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Background
Richard Wiese is a world-class explorer. He is the author of a detailed guidebook titled Born to Explore: How to Be a Backyard Adventurer. Wiese is an Emmy-winning host and producer and was also the youngest man to become president of the Explorers Club in 2002.

Wiese is the host and an executive producer of the ABC television program Born to Explore&trade;, which debuted September 3, 2011. It’s second season premiered October 6, 2012. In a successful first season, Born To Explore’s&trade; positive cultural and environmental message reached viewers around the world, and resulted in several awards. The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Children’s Television Series, and garnered a SABRE award for &laquo;Product Placement&raquo; along with Travel Canada. Richard has continued to receive acclaim alongside the show, and gained more accolades of his own.

As an extreme adventurer, his stated goal is to inspire young people and spark their interest for discovery and the love of outdoors. He says that Born To Explore&trade; is a way to encourage this growth and environmental activism, as well as educate his audience on exotic cultures and animals.

Personal Life
Richard Wiese was born to Rick and Marie Wiese in Long Island, New York. His father, Richard Wiese Sr., was the first man to pilot solo around the Pacific Ocean. Richard grew up traveling and exploring with his father. The first substantial adventure Richard was involved with was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at the age of 11. Wiese has since then led many other explorations and projects. While attending St. Anthony's High School (New York) in Smithtown, New York, as a decathlete he broke the Long Island record for the javelin. He spent many of his college years modeling for Ford. Wiese attended Brown University and graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Biology.[4] While attending Brown, Wiese was the big brother of John Kennedy Jr. in their fraternity Phi Psi. He also studied Applied Physiology at Columbia University and completed the USDA Graduate Program in Meteorology.

In 2007, Wiese married his wife, Nicci. Richard and Nicci live in Weston, Connecticut. They are the parents of three young children, a girl and twin boys. Other than participating in adventures and journeys, Richard’s personal hobbies include taking digital photography courses, world politics seminars, and global cooking lessons.

Past Expeditions and Projects
Wiese has traveled to all seven continents and has participated in several expeditions and projects.[1] In early 2002, he became the youngest president in The Explorers Club's hundred-year history.[5] During his presidency, he has worked in the Yucatán jungle of Mexico putting satellite collars on jaguars. He also climbed and sampled the most geologically unique volcano in the world, Tanzania's Ol Doinyo Lengai (which means "mountain of god" in the language of the local Maasai tribe) and participated in two expeditions to Antarctica to core glaciers for the purpose of climatological studies.

He was also a member of the 2004 Yeronisos Island Expedition in Cyprus and led an expedition to bio-prospect for extremophiles and new life forms in Mount Kilimanjaro's crater, resulting in the discovery of 29 new life-forms. Other expeditions Wiese has participated in include an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro to place the first ever weather station on its slopes and[citation needed] an expedition to the Northern Territory of Australia to look for basis of the Aboriginal myth of the Rainbow Serpent. He was team member of the largest medical expedition ever conducted on Mt. Everest, achieved the first ascent of an unclimbed mountain in Alaska, discovered 29 new life-forms on Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, and cross-country skied to the North Pole.

Show Highlights
As the host of Born To Explore, Richard has continued adventuring all over the world while still maintaining a presence here in the States. He was selected to be a featured contributor for Huffington Post, and often gives keynote speeches for organizations like Cynopsis and The Africa Foundation as well as makes regular appearances on Good Morning America.

In his own words, “the premise of the show is to use adventure as a backdrop and to take a holistic view of cultures, highlight what makes them special. To the that end, we use the universal languages that every culture around the world shares, namely food, music and art, to communicate our message. We also apply the fundamental explorer’s view of curiosity and an open mind to all the people and animals we meet.”

For Season 1, he filmed in Botswana, Uganda, Iceland, England, Morocco, Hawaii, Australia, Canada, North Carolina, and others. For Season 2, visited countries include Chile, Cyprus, South Dakota, Namibia, British Columbia, South Africa, India, and others.

Born To Explore with Richard Wiese has continued to expand on his list of achievements and an extensive number of “firsts.” He is also a champion of untouched, or “hidden” cultures. Whether it is visiting the Aboriginals of Australia’s Tiwi Islands or the remote Haida Gwaii islands of British Columbia, Wiese and his show specialize in reaching those whose voices aren’t often heard.

