Born in Southern Ontario, Gavan is a third-generation naturalist and a second-generation Quest tour leader. Growing up in Guelph, he attended the University of Guelph (BASc) and York University (MES) where he is currently completing a PhD in environmental education.
Some of Gavan's earliest memories involve birding with parents and grandparents. During his undergraduate degree, Gavan began working as an interpretive naturalist and moved to the Midland area after graduating to work as the Program Co-ordinator at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre. While working full-time on his graduate degrees in Toronto, Gavan has continued to interpret the natural world, teaching popular experiential Natural History courses in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. An overall goal in all of his work is to introduce others to the natural world and inspire life-long learning about it.
Gavan has extensive travel experience, including the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, Peru, North-Western Europe and many Provinces and States within North America. As a Quest leader since 2007, Gavan has lead groups through the Yukon Territory and State of Alaska. Mature and thoughtful, he employs his sense of humour to help make the best of any situation. With a passion for the natural world, Gavan sees his role as a Quest leader to share the interesting & unseen connections between the ecology, geology, birds, plants and animals of a region in addition to ensuring that participants have a safe and inspiring trip.
Currently living in Toronto with his wife and two Border Terriers, he spends his free-time photographing in the ravines around his house, and becoming an (even) better botanist.
Costa Rica
Nature's Tropical Treasure House
Length: 11 days
Start: San Jose, Costa Rica
Finish: San Jose, Costa Rica
The Best of Cuba
From the Vinales Valley to the Escambray Mountains
Length: 16 days
Start: Havana, Cuba
Finish: Havana, Cuba
