Finkelstein, Max 1952-
(Maxwell W. Finkelstein)

PERSONAL:

Born September 22, 1952, in Trenton, Ontario, Canada; son of Abraham (a military pilot and navigator) and Rose (a homemaker) Finkelstein; married Connie Downes (a biologist), May 22, 2000; children: Isaac Thelon Downes. Ethnicity: "Jewish/ Caucasian."Education: University of Ottawa, B.Sc. (hons.), 1974.Religion: "Jewish/Catholic/Pagan."

ADDRESSES:

Home—487 Edison Ave., Ottawa, Ontario K2A 1V1, Canada.E-mail—max_finkelstein@pch.gc.ca.

CAREER:

Writer. Canadian Wildlife Service, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, worked as head of interpretive section and creator of exhibits; Canadian Parks Service, Ottawa, Ontario,Canada, senior interpretive writer, 1983-89; Canadian Heritage Rivers System/Parks Canada, communications officer, senior writer, and park planner, 1989—. Worked as policy analyst, interpretation biologist, museum consultant, and wildlife research, including work for British Columbia Provincial Government; creator of multimedia presentations and exhibits for Canadian national historic parks; organizer of wilderness expeditions, including canoeing trips; public speaker.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Award from Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association, 1990; Award of Merit, Interpretation Canada, 1992.

WRITINGS:

Canoeing a Continent: On the Trail of AlexanderMackenzie, Natural Heritage Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

(With Jim Stone) Paddling the Boreal Forest: Rediscovering A.P. Low, Natural Heritage Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

Scriptwriter, guide, and producer of audiovisual presentations. Contributor to books, including Voyages, edited by Lyn Noel, Breakwater Press (St. John's, Newfoundland), 1995;Paddlequest, edited by Alister Thomas, Boston Mills Press, 2000; and A Conspiracy of Paddlers, edited by Alister Thomas, Firefly Books, 2003. Contributor of articles and poetry to periodicals, including Paddler, River, Horizon, New Internationalist, Up Here, Kanawa, Borealis, and Ottawa Outdoors.

SIDELIGHTS:

Max Finkelstein told CA: "I am an experienced writer. I have published two books, have contributed to others, and have published articles and poetry in many magazines and journals. If I were asked to categorize my area of writing, I would say that I am a travel writer, strongly influenced by nature and human history, who makes forays into fiction and poetry.

"I am an experienced public speaker. I am invited to give audiovisual presentations on my experiences as a paddler and explorer at outdoor symposia, academic conferences, paddle-sport shows, and other venues across North America. "I am an experienced wilderness traveler; I have organized and participated in expeditions in Canada (particularly northern Canada), Australia, and Africa. The purpose of these expeditions has varied: to raise public awareness of environmental issues, produce videotapes, create Web sites, retrace traditional travel routes, and to explore. I am interested in and knowledgeable about traditional methods of travel, particularly by canoe, as exemplified by native cultures and by the voyageurs of the fur trade era.

"I am committed to the protection of the natural and cultural heritage of Canada and the world, the communication of a conservation ethic to the public, and the need to foster environmental awareness and ecosystem preservation through local and national initiatives. I am interested in the promotion of environmentally compatible technology and land-use practices. I advocate the preservation of biodiversity, ecological integrity, and cultural integrity of indigenous peoples through systems of protected areas and the principle of sustainable ecosystems."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Finkelstein, Max, Canoeing a Continent: On the Trail ofAlexander Mackenzie, Natural Heritage Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

Finkelstein, Max, and Jim Stone, Paddling the Boreal Forest: Rediscovering A.P. Low, Natural Heritage Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

PERIODICALS

Ottawa Citizen, May 6, 2002, Bob Harvey, "Modernday Voyageur Pens Record of His Odyssey: Canoeist Launches Book on Paddling Trip That Followed Trail of Alexander Mackenzie."

Ottawa Outdoors, fall, 2003, Allen Macartney, "Max Finkelstein: Ottawa's Paddling Guru," pp. 42-43.