Amy and Dave Freeman have been selected as Blake’s 2026 Philip Otis Environmental Authors. Their residency will run April 21-24, during which time they will meet with students on all campuses, and the wider Blake community will have an opportunity to hear them speak. 

The Freemans have traveled over 50,000 miles through some of the world’s wildest places, from the Amazon to the Arctic. Named National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year in 2014, Amy and Dave are the authors of “A Year in the Wilderness.” an award-winning book about the year they spent in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and “North American Odyssey,” an extraordinary account of their 12,000-mile, human-powered journey across the continent.  

Based in Ely, Minnesota, where they organize and lead canoe and dog sled trips, Amy and Dave are skilled educators who use their wilderness journeys to inspire, educate and entertain a diverse range of audiences. Through their organization Wilderness Classroom, an educational nonprofit that introduces kids to wild places and unique cultures, they have actively engaged with thousands of elementary and middle school students.

Established in 1997, the Philip Otis Environmental Authors Program promotes environmental literacy at Blake through a biannual visit from a distinguished author whose work involves environmental themes, as well as grant allocations for professional development, curriculum planning and resources or classroom experiences that further environmental literacy.