Earthwatch Expeditions, Inc.

This organization uses extremely shady tactics and saw the pandemic as the perfect opportunity to take money from people. They looked at this unprecedented event and saw profits over people or science. They strategically waited until the deadline for payment and less than 24 hours later canceled all trips knowing they would not refund the money even though there were no expeditions. They saw a time people would be under extreme financial strain and chose the route of making things worse. Running an organization that way makes me weary of ever going on another expedition with them. My first experience showed me they don’t take safety super seriously but this second experience showed me they flat out do not care about the well being of their participants. The pandemic brought out a lot of true colors for a lot of organizations and Earthwatch took the opportunity to show they truly do not care about science or participants. Only money.

Participating in eight Earthwatch expeditions has opened a new world for me. I have volunteered with other organizations that offer volunteer opportunities, but none has been a professional, well organized and enriching. The fact that volunteers assist the PIs with their research, which research has to be deemed bona fide, differenciates Earthwatch from many other organizations offering voluteer opportunities

I have participated on 14 Earthwatch projects since 2006 and each one has been an amazing and unique experience. Before joining my first team I would never have imagined travelling around the world to sometimes quite remote locations to work with scientists and researchers. Earthwatch has given me a confidence that I never knew I had and I have made some wonderful friends.

What I love about Earthwatch is the opportunity to experience life in the field and to spend time with some really dedicated people who are passionate about their areas of study, as well as the natural world at large. I have become so much more aware of conservation issues and have tried to incorporate this knowledge into my everyday life. It may only be small changes but still worthwhile.

I am keen to assure anyone I speak to about Earthwatch projects that they could, and should, experience at least one. The briefing notes that are provided for each project give loads of information about the conditions, physical requirements, what to pack etc. Any further queries are always dealt with quickly and efficiently by Earthwatch staff.

I would never hesitate to recommend participation on an Earthwatch project.

I was scheduled to go on a research expedition in the Bahamas this month. Unfortunately, on my day of departure, a major winter storm closed Charlotte airport and my plane did not leave Hartford. Because it was the beginning of February vacation week, it appeared that I would be unable to find another flight for three days and I would miss a significant part of eight full days on the project.

When I called Earthwatch I was told that I should "do the best I can" to find a flight and get there as soon as possible. Not much help there. I was concerned about missing so much of my project experience and asked if I had any alternatives, for example, would it be possible to reschedule to a later project as there are several others this year? A senior staffer told me that I could cancel my trip if I wished and the travel insurance (a portion of the $2775 donation to Earthwatch) could compensate me for travel costs, but the insurance would not reimburse me for any portion of the donation. Also, he said that I couldn't transfer my donation or any portion of it to a later project. Essentially, he was saying that the full responsibility for what is often described as "an act of God" fell to me; Earthwatch accepted none of the burden. Is that a fair way to treat volunteers? I don't think so. I think that Earthwatch needs to think about options for this type of situation.

Fortunately, I was able to arrange another flight that got me to the project just two days late, so I did get to participate in all the different kinds of activities. What I missed was an introduction and presentation of the research questions under investigation and the specifics about the methods that were being used. It wasn't until the final day when the principal investigator made a presentation to the group that I learned the five research questions that guided the project.

Another effect of arriving late to the project is that, thought subtle, I never felt that I was quite a full member of the team. I don't know whether I missed some team-building activity on that first day; if there was none, I would suggest that it would be a good addition to the orientation/introduction at the beginning of a project.

Earthwatch is an organization whose mission has huge potential, but through many, many years of in-fighting at board and senior management level - and financial mismanagement - appears to be imploding.
I worked for Earthwatch for nearly 10 years and cannot speak highly enough of those on the front line working long hours to keep the organization afloat. Those managing the organization however have been, and still are, totally out of their depth.
Earthwatch has had several different 3 to 5 year strategies in the last 10 years or so. None of which they have stuck with for much longer than 6 months. As all of the evidence on this website, and that of the UK charity commission suggests, the organization is failing. It is generating very little revenue beyond what it generates via it's partnership with HSBC Bank.

As a long-time volunteer, I know many of the staff at Earthwatch, and they are nice, for the most part. But I don't know what's going on there now because they have lost two top executives and the CEO has been forced out by the staff in the UK office. I'm not giving any more of my money to this organization until it straightens itself out. It needs to be more transparent. There is in-fighting at leadership and staff level between the US and UK offices and they have major money woes.

Volunteering with Earthwatch allowed me to participate in scientific research. As a high school science teacher, I could "bring my students along" virtually through photos, videos, blogging and a live camera session. We took baseline data on trees in a wooded area (diameter, position, species, condition, etc.) for future comparisons by scientists investigating the effects of global climate change on forests. In the evenings and off times, it was interesting to share experiences with educators from all over the country. The scientists also educated us on climate change issues. I love being able to contribute to science!

My Earthwatch was an amazing experience that I used many times during my 30 year teaching career. I showed the slides and video that I took and explained the power of our our commitment. Over the years many students and colleagues joined Earthwatch Expeditions based upon my slide show and the excitement of my field trip experience.