About Joe

Joe brings over 35 years of experience with him wherever he works as a private guide, photographer, consultant or trainer.

Resume

Joe Ordóñez lives with his wife, Edie, and daughters, Stella and Sapphire, at the edge of the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska. He graduated from Western Washington University in 1983 with a B.S. in Environmental Education. Joe has served aboard expedition vessels as naturalist, historian, zodiac driver, cruise director and expedition leader. He has worked as a wilderness guide throughout Alaska- including Glacier Bay National Park and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He wrote the book Where Eagles Gather: The Story of the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, Haines, Alaska and  co-authored the book The Complete Guide to the Alsek and Tatshenshini Rivers. Joe and his wife, Edie, own and operate  Rainbow Glacier Adventures in Haines, Alaska.

 Work Experience

  • Owner, Rainbow Glacier Adventures  1995-present

Built and directed a multi-dimensional educational and tour company offering a wide variety of high-quality tours in Haines and Skagway, Alaska. Special projects included: development and training for the Royal Caribbean International Alaska Enhancement program, film location consulting with Japanese film crews in Southeast Alaska and the Queen Charlotte Islands, interpretive training for Icy Straits Point, Chilkat Cruises, and others.. Presented customer service seminars for Princess Cruises. Other special projects included designing a shore excursion program for Orion Cruises, development of an Arctic rafting program for Abercrombie and Kent, and a research and writing project about Southeast Alaska for www.alaska.org.

  • Naturalist, Exploration Cruise Lines, Society Expeditions, Clipper Cruise Lines and EYOS Expeditions. 1986-present

Served as on-board lecturer, expedition leader, cruise director, naturalist, and zodiac driver.

  • Wilderness Guide, Alaska Discovery, Mountain Travel/Sobek, Chilkat Guides and Nahanni River Expeditions 1987-present

Led small group rafting trips in the Alaskan and Yukon wilderness. Destinations include Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness, Kluane National Park, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Glacier Bay.

  • Training Director, Chilkat Guides 1987-1996

Managed and developed a training program for Chilkat Guides, a local rafting company. Trained guides in interpretive techniques, river safety and communication skills.

Education, Training, Boards and Awards

  • Western Washington University, Huxley College of Environmental Studies

 B.S. in Environmental Education, 1983.

  • Wilderness First Responder-Currently Certified
  • Swift Water Rescue and Basic Sea Kayak Rescue Certification 
  • Conservationist of the Year, Lynn Canal Conservation, 2016
  • Secretary, Hammer Museum Board of Directors, Haines, Alaska 2010-2016
  • Independent Publisher Book Awards- Bronze Medal for West Pacific Region Non-Fiction – Where Eagles Gather, 2015
  • Presenter: Developing New Tours- Alaska Travel Industry Association Annual Meeting, October 2019 
  • Rocky Mountain School of Photography: Weekend Seminars 2012 and 2015
  • New York Institute of Photography – Completion Certificate Digital Photography Course, 2009

More About Joe

Guide and Naturalist

Joe began working on expedition cruise ships in 1986 as a cruise director/naturalist. Since that time, he has also worked as historian, expedition leader, zodiac driver and consultant. Most recently, he worked on board the exclusive ship m/s World of Residensea as an Alaskan expert- lecturer, naturalist and zodiac driver on their 2019 Northwest Passage cruise. 

Joe began rafting in 1982 and has over 30 years of experience using rafts to explore remote corners of Alaska and the Arctic. After twelve seasons guiding on the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers, he began guiding river trips in the Arctic in 1999. Joe has explored Arctic rivers include the Kongakut, Sheenjak, Marsh Fork of the Canning, Firth and Nigu Rivers. Joe guided on the South Nahanni River in 2017 and continues to guide river trips in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. He has provided support entities filming in the Eagle Preserve including the BBC, Coyote Peterson’s  for his “Brave Wilderness” show and Brandy Yanchyx for her Amazon Prime program “Seeing the USA.”

Joe presently owns and operates Rainbow Glacier Adventures in Haines. He guides private photography tours in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve during the November Eagle Congregation. He has guided in the Eagle Preserve since 1987 and guided photo tours in the Eagle Preserve since 2008.  In 2015, Joe published his seminal work, Where Eagles Gather: The Story of the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, Haines, Alaska.

