Will James- Head Guide, Manager
I obtained two B.A. degrees in Economics and Environmental Studies from Emory University in 2001. These degrees give me a broad framework of knowledge that makes me the ideal individual to start, manage, and run S.E.E. My education in Economics allows me to understand the business from a mathematical perspective both within the company itself as well as how this firm will fit into its industry and how it can be marketed at large. My education in Environmental Studies and my post-graduate coursework in Biological and Earth Sciences allow me to speak with confidence to my guests about the natural world and environmental issues they will encounter on the tours. It also allows me to run this business in an environmentally responsible manner. I understand the importance of outdoor experience and education in the larger context of environmental progress in our society. UPDATE: I am now a Wilderness First Responder.
In addition to education I have considerable experience in many areas that have proven invaluable in starting and conducting this business. As a child I spent countless hours hunting and fishing with my father Alton. Without Dad I would never have developed the passion for the outdoors I have today! Thanks Dad! Before graduation from Emory, I participated in a field study in Southern Africa as a part of my Environmental Studies degree. It consisted of six weeks of extensive overland touring with two incredible guides, Jonathan Leach and Jacques Van Wyk. Thanks fellas! Through them I learned how tours like the ones I conduct with S.E.E. are run. I also learned about international environmental issues and was awe inspired by the wonders of wild Africa. All these experiences combined have ignited a passion within me to share these things with others. I believe that the desert southwest of the United States has so much to offer. In Mobile, AL, my hometown, I worked as a tour guide and airboat captain for Tensaw Eco-Tours (now defunct). I also worked for Spoke "N" Trail, an outdoor equipment store, which has given me an intimate knowledge of the varied equipment I use in this business on a daily basis. In Las Vegas, I used to work for another prominent day tour company as a tour guide and now manage and guide for S.E.E. Working for S.E.E. has given me great knowledge of the Las Vegas area and tour locales. It also has given me extensive knowledge of overland touring and its logistics, as well as, the market in which this industry operates.
Most importantly through the years I've learned how to be a great tour guide. I've learned how to relate with people of all types and backgrounds, how to present large amounts of information in concise, fluid ways, how to encourage people to learn and participate in the experience in a way that broadens their perspectives on nature and the environment, how to handle conflict, and much more.
Robert Spurlock, Extraordinary Guide, Nevada Naturalist, Decades of Experience
