Unique Experiences

Item Description

Lunch or Dinner with Jessica Speart, author of the Rachel Porter mystery series, in Westport, Connecticut

A freelance journalist specializing in wildlife enforcement issues, Jessica has attended the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to advocate for wildlife. Her articles have been published in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, OMNI, Travel & Leisure, Audubon, and many other publications.

Jessica is also well-known for her Rachel Porter mystery series. Rachel Porter, a feisty US Fish and Wildlife agent, takes on illegal wildlife traffickers, and other criminals that threaten the environment. Below are descriptions of three books in the series, and there are seven others that are equally good!

Restless Waters: For most people, Hawaii is heaven on Earth. But U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Rachel Porter sees the rot beneath its natural splendor. Its pristine shores are harboring a new breed of criminal, those who would upset the fragile ecological balance in the name of profit ... those who would kill in the cause of greed. On the trail of illegal traffickers in exotic animals, Rachel stumbles upon something far more insidious and frightening -- and a suspiciously shark-devoured human corpse that washes up on the rocks is only the beginning. Suddenly everyone wants her off a case that is too hot to handle. But she won't be warned, coaxed, or threatened away, even as the blood that darkens the tropical waters marks Rachel Porter as the most endangered creature in Paradise.

Coastal Disturbance: Georgia's steaming coastal swampland is the latest assignment for hot-tempered field agent Rachel Porter. Someone is operating an illegal manatee water park, and Rachel is determined to shut it down. Worse still, these fascinating mammals are dying in alarming numbers for unknown reasons. And when people begin dying as well, Rachel's righteous fury is tinged with fear. Because answers and predators alike are waiting for her in a dark and terrifying place: a toxic "Dead Zone" that spells certain doom for any trespassing human, manatee... or wildlife agent.

Black Delta Night: It's called Delta Gold -- caviar from the endangered Mississippi River paddlefish that rivals the world-renowned beluga. And now that greed has all but decimated a billion dollar Caspian Sea industry, the Russian mafia is casting its lethal line into the land of Elvis. Now, posing as a dirty agent on the take, she's diving into a shark pool of hungry predators drawn by the scent of big money. But there's more roiling these waters than a thriving trade in the illegal poaching of paddlefish for their roe -- as Rachel's investigation reveals even scarier secrets ... and murder. In guarding the golden egg, Rachel has gotten in way too deep over her head. And now she's in grave danger of learning the meaning of "extinct" firsthand.

http://www.jessicaspeart.com/

Item Special Note

Being auctioned is dinner or lunch with one the world’s foremost shark experts or celebrities. It is a unique opportunity to “talk shark” face-to-face, one-on-one, with a real authority on sharks. 

How it works:

1. Bid on a celebrity, shark scientist or conservationist that lives or works in your area, unless you are willing to drive or fly to meet them in their area.

2. The winning bidder pays for the lunch or dinner and may bring as many guests as he or she wishes.

3. We will introduce the winning bidder to the celebrity, scientist or conservationist. The two of you then set a mutually agreeable  date, time and place to meet within one year of the close of the auction.

All winning bids are charitable contributions deductible from US Federal 2013 income taxes.  Funds raised by the auction will be used to support shark research and conservation programs.