Professional Trainer

Joe has over 25 years experience training guides and naturalists throughout Alaska. Joe has trained guides and tourism employees in Alaska since 1986. 

 In 2011, Joe worked as a consultant for Orion Cruises of Australia to design shore excursions for their inaugural visit to Alaska. Ports visited included Metlakatla, Petersburg, Haines, Elfin Cove, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak and Attu.

In February 2008, Joe was invited by the Alaska State Department of Commerce and Economic Development to participate in an educational DVD program. The purpose of the project was to help entrepreneurs interested in securing a cruise ship contract. 

In May 2004, Joe was given one week to transform unemployed loggers, truck drivers and fishermen into eco-guides on their bear watching tour in the new port of Icy Strait, Hoonah, Alaska. The training was successful and the tour is now a centerpiece of the tour programs offered there. 

In 2001, Joe was hired by Royal Caribbean International to develop an Alaska Enhancement Program to teach the on-board guests about Southeast Alaska. He developed six presentations and a tour resources manual covering the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Haines, Skagway and the Hubbard Glacier. He then trained on-board staff in history, natural history and present-day issues.

In 2000, Ketchikan Indian Corporation hired Joe to develop their Bald Eagle and Salmon Hatchery tour program and train their guides. Joe has also trained guides for Chilkat Guides, Chilkat Cruises and Tours, Goldbelt Native Corporation, Alaska Discovery, Gastineau Guiding Company and Exploration Cruise Lines.

In May of 1999 and 2000, Joe traveled throughout Alaska training Princess Cruises and Tour staff on the basics of Customer Service. Group sizes ranged from a dozen to over 200 people.

Private Guide

Joe works as a private guide and consultant  for visitors to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and other areas of the Pacific Northwest and Northwest Canada. 

Photo Resume

Professional Photography, Publications

  • Alaska Airlines Magazine

Half-page story and photograph about the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve published in the October 2019 edition.

  • Alaska Arts Confluence – Nahanni River, Black and White Canvas Print show, November 2016
  • Sheldon Museum – Two of Joe’s photographs, “Moon over Rainy Hollow” and “Storm over the Cathedral Peaks,” were selected for the permanent collection of the Haines Sheldon Museum in 2018.
  • Self-published

Wrote, photographed and self-published the book Where Eagles Gather: The Story of the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, Haines, Alaska. With over 3,000 printed in 2015, the book is scheduled go to its second edition in 2021.

  •  KHNS

Joe’s photograph of Chilkoot Lake was selected for the fundraising poster for local radio KHNS in 2015.

  • BBC

Served as consultant and guide for part of a BBC children’s series entitled “Naomi’s Nightmares of Nature.” The show discussed myths and the natural history of bald eagles and brown bears. 2015

  • Incredible Travel Photos

Worked with Oliver Klink and other photographers beginning in November 2008-2015 providing support for bald eagle photography workshops. .

  • Wilderness Ventures

Shot brochure photos for Wilderness Ventures 2005 catalogue. Photos included ice climbing on the Davidson Glacier, camping on Mt. Ripinski and work party shots with Alaska Indian Arts.

  • Royal Caribbean International

Created Alaska Enhancement Program, an on-board educational lecture series that featured personal and historic photographs with accompanying text in 2001.

  • Society Expeditions

Expedition leader and photographer.

Several published brochure photographs, including cover photograph.

  • Mountain Travel/ Sobek/Wilderness Travel

Published brochure photographs.

  • The Complete Guide to the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers

Co-author and photographer for guidebook. Cover photograph.

  • Wada Productions

Expedition photographer, Juneau Ice Field expedition for NHK (Japanese National Public Television) production. Photographs featured in two Japanese magazines.

  • The Black Rhino, on the Edge of Extinction

Published photographs of African rhino capture for conservation book.

  • Creative Nexus, Inc.

Naturalist, film location consultant and photographer for Japanese film company. Explored the relationship between Alaskan Coastal Natives and the rainforest for NHK (Japanese National Public Television) production.

  • Southeast Alaska State Fair

Photography awards include Best of Show, Best Landscape, Best Portrait, Best Wildlife and Best Human Interest.