Meet the Team
Phoenix Lester Co-Founder and Director
Phoenix grew up on the Welsh borders where he developed an early passion in the natural world. He has a particular interest in restoring biodiversity in productive landscapes, blurring the boundaries between nature and modern society.
After studying Conservation Biology and Ecology at the University of Exeter in Cornwall he has continued to nurture his passion for the outdoors and conservation, from renovating a wooden sailboat and sailing to Scotland, to tracking bonobos for a year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He now applies himself to rewilding initiatives in the UK, and continues to develop his outdoor guiding qualifications to further broaden the scope within Wild Rivers.
Sam Baldwin Co-Founder and Director
Growing up between the UK and Oman, Smiley has been immersed in a diverse variety of ecosystems, from temperate rainforests to tropical reefs. His passions lie in community led conservation work, creating environments for healthy coexistence between humans and wildlife and fostering people's connection to their native landscapes.
His love for the outdoors and conservation have taken him around the globe, teaching street children to surf in South Africa, radiotracking baboons in the bushveld, and observing marine mammals in the Arabian Sea. Smiley graduated with a degree in Zoology from the University of Exeter in Cornwall and now brings his passion and enthusiasm to the Wild Rivers to help inspire the next generation.
A passionate educator and believer of learning through immersion, Smiley has been a part of a variety of ecological education projects across a variety of different landscapes. As a keen forager, climber and freediver he hopes to bring aspects of these passions into Wild Rivers trips and expeditions.
Katy Ellis Communications and Media
Katy's first plunge into environmental engagement was a solo month-long hike around East Anglia's coastline, inspiring children at schools and scout huts en route about our coastal ecosystems. She then took a foray over to the Balkans, where she scampered up Slovenian mountains to research alpine pollinators, hitchhiked across Montenegro to document a campaign to protect the Komarnica River, and walked across Albania, following the Vjosa River from source to sea to record stories surrounding the creation of the Vjosa National Park.
Katy was then drawn West, spending a summer in Ontario leading canoe trips for at-risk youth before moving North and settling in the Yukon for the last two years. Typically found on skis, in a canoe or spontaneously bushwacking 'for fun', she is excited to return to the UK and share her enthusiasm for rivers, ecology and adventure with the next generation.