chicago and Rockford, Illinois.

He went to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. While he was a student, he worked at a newspaper called the Des Moines Register. Jon earned his journalism degree in 1976. In 1977, he received his master's degree in public affairs reporting from American University in Washington, D.C.

Jon's Career Journey

Starting Out as a Writer

After finishing school, Jon moved to New York City to work for New Times magazine. Later, he went back to Iowa and helped start a weekly newspaper called The Daily Planet.

While living in Iowa from 1977 to 1984, he wrote his first book. It was called Governor: An Oral Biography of Robert D. Ray. He also worked in the film business, making industrial films and TV commercials. He even made 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 Big Adventure with National Geographic

In 1986, Jon became friends with Will Steger, a polar explorer. Will had just returned from an amazing dogsled trip to the North Pole. Will introduced Jon to editors at National Geographic Magazine.

They asked Jon to cover Will Steger's next big adventure. This was a seven-month-long trip across Antarctica by dogsled in 1989–1990. This was Jon's first assignment for National Geographic.

Exploring the World with OCEANS 8

From 1998 to 2008, Jon led his amazing OCEANS 8 project. This involved many expeditions to explore the world's oceans from a sea kayak. Jon and his teams included top photographers, filmmakers, and scientists. They reached parts of the world that are rarely seen.

The National Geographic Expeditions Council and other companies helped fund these trips. Jon's dream was to visit all seven continents, plus Oceania. The project included eight adventures.

Jon and his teams traveled to the Aleutian Islands and down the coast of Vietnam. They explored the Tuamotu Atolls in French Polynesia. They also crossed the high plains of Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. They paddled along the wild coastline of Gabon in West Africa. Jon explored Croatia's Dalmatian Coast and visited Tasmania in 2006.

In February 2008, Jon and his team finished their last trip. This was along the Antarctic Peninsula. Stories from each OCEANS 8 expedition became books, magazine articles, lectures, and TV shows. They also created educational materials for the National Geographic Society.

Jon's Love for Antarctica

After his first trip to Antarctica with Will Steger, Jon fell in love with the continent. He has returned many times since then. He has explored both the cold interior and the 600-mile-long Peninsula.

In 2008, Jon finished his OCEANS 8 project with a trip to the Larsen Ice Shelf and the Antarctic Peninsula. This trip became his 2009 film, TERRA ANTARCTICA: Rediscovering the Seventh Continent. The film shows Jon exploring the Peninsula by sea kayak, on foot, and by small plane. It won the "Best Ocean Issues" film award 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 in New York, where Jon has lived for more than thirty years. The Hudson River Stories project shows Jon's dedication to sharing 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. The Hudson River is its main attraction. Some people call it America's First River.

At first, the Hudson River Stories focused on environmental dangers. These included oil trains, a nuclear power plant, and pollution from PCBs. PCBs harmed the river and stopped fishing. But the project slowly started to tell more hopeful stories. These included efforts to save Native American corn and the work of Pete Seeger's "Clearwater" boat. They also showed how removing dams helped 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. They discuss "green" issues. Guests have included Bill McKibben, Carl Safina, and Rep. Antonio Delgado. You can find past conversations here.

Awards and Special Grants

Jon Bowermaster has received many awards and grants for his work:

• 2019: "Ghost Fleet" won Best Activist Documentary and Audience Award at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival Amsterdam.
• 2019: "Ghost Fleet" won Best 'People and Oceans' Film at World Wildlife Day Living Oceans.
• 2019: "Ghost Fleet" won 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.
• 2017: "Restoring the Clearwater" won Award of Excellence from Best Shorts.
• 2016: "Dear President Obama" won the Humanitarian Award Grand Prize at the Accolade Global Film Competition.
• 2014: "Antarctica, On the Edge" won Best Exploration and Innovation at the Blue Ocean Festival.
• 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.
• 2007: "OCEANS 8" won Best Oceans Series at the Santa Barbara Ocean 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

• Ghost Fleet VR, 2019
• Ghost Fleet, 2018
• Hudson River Stories
  • The Hudson, A River At Risk, 2014–2016
    • 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
    • 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
  • 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 has given many talks and lectures around the world. He shares his adventures and knowledge about the environment. Some places he has spoken include:

• National Geographic Live!, Washington D.C. (many times from 2000-2017)
• National Geographic Society "Quest for Adventure" Lecture (2001, 2002, 2004, 2008), Washington, D.C.
• Royal Geographical Society, London
• Princeton University
• Yale University
• The Explorer's Club, New York City (many times from 2001-2019)
• 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