Meet the Team
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We are a collection of river runners, indigenous representatives, videographers, photographers, writers, and individuals who are passionate about the earth and her vital rivers.
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Hayley Stuart (Ketchum, ID, USA)
Hayley is a kayaker, filmmaker, environmentalist, and the Director-Producer for "Still River, Silent Jungle". The wheels of production for the film project were set in motion in 2014, when Hayley studied abroad for five months in Bolivia and learned about the nation’s whitewater rivers, as well as their enormous hydroelectric ambitions. Since then, Hayley has been involved with Bolivian academics, indigenous communities and colleagues with the goal of organizing a way to help the cause and raise awareness about the dangers of the Chepete/Bala mega dam proposals. Rivers, people, and adventure are the driving forces in Hayley's work. She has collaborated with individuals from Pehuenche Mapuche, Quechua, Aymara, Zapatista, and Guaraní communities in order to learn, film, and raise awareness. In 2017, she spoke at the Sun Valley TEDx event. Her talk was titled, “Dammed If We Do: a closer look at the dangers of mega hydroelectric development”. |
Shaya Christensen (CO, USA)
Shaya is an independent filmmaker, adventurer, and co-producer for "Still River, Silent Jungle". After graduating from Middlebury College, Shaya's journey took her to work in literacy and community projects in Latin American and Latin communities in the United States. She is currently the project producer for Cruzada, a film about the Nicaraguan National Literacy Campaign, and simultaneously runs programs and does casework for refugee families in Denver. "Still River, Silent Jungle" addresses issues close to Shaya's heart as she grew up watching her godfather work with indigenous communities to fight against dam construction in the Brazilian Amazon. Shaya's experience living in Bolivia, making films, working with communities from all over the world, as well as her unyielding enthusiasm bring an additional level of depth to the project's mission. |
Sergio Ballivian (La Paz, Bolivia & CO, USA)
Sergio is a key component for the success of "Still River, Silent Jungle". Aside from being an incredible on-the-grounds man in Bolivia (securing transportation and lodging, and fixing things/plans that break), Sergio is well-known for his camera skills and adventurous attitude. He began his adventure tourism operation Explore Bolivia in 1994, while working at National Geographic. Sergio led the first descent of the Machariapo and Tuichi Rivers in 1996. He has since published two coffee-table photography books: Altiplano: where earth and Sky embrace (2016) and Madidi: An Uncertain Future (2017). He also runs custom photographic tours to all corners of Bolivia and works as a guide, translator and fixer for productions in Bolivia. His expertise and experience in Bolivia's jungles, rivers, and cities is essential for our mission, and beyond that, his matter-of-fact and relentless personality make him a keen character on the project whether he is on or off camera. |
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Kalob Grady (Ottawa, Canada)
Kalob is the project's professional whitewater safety kayaker, sports photographer/videographer, and river coffee-enthusiast. Hailing from the Great White North, Kalob works as the head coach, environmental science teacher, and photography/film media teacher at World Class Kayak Academy- a traveling boarding high school for elite young kayakers. When he is not wrangling teenagers through rapids, teaching them to be better human beings, or expedition-ing with us, Kalob thrives as an administrator and athlete for SEND, a kayaking production company and host for the "Unleashed" international professional whitewater competition. His ever-expanding athletic profile includes sponsorships from Mountain Equipment Co-op, Kokatat, Jackson Kayak, and Werner Paddles. |
Lorenzo Astorga Andrade (Maipo Valley, Chile)
Lore is a professional whitewater kayaker, raft guide, and filmmaker. Lore's involvement was key for SRSJ's success by acting as videographer and as the rafting coach for Bolivia's first national rafting team on our Tuichi River expedition. Growing up in the Mystical Maipo River Valley, Lorenzo and his family have been fighting for ten years against the Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Project that threatens to divert the Maipo River for 70km of underground tunnels and thus drying the valley. Lorenzo is the proud co-founder of Nomade Media, which is now the second most successful production company in Chile. He can be found playing the quena (an Andean flute) anywhere and everywhere he goes, from the rivers and mountains to hotel elevators and airports. |
Kira Tenney (Ketchum, ID, USA)
Kira is a safety kayaker, yoga instructor, environmentalist, and main writer for SRSJ. Throughout her life Kira's work has revolved around the inherent link between human and environmental health. After receiving her Master's from the International Conservation and Development program at UM, Kira's research focuses on how to maximize benefits to local communities of adventure ecotourism development, particularly as an alternative to large-scale hydropower and extractive industries. Her thesis led her to conduct applied research in Bhutan in 2018. She writes for Recover and NRS, and has written for publications such as Sun Valley Magazine, Kayak Session, and Canoe & Kayak. A passionate storyteller, Kira has experience in directing and delivering impactful, inspiring pieces about kayaking, sustainability, feminism, and ecotourism. |
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Ruth Alipaz Cuqui (Rurrenabaque, Bolivia)
Ruth is an indigenous and environmental activist from the Uchupiamona community located on the banks of the Tuichi River. While she is the main character for our film, she is also our main contact with indigenous communities of the region, and is integral in helping deliver the story of her people to the world. Ruth's steadfast character, compassionate nature, and endless knowledge about Amazon wildlife have led her to overcome enormous obstacles as an indigenous women in the heart of the Amazon. Ruth was the first female in her community to attend high school, and the first person (male or female) from her community to go to college and graduate. Since then she has been working to develop ecotourism in the region. She is the owner of Bird Bolivia and one of the founders of Sadiri Ecolodge. Although she was raised along its banks, Ruth's participation in the 2018 expedition was her first time down the entirety of the wild Tuichi River. |
Courtney Blackmer (Steamboat, CO, USA)
Courtney is a young yet accomplished film-maker, kayaker, skier, and indigenous rights activist. Her latest documentary called “The Confluence” features the Navajo sacred sites that are threatened by the gondola proposal in the Grand Canyon. The executive Director of her film was Robert Redford, and the film was shown at the Navajo Council meeting that determined the fate of, and ultimately rejected the Escalade Project. Courtney has worked with Navajo indigenous communities throughout the Southwest US, and Aymara communities on the Isla Del Sol in the highlands of Bolivia in order to make impactful films about their cultures. Courtney is also a full-time adventurer; often disappearing on backcountry hut trips and kayaking/rafting multi-days voyages. Her experience with filmmaking, working with indigenous communities, and being relentlessly positive makes her an indispensable asset to the team’s profile and the film’s success in Bolivia. |
