Help Launch a World-First Race with Nature

The birds have already begun their migration. In five weeks, we begin ours.

Help us raise $25,000 before July 15, 2026, to fund expedition communications, connectivity, educational outreach, and conservation storytelling.

In just five weeks, we will begin the journey of a lifetime.

Earlier this year, on Chiloé Island in southern Chile, we joined migratory bird scientists to equip five whimbrels—a threatened long-distance shorebird—with tiny GPS backpacks.

Two of those birds have now completed their incredible migration to Alaska.

In July, they will begin their journey south again.

And so will we.

Our goal is simple to describe, but extraordinarily difficult to achieve:

To leave Alaska on bicycles and reunite with "our" birds 30,000 kilometers later in southern Chile.

If successful, Wings of Survival will become a world-first Race with Nature, a nine-month cycling expedition inspired by one of the planet's greatest endurance athletes: migratory birds.

Beginning in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, we will cycle through 15 countries, cross deserts, mountains, forests, coastlines, and even the infamous Darién Gap, averaging 125 kilometres per day as we make our way toward Patagonia and ultimately Ushuaia, at the southern tip of South America.

Every pedal stroke will tell a story.

A story about wildlife.

A story about resilience.

A story about the people working every day to protect our planet.

More Than an Expedition

This journey is about much more than cycling.

It is about helping people see nature differently.

Over the last 50 years, wildlife populations around the world have declined dramatically. Habitats are disappearing, and many species face an uncertain future.

Yet there is hope.

Scientists, educators, Indigenous leaders, conservationists, and communities around the world are creating solutions that are making a difference.

Wings of Survival exists to share those stories.

Through expedition updates, photography, film production, educational outreach, scientific collaboration, and community engagement, we will bring audiences on a journey that inspires action and demonstrates that every person can play a role in protecting the natural world.

Why We Need Your Help

For five years, Wings of Survival has been a dream.

In five weeks, it becomes reality.

The training has been completed.

The route has been planned.

The scientific partnerships have been built.

The birds are already on the move.

Now we are asking you to help us reach the starting line.

Help us raise $25,000 before July 15.

These funds will allow us to complete final expedition preparations, outfit our support vehicle that will serve as our home for nine months, maintain communications from remote regions, deliver educational programming along the route, and share stories of wildlife, conservation, and hope with audiences around the world.

Your donation helps support:

• Expedition logistics across 15 countries, including food, fuel, and essential supplies

• Outfitting the expedition support vehicle that will become our home for nine months

• Safety and emergency preparedness

• Scientific and educational storytelling from the field

• Equipment, communications, and content production

• Educational outreach and presentations throughout the journey

• Sharing conservation success stories with audiences around the world

Every contribution, whether it's $10 or $1,000 helps transform this expedition from a personal challenge into a global story for nature.

We often say that every dollar sponsors a kilometer of the journey.

But it is more than that.

Every dollar helps carry a story.

A story about birds, wildlife, and nature.

A story about resilience.

A story about collaboration.

A story that can inspire action long after the expedition ends.

Be Part of the Journey Before We Leave

In just a few weeks, we'll drive to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, clip into our pedals, and begin riding south.

For nine months, we'll face weather, terrain, fatigue, uncertainty, and thousands upon thousands of kilometers.

Along the way, we'll document one of the most ambitious conservation storytelling expeditions ever attempted.

We would be honored to have you join us before we begin.

Whether you donate, share this campaign, provide food or support along the route, connect us with people in communities we will visit, or simply help spread the word, you become part of the Wings of Survival community.

Ways You Can Support the Journey

• $30 = Sponsor 30 km

• $100 = Sponsor 100 km

• $500 = Sponsor a presentation to a classroom along the expedition route

• $1,000 = Sponsor a day of conservation storytelling on the expedition

• $2,000+ = Founding Expedition Supporter

Together, we can show that endurance, curiosity, science, and storytelling can inspire people to become guardians of the web of life.

Thank you for believing in this mission.

See you on the road,

Leanna Carriere & Dr. Timm Döbert

Meet the Team

Leanna Carriere and Dr. Timm Döbert are an Edmonton-based couple united by a passion for endurance sport, scientific exploration, and nature conservation.

Together, they represent and collaborate with organizations including the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, The Explorers Club, the Scientific Exploration Society, the World Explorers Collective, Global Sustainable Sport, and EcoAthletes.

Over the past five years, they have built Wings of Survival into an international impact initiative connecting science, adventure, education, storytelling, and conservation action.

Now, the journey begins.