Q+A with Earth Parade: Living and Learning Wild in Alaska

When I married into a third-generation Alaskan salmon family, it became evident that my own life would intensely intertwine with the cycles of the salmon runs, the beat of the Alaskan seafood industry and the very unique ethos of the Alaskan spirit. 

But what I didn’t see coming was the fact that the very family in which I was raised would also forge their own profound connection to so much of the above. As you may know, I have written here recently about my father’s own angler roots — but this week I’d like to share more about my sister Dana, who has embarked on an immersive odyssey of exploration with her husband Jaron and their three beautiful children, with Alaska serving as one of their key destinations.

Under the moniker of Earth Parade, Dana, Jaron and family have decided to travel the world for one whole year, in the process homeschool their children, and utilize the experience of the sojourn and the many locations that they visit as a moving, living classroom. 

Their journey began in July when they packed up their house in Miami, loaded up their Airstream and drove it all the way to Alaska — in the course of four weeks! — where they met Arron (WAC founder + CEO) and myself to visit the coastal brown bears at Katmai National Park. There are so many reasons why I personally believe Alaska to be the perfect place for this family to kick off this monumental vision quest, but I’d rather you hear it from them. So, this week, it’s my pleasure to share with you a conversation with them about what they’re up to, and the role that Alaska plays in their odyssey.

And now, without further ado, my conversation with Dana and Jaron, my sister and brother-in-law, and the champions of Earth Parade:

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Briefly tell us what compelled you both to initiate Earth Parade?

Thank you, Monica, for the kind introduction. 

Growing up in South Florida, we have always felt this strong connection to nature. Or what’s left of it. We saw places where we used to play hide and seek as kids, now turned into shopping centers. We used to swim in the pristine Atlantic Ocean, teeming with bright, colorful reefs, but now so many of them are coral graveyards. At the same time, technology and social media have rapidly taken over our daily lives, with children spending so many of their waking hours on screens rather than playing outdoors. As parents to three young kids, we felt that we could no longer just look the other way.

We realized, as a family, when we spent six months living in La Tortuga (our Airstream travel trailer) with two very small kids during COVID, there’s a magic that happens whenever we put our devices away and go into nature. We bond as a family! We fall in love with nature all over again! We feel a sense of calm and reconnect with ourselves! We wondered if we could redesign our lives to have more of these experiences. To spend more time with our kids while they’re still young. Learn the stories of all these creatures who may not exist in a couple of decades while we collectively doomscroll. We looked around and decided that pulling our kids out of school and going in search of 73 threatened species in the world’s most beautiful, last remaining wild places might just be the sanest thing we could do.

Why 73?

According to the World Wildlife Fund‘s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2024, there has been a 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in just 50 years (1970-2020). When we read that metric, it just stuck with us. We couldn’t shake it. We don’t want our kids to inherit a world without wildlife and wild places, so we’re trying to raise awareness about these species by making the difficult attempt to see them, writing about our journey, and sharing their stories.

How does Alaska fit into the vision of your project?

Alaska is called the Last Frontier for a reason! It is one of the wildest places on Earth. There is so much protected land here that it is almost mind-boggling. And despite being so close to the pole, especially for us Floridians, it is remarkably so full of abundance and life. It has always been a dream to be in Alaska, and so we figured, why not drive 6,000 miles from the tropics to the tundra so we can meet our Alaskan relatives and spend a good chunk of time there in the (relative) comfort of our Airstream?

There were a few species we hoped to see along the way, and while in Alaska, we’re looking out for some highly threatened large marine mammals, such as sei whales and fin whales, which are the second-largest creatures on earth. We’re also hoping to encounter the endangered Western Steller Sea Lion population in the Kenai Fjords National Park.

What aspects of Alaska resonate with you?

Besides the abundance of drive-thru coffee and wooden face cutouts that our kids can stick their faces through? 

We appreciate the respect for nature that seems deeply embedded in the culture here. You don't see trash on the beaches, parks, or any of the trails. They are pristine and immaculate. The care people put into their goods and produce at farmers' markets. The pride they take in growing award-winning zucchinis and dahlias for the state fair. The way people still look you in the eyes and say hello. Now that we think of it, it kind of feels like our Tortuga is the DeLorean, and we’ve traveled back to the 1950s!

