Eco-Friendly Tourism
At Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises, we are proud to be a sustainable travel company deeply committed to eco-friendly tourism practices. Operating from the gateway community of Valdez, we are year-round residents, and every member of our crew is Alaska-based. We take great pride in our community involvement and are dedicated to protecting the cultural values and natural resources of our town, region and state.
Our Commitment to the Environment
Stan Stephens Cruises is a responsible travel company that places the highest importance on treading lightly in the eco-friendly travel destinations we visit. Our organization is committed to operating in a manner that ensures passenger and vessel safety and environmental preservation where we operate, including Prince William Sound and other waterways of Alaska. Understanding and protecting the places we cruise are crucial parts of our sustainable tour development.
We value sound and sustainable vessel operations. Our fleet of catamarans are built to provide exceptional guest experiences while reducing operational impacts on the environment, an important distinction for our ecotourism operation. Our vessels all run Tier III engines, meeting the current guidelines for emissions as outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency. We further choose to operate MAN diesel engines, known for fuel efficiency, because they help us limit fuel use.
We work hard to control and limit our impacts in the harbor and out in Prince William Sound by closely and consistently monitoring our vessel discharge. We pump our black water waste directly to the City of Valdez sewer processing systems, ensure our bilge systems are clean, and keep a vigilant eye on our operations to limit outflow into Prince William Sound. Protecting the remote areas we visit is not just an eco-friendly choice but a duty we have to our neighbors, our visitors and our planet.
Our goal is to share our backyard, the Prince William Sound, with guests while respecting the wildlife who call the waters we cruise home. The priority of our Captains and Deckhands when we view wildlife is to do so in a respectful way, ensuring that we do not impact the home or patterns of the birds and animals we view. We approach wildlife cautiously and set limits using eco-tourism guidelines outlined by organizations like the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). An example of a program we participate in is called Whale Sense.
Whale Sense is a voluntary conservation program for whale watching companies created by NOAA and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. As a member we work to:
Stick to whale watch guidelines.
Educate passengers and crew.
Notify officials of whales in trouble.
Set and example for other boaters.
Encourage ocean stewardship.
Stan Stephens Cruises supports local and regional conservation and wildlife research organizations by providing information about the animals we view, offering funding and support for research, and by participating in community educational programs. The organizations we work most closely with are Prince William Sound Science Center, Alaska SeaLife Center, NOAA, and North Gulf Oceanic Society. We also support the gathering of citizen science and animal identification through programs like Happy Whale which promote sustainable tourism industry growth.
We closely monitor our environmental impacts by participating in voluntary sustainability certification programs such as:
Adventure Green Alaska: Adventure Green Alaska (AGA) is Alaska’s only sustainable tourism certification program operated by the Alaska Travel Industry Association. Businesses who voluntarily participate in AGA are committed to operate tourism businesses in Alaska by practicing economic, environmental, social and cultural sustainability.
Green WATERS: The Green WATERS program is a voluntary certification program of the Passenger Vessel Association. It is intended to assist passenger vessel operators to run cleaner, greener business operations without causing financial or operational strain by offering realistic ideas for ways operators can easily adopt or expand environmentally friendly practices.
Based in Valdez, Alaska, Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises is a family business that has been operating vessels in Prince William Sound since 1971. We strive to expand our family by primarily recruiting coworkers that are from Valdez and Alaska. Not only does this allow us to directly support our local community but ensures exceptional guest experiences both on shore and onboard.
We are dedicated to being a socially and environmentally responsible business, supporting responsible, sustainable tourism that benefits both our community and protects the environment.
