Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho were the first two women to paddle the 2,000 miles from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in 2011, following Eric Sevareid's route from Canoeing With the Cree.

Natalie is currently giving presentations about her and Ann's expedition. Past presentations include Canoecopia, REI, St.Olaf College, Princeton University, the University of Maryland, and for CURE Minnesota's annual conference (300+ people). She and Ann were nominated for Canoe & Kayak's 2012 Expedition of the Year and were written about in Outside Magazine, Canoe&Kayak, and the Star Tribune. Here is their Hudson Bay Bound Blog, which has over 40,000 views. The skills they acquired from planning and executing this trip prepared Natalie to start Wild River Academy. 

The goal of the presentation is to encourage people to pursue their passions, resulting in greater opportunities for themselves and their communities. The presentation consists of the following elements, strung together with adventure stories and anecdotes. 

• Agricultural observations along the Minnesota River
• Lack of buffer zones
• Pesticides, water quality, and environmental issues
• Tiling practices
• Small town speculations
• Strong farm communities turned to ghost towns
• Relationships with the waterways
• Non-Profits in rural Minnesota
•  Paddling Lake Winnipeg
• Fires, water levels (Manitoba Hydro), and weather systems
• Windbound days -- lessons in patience and conflict resolution
• Northern lights and wildlife encounters
• Cree Reservations
• Food access issues
• Unemployment and welfare
• Picking up a dog from Norway House
• The Hayes River 
• Whitewater and isolation
• Overcoming fears in Polar Bear Country
• Realizing physical and emotional strengths
• York Factory
• Old Hudson Bay Trading community
• Land erosion along the Bay
• Conceptualizing the end of a dream
• Reflection
• Women's empowerment
• Power of community
• Pursue passions and take risks - what's the worst that could happen?
• Robert Bly poetry reading - The Man Who Wanted to Live his Life Over

The presentation runs from 65 - 80 minutes. Price varies depending on venue and distance.

Please email Natalie at Hudsonbaybound@gmail.com to book a presentation for your institution. 

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