There is something about being out in nature, alone, still, quiet, smelling the fresh air, hearing a Mourning Dove give its sad song on a warm summer afternoon. It is absolutely intoxicating. I wanted more—more birds, more hikes, more camping trips. So, I attended Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. They have a great Ecotourism program that is experience based. We spent three months in the Bahamas, went to Whitefish Point to help band birds, and went whitewater rafting in the Smokies. All of these things I loved. I also found that I loved sharing these experiences with other people, too. Watching a smile on the face of someone who is experiencing a lifelong dream, or an epic wildlife encounter, is as much fun to me as the experience itself. I ended up finishing my college career at the University of Idaho, where I studied Resource Recreation and Tourism.
Post college, I wandered, like a lot of the folks I knew at the time. I taught Environmental Education on the coast of North Carolina for two years. I moved back out west and led overnight kayak tours in the San Juan Islands in Washington. If you have never had a thirty-foot bull Orca swim three feet under your kayak, it’s a swim trunk changing experience! I settled in Seattle for a while, working for the outdoor retailer REI. They were a great company to work for. I eventually worked my way up into management and was promoted to the Kennewick, Washington store.
The east side of Washington is quite a bit different from the west side: cottonwoods, rattlesnakes, Sage Thrashers, and a very beautiful woman named Jennie. I was an active member of the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society. I would lead the monthly field trips on an island in the Columbia River. My friends were all women over the age of fifty; it was awesome. They decided I needed a girlfriend and introduced me to a woman who worked locally at McNary National Wildlife Refuge. She was doing invasive plant control, monitoring Burrowing Owls and Long-billed Curlews, and stealing my heart! We went on a night hike up Badger Mountain for our first date. That was around 16 years ago. We haven’t been apart since.
Longing for trees, rain, and four seasons, Jennie and I moved to the Great Smoky Mountains. Jennie took a job at the national park, and I helped open a new outdoor retail store in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee. While living there, we got married and started a family. Our son, Owen, was born in Knoxville. Shortly after Owen’s birth we relocated to Hendersonville, North Carolina. It was a great move. There is a lot more here for young families. We welcomed our daughter, Kelsey, two years later. We still live in a little brick house in Hendersonville. I love every minute of it.
I began guiding bird trips for a company based in Asheville near our home. It was a small company with a robust daytrip program and some longer tours. I fell in love with all aspects of the business. I was still managing our local gear shop at the time. It was becoming a little like work, so Jennie and I decided to go all in with guiding and do it full time. She was the office manager, and I was one of the lead guides. It was awesome. The experience we gained here was the catalyst for us to start our own guiding company, Carolina Nature Tours. One day a client of mine who had been on more than a few VENT trips mentioned that they may be looking for someone to fill a spot on the VENT team. One thing led to another, and I was sitting (virtually) in front of Victor Emanuel and Barry Lyon! Wow! How do you say no to that! They offered me a trial, and the rest is history. I am absolutely loving working here at VENT. The guides are true professionals, the clients are amazing—and so is the office staff! Having come from a company where we had to do everything, having an office support staff is luxurious.
I am here for as long as VENT will have me. Jennie, Owen, Kelsey, and I are content with our little slice of the American dream here in Hendersonville. Jennie and I are on the board of our local Audubon chapter, and I am on the board of the Carolina Bird Club. I also spend time on the environmental advisory committee for Henderson County. I am a lucky human.
I look forward to meeting all of you on a tour. We have a lot of fun, laughing, eating, and birding. What more could you ask for. See you all soon.
Good Birding!
Kevin Burke