According to the Moroccan officials who helped arrange the visit, Wiese’s interpreter, and residents, when Wiese and his crew arrived in Taffarout Isserce in November 2011, they were the first non-Moroccans to set foot there."I was as skeptical as can be," Wiese told OurAmazingPlanet.com (Insert hyperlink: http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/2507-man-born-explore-outsider-visit-remote-village-morocco.html) "Morocco is a really well- traveled place, so I thought, how could you visit a place that non-Moroccans had never been?"

Other Examples: •	Alaska o	 First ascent of unclimbed remote Wrangel St. Elias Mountains

•	New York o	Discovered over 200 known life forms in first microbial survey of Central Park, New York •	“Bio Blitz.” A 24 hour cataloguing of all life forms including new species by over 500 world-class scientists and students. •	Canada o	Took part in excavation of biggest bone bed ever, with group of lead scientists and celebrities •	Part of discovery of a new dinosaur (pachyrhinosaurus) •	Cyprus o	Member of archaeological team looking for birth temple of Cleopatra and Julius Ceasar’s love child •	2004 Yeronisos Island Expedition

•	Australia o	Uluru Caves: home of stunning, ancient drawings andpaintings •	Only a few outsiders have ever been to see them, had to earn trust of natives and cave guides before he was allowed in

TV & Film
In 1982, Wiese appeared in a brief love scene with Brooke Shields in the film Endless Love. In 1986, Wiese played the role of ‘Chris’ in the film Club Paradise. Wiese has also made appearances on television. Some of the networks he has appeared on include: CBS Late Night with Craig Ferguson, WB, Fox, CBS Morning Show, ABC, MSNBC, and WB 11 Morning Show.[6] Wiese has also hosted a TV show called Exploration with Richard Wiese that has been broadcast internationally. He also filmed a TV series called Hell on Earth[7]

Print Media
In 2003 People magazine named Richard one of the 25 hottest bachelors of the year. In July 2004 Esquire named Richard one of their “10 Tough Bastards” in their special survival. In Men’s Journal in 2006 called Richards Kilimanjaro expeditions one of their “Adventures of a lifetime.” Also in 2006 Picture of the Week featured Richard working in a high altitude chamber while he was president of the Explorers Club. Some print media that Wiese has appeared in is: The New York Times, The New Yorker, Life magazine, Travel and Leisure, Wine Spectator, The New York Sun, Business Week, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Newsday, Esquire, Men’s Journal, and People.[citation needed]

Keynote Appearances
An accomplished keynote speaker, Wiese has been honored to present at the United Nations, Royal Geographical Society, Bohemian Grove, University of Miami School of Engineering, Congress of Argentina, Icelandic Whitehouse, World Adventure Travel Summit, Africa Foundation, Abercrombie and Kent's Friends of Conservation, Common Wealth North Symposium, and to the Boy Scouts of America at their National Jamboree.

In 2006 the American Museum of Natural History Expeditions named Wiese an Explorer in residence. He was honored at the 2005 Boy Scout National Jamboree, where he addressed 90,000 people and had a camp named after him. By invitation of King Mohammad VI, he was the U.S. representative to the Moussem de Tan Tan, a gathering of 45,000 nomadic Arabs in Morocco, and he received a Special lifetime achievement award by the Science Museum of Long Island. As a journalist, he has received numerous honors, including an Emmy, a Genesis Award, an Associated Press Folio Award, and a Golden Halo Advertising Award for Best Environmental/Wildlife Campaign.

Awards and Recognition
•	Special lifetime achievement award by the Science Museum of Long Island[7] •	The American Museum of Natural History Expeditions named Wiese an Explorer in residence •	In 2005, Wiese was honored at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree, where he addressed 90,000 people and had a camp named after him[7] •	In 2004, he was USA representative to Moussem de Tan Tan in Morocco, a gathering of 45,000 nomadic Arabs in the desert of southern Morocco, by invitation of King Mohammed VI[1] •	2004 Golden Halo Advertising Award for Best Environmental/Wildlife Campaign[4] •	A member of The Explorers Club, Royal Geographic Society, and the American Meteorological Society [4] •	As a journalist, he has received numerous honors, including an Emmy, a Genesis Award, and an Associated Press Folio Award. His articles have appeared in countless national publications. •	2012 Cronkite Award for Excellence in Exploration and Journalism.