Nature photographer and paddler Stephen Thomas presents a program about his adventures photographing wildlife along the Fox River.
A retired biology, general science, physical science teacher, Stephen incorporated a photographic component into all of his teaching experiences.

His beautiful cards are for sale at the center. The program is free but donations are gratefully accepted.

Register here

Steve grew up in Buffalo, NY. His dad gave him his first camera when he was 7 or 8 years old.  He still has it, a KODAK Brownie.   His brother handed down his Mamiya Sekor SLR film camera when Steve went away to graduate school, and he has been taking pictures ever since.

A retired biology, general science, physical science teacher, Steve incorporated a photographic component into all of his teaching experiences. One of his most recent experiences was when he taught a portrait class at North Cook Young Adult Academy, where they went to area Senior Centers, set up a “studio,” and made portraits of the residents.

His love of the outdoors came into play in Outward Bound United States and Canada where he trained staff, led, and oversaw wilderness adventure education programs for adolescents, adults, and corporate teams.

When Steve was working at a New Hampshire boarding school, he spent an exciting year with eight senior high school students and two instructors, crossing the country in a 15-passenger van, combining adventure (kayaking, rock climbing, etc.), service (living with a Navajo family to help with farm chores), and academics (English, history, science). He also administered and provided multi-day environmental education programs to K-12 students.

Over the years, he has been involved with a number of other activities seasonally:  National Parks Service (Colorado), Bureau of Land Management (Alaska), Massachusetts Audubon Society (setting up a Nature Center on Cape Cod).