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Robin TapleyRobin Tapley has been called Father Nature and and Muskoka's Nature Nut just to name a few of the nicknames he's earned through years of interacting with the natural world on an increasingly profound level. If your mind's eye delivered a mental picture of a wild mountain man or a mad scientist type, it's in for an adjustment. Robin interacts as well with those who stand on two feet as he does with four-footed and winged creatures. Robin's twin passions are nature and the sharing of his knowledge with those who are eager to learn its mysteries. Passion is contagious: an afternoon at a beaver pond or in a wildflower meadow brings out the inner child in the most stoic of individuals. It also creates a desire to know more. One outing with Robin is often the precursor to many more. Robin "walks the talk" in that his personal life and business life can hardly be separated. As dad to three tow-headed boys and husband to Sue, family photos show the Tapley crew engaged in one adventure after another. Robin's energy is palpable and his boys have inherited his go, go, go gene. When they've had enough, these tough little troopers don't whine, they just curl up in a sleeping bag and crash in the bottom of a canoe or at the base of a research-grade telescope. Mother Nature (AKA Sue Tapley) is the quiet strength who keeps Robin and their boys safe, fed and with at least one foot solidly in the here and now. "Sue is our rock and the heart at the center of our family. Not too many other women could put up with my wanderlust and gifts that focus on the practical." Robin grins, "Our honeymoon was spent biking and camping through the Netherlands. No five-star hotels for this guy. How would you see the stars from a hotel room?" Even Robin needs an escape now and then. A sleep-aboard sailboat on Georgian Bay fills the bill and Robin is fast turning his family into sailors as well as nature nuts. Tapley considers himself to be a lucky man who was able to turn his many hobbies into a job. What he doesn't say is that doing it took ingenuity, foresight, and an innate ability to inspire people. Lots of people wish they could convert a love of painting into ownership of a gallery or a coffee habit into a wildly successful café but few do it. Robin's talent to identify and develop synergies between projects and people allowed him to create an enviable business, professional and family life. It's something that should be bottled and shared. His interest in nature began when he roamed the family property in Muskoka's magnificent Lake of Bays as a child. Robin developed the interest further by studying Business and Tourism at Georgian College. He followed that up with the acquisition of a string of credits from Cornell University's ornithology department. Even twenty years ago, Robin had an inkling that eco-tourism was about to become the next big thing and he gambled that an interest in nature - once awakened - would prevail. He was right. As an archery instructor at the fabled Minaki Lodge, new graduate Robin took guests out on impromptu forays into the wilderness. That was followed by a three-year stint as Program Director at Wye Marsh: there he developed wetland environmental programs and hired and trained naturalists and volunteers. By this time, others were on the edge of discovering the eco-tourism boom and it was here that Robin met the Resort GM who hired him to develop the Nature Trails Program at Grandview Resort. That program progressed from Robin leading every one of the nature-based activities himself, to being the Executive Director, Naturalist & Astronomer for three Delta Muskoka Resorts. Robin is still out in the field every day. "It would be my worst nightmare to become such a success that I relegated myself to solely being an administrator" says Robin. Tapley's credits are almost too many to fully explore. He's a bush pilot, self-taught astronomer, and ornithologist. As the Nature Trails Director, Robin designed and facilitated the construction of the Echo Valley Observatory where he is the Project Manager. He then trained staff and volunteers to operate it. Let's add Corporate Fundraiser to Robin's well-honed skill set! He also corralled corporate funding to build and support the facility. The observatory is the first in North America to be resort-based and yet still have great credibility in the scientific realm. By adding astronomy to the nature mix, Robin now has his head in the clouds by night while fixating carefully on the interconnecting web of life at ground level, by day. Words like nebula, galaxies and the decline of the solar system are just some of the topics that may be covered in an Ôanything but dull' lecture. There is no 'finished' with Robin Tapley. Using existing programs and then creating synergies between them, Robin partnered with Algonquin Park and the Harkness Laboratory of Fisheries Research to establish Nature Trails Citizens for Wildlife Research outreach programs. It's a unique hands-on learning experience for nature lovers in the general public - a sort of scientist-for-a-day experience. The data collected includes lake trout telemetry, seine netting, water quality testing, water bird survey, invasive plant survey and many other collection devices relating to the Opeongo watershed in Algonquin Park. On his vacation time, Robin is a National and International Expedition Leader. Eco-tourism or nature-based tourism is hardly unique to Canada. Robin calls it, "The fastest growing segment of the travel industry worldwide. I can't help but be proud and excited that I was leading green adventure treks over twenty years ago, well before they became hot." Working closely with local experts and communities, Robin leads excursions to the Yukon, Antarctica, the Galapagos and Costa Rica. In addition to many other Canadian destinations, he was the Newfoundland Circumnavigation Expedition Guide in 2003. In the interest of spreading the word on the importance of treading lightly on our under-attack planet, Robin lends his expertise to many programs as an Environmental Consultant. He's worked with the Canadian Wildlife Service, The Tourism Company, Land of Lakes Tourism Association, and the Canadian Tourism Commission. In addition to developing educational materials and wetland inventories, Robin is a sought-after speaker on the lecture circuit. Tapley is also a generous volunteer and has served a Resource Expert to various cottage associations, the Woodland Heights Wildlife Sanctuary Project, the Algonquin Forestry Authority, Muskoka Watershed Management Group and Ontario Tourism's Marketing Partnership Corporation. Given Tapley's accomplishments thus far, plus his many ongoing projects, one might think that Robin has done it all. He has certainly earned the right to rest on his laurels. However, as anyone who knows him can attest, that's not very likely in the case of this energetic 42 year-old. In fact, he's probably barely warmed up. |
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Photo Credits: Rob Stimpson and Robert Taylor |