Come this fall, I will be departing Seward, AK and traveling to Durham, NC, anticipating to start classes in January at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, the Master's program in Coastal Environmental Management.
For those who are new, I graduated from Sweet Briar College in 2006 with a B.S. Environmental Science, minor in Biology. During my sophomore year, I worked with a SBC alum in Long Key, FL at a marine lab - most of the work was conducting underwater field surveys and working in the spiny lobster disease laboratory, but it was my first "job" in the marine field, so it was pretty exciting. From there I spent part of my junior year abroad in Baja California Sur with the School for Field Studies, studying grey whales, sea turtles, and the coastal ecosystem. I fell in love. That summer (2005) I
took my first trip up to Alaska, as an intern in Seward, where I tried to get my hands into anything they would let me. Something must of worked, because I came back just over two years ago for a full time position with the Avian Department. My job is split between husbandry (taking care of the exhibit and research birds) and conservation education. I also get to spend some time in the rehabilitation department, working a bit with the marine
mammals and seabirds who come through those doors, as well as working with the conservation science department (research) whenever possible collecting data. I have learned so much with my first full-time job in the marine field, and am so thankful for the experiences and opportunities I have had here. But it's time to move on - at least for now. To grow and explore and learn.
The roadtrip back to the 'Lower 48' will be a roundabout trip full of adventures - the plan is to include some fantastic stops along the way like Wrangell-St. Elias and Yellowstone National Parks. I loved my time working with the Outdoor Program (SWEBOP) at Sweet Briar College, and I've loved my time in Alaska - it's a fantastic, original, outdoorsy place - so I want to include as much wilderness and fun hole-in-the-wall places on my trip as possible.
In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my Alaskan summer, abet the shortage of sunny, warm days this year. It's been colder than normal and I'm pretty busy - working for the Avian Department as well as waitressing at Yoly's Bistro, and playing on the company softball team (non-competitive team). This weekend, the plan is to hit up the Resurrection Pass Trail on the Kenai Peninsula and stay at a Forest Service Cabin there.
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