Eleanor was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Traveling with her family as a child cemented her wanderlust and drive for finding new places. Her love of exploration began early in life, leading family and friends through local woods and fields in search of undiscovered places.

Eleanor received her undergraduate degree from the University of Winnipeg with a dual major in biology and physical geography. Her undergraduate thesis examined reproductive strategies in violets. Afterwards, she moved on to graduate studies at the University of Alberta, researching treeline dynamics in the Churchill region.

In the process of her research, Eleanor became enthralled by the tundra and the organisms that live there, with a special fondness for mosses and liverworts. Eleanor currently pursues her love of small plants and wide open spaces by travelling and working in northern and prairie habitats. It’s not uncommon to find her hunched over a plant, peering through a hand lens.

When not on the tundra or examining microscopic features of plants (or both!), Eleanor can be found at home in rural Manitoba with her family and menagerie, which currently sits at two children, three dogs, three cats, two parrots and 18 cows—and one very tolerant husband.

Upcoming Adventures with Eleanor:
Northern Lights & Arctic Exploration
Iceland: Circling the Land of Fire & Ice

Praise from Nat Hab travelers:

J. Merck
"Eleanor is an extraordinary scientist and human being. She is thoughtful on environmental and social justice and gave us a grand introduction to First Nations and Metis culture. She was always enthusiastic and had a beautiful passion. My friends on the trip agree that we were so lucky to be in a small cohesive group with amazing access to presentations. She was a 10! Thank you for having this beautiful Canadian on your staff."

B. Koblitz
"Eleanor is wonderful! She is well equipped to lead a group expedition like the one we had. She is very knowledgeable, accommodating and enthusiastic. She helped me several times, answered all my questions and took very good care of everyone. She treated everyone with respect and patience. I loved learning about the culture of the north country through her."

J. Thomas
"Eleanor was amazing. Her knowledge, personality and flexibility were as breathtaking as the northern lights themselves."

B. Reichelt
"Eleanor was professional in all regards, considerate of individual needs, efficient in activities, flexible in plans and excellent in communication. She is among the top 1% of all guides that I have had the pleasure of being with in 50 years of international travel." 

J. Russell
"Eleanor was terrific and her knowledge spanned a myriad of subjects. There was always something to talk about. She was delightful with everyone—respectful, patient, kind and quietly confident. Her sense of humor was great. She was clear about directions and time and what was happening next, and had our safety at heart. I highly recommend her for any trip!"

F. Hessler
"What a wonderful person to have for our 'fearless leader' on this adventure. Her caring, compassionate, personable, knowledgeable, out-going nature made this trip even better than we could have imagined."

L. Schmid
"Nat Hab is fortunate to have Eleanor as an Expedition Leader! She is intelligent, compassionate, humorous and attentive to each participant. She is the perfect ambassador to your organization. She handled any problem that arose with grace and ingenuity, and her regard for each person made us feel like one big family. Eleanor, along with the incredible experiences we had, made this a wonderful trip!"

K. Greenfield
"I felt very comfortable with Eleanor from the beginning of the trip. She was extremely knowledgeable, attentive and always accessible for questions. She made the trip fun with her positive attitude. She was never fazed when something unscheduled happened, she just moved to plan B and made it work. I also felt her passion for the local people, wildlife and nature."

N. Andrews
"Eleanor can herd cats with the best of them! She was wonderful throughout the entire trip. She was perfect! She was an outstanding guide and manager of everything. Our trip was outstanding because of her efforts to make it so for everyone. Her knowledge across so many areas amazed us. Because of her we will adventure with Nat Hab again."

F. Davis
"Eleanor was an exceptional Expedition Leader all around. She had a tremendous knowledge on all animals and spent time with each of the guests. She balanced time on the Polar Rover where guests could sit in silence and contemplate their journey with time she would describe what we were seeing or fun facts about the animals. We heard nothing but good things from the rest of the group about her and her abilities. She was extremely well versed and composed in all situations."

D. Webster
Eleanor was really, really good! She went above and beyond, took time to get to know each of us, customized her feedback to our interests and more. She is EXCEPTIONAL!"

J. Drewett
"Eleanor was EXCEPTIONAL! Her knowledge and attention to details were above what we were expecting. Her knowledge of the area and the bears was exceptional, and if there was a question that she did not know the answer to she did the research and came back with the answer. We would book another excursion with Eleanor as the guide."