Despite being called the Last Frontier, the places we’ve visited so far feel like some of the most civilized cultures that we’ve encountered. The systems that have been put in place to protect what matters seem to be working. From the way they manage certain parks, such as Denali and Katmai, to reduce the human footprint while still allowing people to have remarkable wildlife experiences every year. Having spent some time in places around the world, where we witnessed the consequences of corruption and a lack of law and order on a fragile fishery, the contrast with Alaska could not be more stark. In Alaska, everyone must fish and hunt with a license. 

Speaking of fishing, our kids are obsessed, and it's been amazing to see how generous Alaskans and visitors to Alaska have been with their time to teach our kids about the rivers, different lures, and techniques like “flossing.” Our neighbor in a campground gave our son a special lure for catching Arctic grayling here on the Chena River. There is this ethos of generosity and wisdom transfer about nature that is so special.

Your family was one of the first to sign up for our membership, and we have a video of your oldest son (now 8) eating — and loving it! — sockeye salmon when he was about two years old. Tell me what it felt like to see him out on a salmon gillnetter in Bristol Bay this summer. Help me illustrate for our members what a full-circle moment that was.

Yes! We’ll never forget our son’s commercial debut! He started his wild salmon journey as soon as he could eat solid food. Ori still enjoys being the center of attention, and here he was on a sparkling day on Bristol Bay, with seals and gulls and even a lone beluga whale in the water. He was the lone deckhand responsible for getting all the salmon out of the nets. He learned the techniques for untangling them and grabbing them by the gills from his uncle Arron, which made it even more special. He loved every second of it and is still reminding us that he’s now a professional commercial fisherman, daily. 

I know we share the love of cooking, hosting and sharing delicious meals with our loved ones. How does wild Alaskan seafood play into this for you?

We’re not just saying this because you're our sister, we swear! Wild Alaskan salmon has been a staple in our family's meal rotation for the last six years. We eat wild Alaskan salmon at least once a week in our family, whether at home or on the road. It's actually a perfect food for Tortuga life as it comes in these storable packages. We cook it simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper just to bring out the intrinsic delicate flavors. Everyone enjoys Salmon Night, and Jaron and our youngest, Vivian, are usually fighting over who gets to eat the skins.

Finally, what lessons did Alaska teach to your family? 

Alaska is teaching us how much more there is to learn — coming from the tropics to the tundra. From palm trees to birch trees. From flat swamp lands to giant alpine mountains, from mangos to wild currants. The contrast between South Florida and South Central Alaska could not be more stark. We have been trying to just soak it all in, learning about reindeer, moose, muskox, and all these amazing animals that were once only in National Geographic magazine, but now we have the chance to see them in the wild. 

This voyage in Alaska has injected us with equal parts hope and gratitude. Seeing the abundance of salmon in Katmai National Park proved to us not only that the Alaskan model is working, but also that it may hold a hint of the solution for many other ecosystems around the world.  Like a breakfast buffet tray overflowing with buttermilk pancakes at Denny’s, the bears literally had too much salmon to choose from. The rivers turned nearly completely pink. It amazed us how resolute these older fish were to complete this last phase of their earthly journey, that they were leaping over waterfalls, seemingly eager to return their bodies to the natural system from which they came. This abundance proved to us that there is a better way for other wild ecosystems to balance the needs of humans and nature, which were once the same. Man is a part of nature. We have the right to fish for salmon, as long as we’re respecting the cycles and interconnectedness of nature. And this balance is what Alaska understands, taught us, and we hope will inspire the way things could work in other parts of the world, before it's too late. 

We’re beyond grateful for some of these priceless Alaskan bucket list experiences, and especially being able to share some of these moments with you guys and our extended family. We were fully aware of your ulterior motive for us to return often ;) And it worked! Alaska has emblazoned itself in our hearts for good, and we want to thank the Kallenbergs for hosting us and for leading us to some great adventures!

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How’s that for a jolt of Thursday inspiration? If you want to keep following the incredible journey of this incredible family, I invite you to subscribe to the Earth Parade substack and follow them on Instagram to watch them blaze a trail of shared experiences all over the world!

Live Wild!

Monica

Pictured above: A collage of Earth Parade in Alaska, featuring the family in front of La Tortuga, on the water, at the beach, and in the wild — a tapestry of joy, color, and experiences.