Jason Kelley

Jason grew up traveling with his oceanographer father and biologist mother, both of whom worked with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic.  This led him to a job as a Zodiac driver while still a teenager.  After receiving a degree in geology from San Francisco State University, concentrating on unique sedimentary structures in the coastal range of Northern California, he went to work for the U.S. Geological Survey in their National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Laboratory (NEHRL).

The NEHRL works to mitigate the effects of earthquake hazards and better anticipate these dangers—his work at the survey took him to many parts of the western U.S. doing seismic instrumentation arrays.  Jason also consulted with Global Positioning System technology developer Ashtech, helping create new guidance and navigation technologies.

The sea and ship travel called him back to Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic soon enough, however, and he returned as a naturalist.  Jason has led hiking, mountain biking, and backpacking groups to many national parks and preserves in both North and South America including:  Denali, Yellowstone, Mt. Rainer, Death Valley, Yosemite, Tierra Del Fuego and Torres Del Paine.

He splits his work time between leading trips on itineraries to Alaska, the Columbia River, and Baja California Mexico and being a naturalist in Europe, the Arctic, South America, and Antarctica.