We are continuing our regular series of stories getting to know Maine Guides and this month we’ll meet Ari Leach, a marine biologist for the State of Maine and a Recreation Guide with guiding in her blood and a passion for diversity in the guiding industry. Ari joined MWGO earlier this year and recently joined the board of MWGO. In addition to her efforts to increase diversity in the industry and to serve the under-served populations, Ari is also dedicated to upholding high standards for professionalism and ethics across the guiding industry. Please enjoy getting to know Ari here in this article and join us in welcoming her to the MWGO board.
Name and Business: Ari Leach, Blackbird Guide Services, LLC
Licenses and Certifications: Registered Maine Recreational Guide, Wilderness First Responder, Dog and Cat First Aid, First Aid/CPR, Leave No Trace, MWGO Board Member, BS Wildlife Biology and Botany, MS Sustainable Natural Resource Management. I also served on a search and rescue team for several years in Maine.
How did you find your way to the guiding industry: I grew up on the coast of Maine, set back in the woods with lots of wonderful natural places to explore. My family was always outside connecting with nature in one form or another, including my maternal grandmother, who happened to be a Registered Maine Guide. When I was at Unity College in Maine pursuing my BS in wildlife biology and botany, I signed up for a Maine Guide prep course. I quickly realized that the course was more geared towards those folks who wanted to become fishing and hunting guides, and at the time I was only interested in recreational guiding. I ended up not taking my guide exam after that, feeling a bit discouraged.
My time at Unity, and after, has been filled with numerous adventures, from ice climbing in Camden to hiking part of the 100 Mile Wilderness, and canoeing the St. Coix river. I have maintained a Wilderness First Responder certification for over a decade which I find to be of incredible value whenever I am venturing out into nature. I love taking my friends and family on adventures and have always felt a special responsibility to be a steward of our amazing wild places.
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, my maternal grandmother had just passed away, leaving me with a sense of loss unlike any I had ever experienced. The world seemed to be falling down around me and I was adrift, feeling like I didn’t have solid ground to land on. After some self reflection and lots of time in the woods, I realized that I eventually want to work for myself, doing exactly what my grandmother did, guiding people in the outdoors. The best tribute I could pay to her was to get my guide license and put it to good use.
I signed up for another Maine Guide prep course, and this time felt wholly supported and welcomed into that community. I received my Recreational Guide License and started my own guide business, Blackbird Guide Services, LLC. I ended up creating a website and buying the business name even before I had passed my exam, as a sort of motivator to do well and see it through. Needless to say it worked!
How do you utilize your guide license now: Much of my business is centered around helping folks from under-served demographics access nature and wilderness experiences, including children and women’s groups. I have hosted entire classes for coastal ecology trips and introductory courses on fire making, cooking in the outdoors, and foraging. I really enjoy being able to customize experiences for clients that might have trepidation venturing into the wilderness alone. I offer unique trips including birding and ecology trips, forest bathing, fire making and cast iron cooking, wilderness survival techniques, and naturalist courses. If you can think it up, then we can create it together!
Any observations to share about being a Guide or about the guiding industry: Historically there has been a lot of negative chatter surrounding the Maine Guide exam, specifically that the test administrators are “there to fail you”. While I agree that the Maine Guide exam is rigorous, and with great reason, I have to say that my testing experience was welcoming and supportive, with engaging conversations between myself and my examiners. When you receive that Maine Guide patch, you are agreeing to uphold a very high standard of stewardship and responsibility, both to the people of Maine as well as the natural resources of Maine. I place a high value on this responsibility and appreciate the rigor with which the test is administered. Being a female in the industry can be challenging, especially in places like far Northern Maine, though I am seeing a greater number of women pursuing their guides licenses and I am happy to see more diversity coming to the industry, in all forms.
What keeps you busy when you’re not guiding: I am an avid birder, always looking to the sky or checking the underbrush for feathered friends. I also have a huge passion for mountain biking and downhill riding, as well as Nordic skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. I am a marine biologist for the state of Maine, managing the shellfish, marine worm, and seaweed resources for the southern region of the state. My role as a biologist takes me out onto the clam flats and into the intertidal areas of Maine where I am often knee deep in mud, collecting seaweed, or bullraking for quahogs on a shellfish survey. I like to bounce back and forth between the mountain and the sea, where all of my heart is filled by the endless opportunities these special places provide.
