By Sheila Sobell and Richard N. Every

HAINES, Alaska — If I bend over any farther, I will be swimming with the tadpoles. While my friends aboard Holland America's Zaandam cruise to Alaska are zip- lining in the treetops, glacier-walking or dog-sledding, I am counting tadpoles in a pond and estimating the length of their tails to determine their age. It's almost like counting grains of sand, but sand won't tell a woman if she's in "the family way."

Frogs did, however, in the 1930s. If a South African clawed frog went into overdrive producing eggs eight hours after it was injected with a woman's urine, she could start buying a layette. Easier and cheaper than a rabbit for predicting pregnancy, these frogs became the hot ticket, exported around the world to bring the good or bad news to women. Scientists think they delivered something else - a fungal disease that wiped out a third of the amphibian population.

As part of my "be a scientist for a day" shore excursion, I am counting the boreal tadpoles under the direction of Alaska Nature Tours Ranger Pamela T. Randles. The data will help the Takeshanuk Watershed Council monitor the numbers of toads on the comeback trail and how far they are migrating to find a mate that is not a relative.

"We train citizen scientists to count tadpole numbers and life stages," Randles explains. "When the tadpoles emerge, we follow them to see how fast and far they go, using DNA evidence to determine which populations are growing and in which direction they are expanding."

The Holland America Line introduced its "cruise with purpose" program in 2009 to combine traditional tour content with volunteer opportunities such as participating in sea-turtle releases, documenting whale "fingerprints," manning an underwater microphone to record their songs and identifying invasive vegetation. It feels good to do something for Mother Earth apart from recycling my soda cans.

Ketchikan — We are bused to the Saxman Native Village. When we pull up to the Beaver Clan House, my heart sinks. The Tlingits' longhouse looks like a huge aluminum-sided recreation hall. Inside a few young people are setting up for what feels like a high school production.

Suddenly women, men, kids and the chief take the stage chanting and doing what looks like a shuffle-shuffle two-step. When they stop, a troop of young women in spectacular costumes transform primitive steps into amazing grace. They may have told this story hundreds of times, but they care about their clan's history and tell it with authenticity. The audience gets into it, and it's a sweet moment of cultural exchange.

The nearby Saxman Totem Park is home to one of the greatest collections of totems in the world. Our driver points to one of the totems and says it is always placed first because of its message.

"Indian children were taught to tell their family where they were going, when they were returning and which friend they were taking with them," he says. "But one little boy broke all the rules. He went down to the shore and saw a very big clamshell. Something inside was glowing — maybe a pearl. He ignored all the rules in his rush to get its prize. He waded into the water and struggled to open the shell. Then tragedy struck. The clamshell closed on the boy's hand. The tide started coming in, and the clamshell slipped down between the rocks taking the boy with him. No one knew where he was, and he had no friend with him to send for help."

Juneau — I don't need to trek the glaciers in order to get a stunning view of waterfalls, rainforests and ice floes. The thrilling Five-Glacier Seaplane Exploration Tour takes me soaring over the five different glaciers that comprise the 1,500 square miles of the Juneau ice field. The fifth largest in North America, it is bigger than Rhode Island. It glows blue, reflecting light from the sun. Though these glaciers look totally uninhabitable, they are actually home to birds, insects and ice worms.

High in the clouds, it's an amazing change in perspective from "sea level" on the Zaandam to "sky level" on the floatplane. The in-flight narration leaves passengers with the warning of a possible major ice age in 10,000 to 30,000 years if there is a greenhouse effect that causes global warming. Icefields and polar icecaps would melt, causing world sea levels to rise.

I think I am getting an ecological migraine. Time for a glass of wine, but what to order?

The new school of white Burgundy led by the Bret brothers in the Macon are making mind-blowing Chardonnay for under $30, says HAL's sommelier, Sam Maltby. There are dozens of delicious Sauternes for $20 a bottle, he tells us. Two people can share one of life's great taste sensations — Sauternes and blue cheese — for about $10 each. For $100 it's possible to enjoy one of the world's greatest white wines, Nicolas Joly's La Coulee de Serrant.

"True wine is about people, place and time, both from the perspective of its production and its consumption," Maltby says. "If it tastes like it could be made by anybody anywhere at any time, then it will never be truly wine."

WHEN YOU GO

Book a Holland America cruise to Alaska at www.HollandAmerica.com.

A citizen scientist and a ranger measure the size of fish during a "cruising with purpose" shore excursion in Alaska. Photo courtesy of Sheila Sobell.

Native dancers tell the story of their tribe in a longhouse during a shore excursion in Alaska. Photo courtesy of Sheila Sobell.

Seeing glaciers from the air is one way to explore Alaska during a Holland America cruise. Photo courtesy of Richard Every.

Sheila Sobell and Richard N. Every are freelance writers. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.