Sliding onto Santa's Sleigh in Seward!

For the past few weeks, we have been working with the Seward Fire Department, helping them with their Angel Tree program. Angel Tree provides gifts to children who otherwise would not recieve anything for the holidays. It was a lot of fun to see the generosity of the town- we had so many donated gifts, each child (and there were probably about 100) was able to recieve 2-3 things, including toys, clothing, books, and learning games. John and Jill at the SeaLife Center were the main orchestrators of this program and allowed us to be very involved with the process of calling families, sorting and organizing gifts, wrapping, labeling, and then finally delivering the gifts around town! How you ask?! On a fire rescue truck, OF COURSE! The three of us jumped in a firetruck with Santa himself, strapped on our seat belts, and hand delivered over 20 bags of gifts to the kids. It was a really fun night and even though a few of us slipped on the ice (multiple times...) it was great riding around with the firefighters and watching how excitied the kids were when we showed up at their doors!

The delivery crew!

Julie giving the signal that Santa is ready to roll!

Santa and elf Kira delivering gifts!

We had so much fun being Santa's backup elves!!!

SEA LIFE shaped cookies taste better than any other shape!

The Alaska SeaLife Center's community holiday party was on December 1st so the AmeriCorps team was obviously making sealife shaped cookies for the kids to decorate! On this night, the whole Alaska SeaLife Center is open to the public to enjoy games and treats and get their pictures taken with Santa. Kira made the cookie cutters out of soda cans (it's hard to find puffin shaped cookie cutters) and then we baked about 150 cookies deep into the night for decorating the next day....

Sara rolling dough with a glass

Kira with some fresh baked baby sealife

Sealions, puffins, fish, starfish, sharks, porpoises, whales!

The kids LOVED these cookies. They decorated ALL of them and sadly we ran out before the crowd did. It was lots of fun!

Passing out some COOKIES

Two "I'm sticky with icing!" faces!

We needed crowd control we were so popular!

Yes, we had to sit on Santa's lap too!

NY ---> AK

WHO: Hello, my name is Kira and I am the 2011-2012 Conservation AmeriCorps Member at the Alaska SeaLife Center. I went to school at SUNY Albany for my bachelor’s in public policy, concentrating in the environment and society. I took a semester of graduate coursework to receive a certificate in nonprofit management and leadership and have an associate’s degree in veterinary science technology. In the summers of 2009 and 2010 I biked across the country with the nonprofit organization Bike & Build, raising money for affordable housing and building homes along the way. Needless to say, I love to bike and travel! In 2011 I landed in Mount Vernon Washington working with some amazing ladies at a Community Action Agency in their housing department as an AmeriCorps member. It was only a six month position but it was a great experience so I joined AmeriCorps again! Yay!

Coast to coast on a bike!

WHAT: The Conservation AmeriCorps position is a new position at the Alaska SeaLife Center. I work in the conservation department with Howard Ferren and Rebekka Federer on their various projects throughout the state. A lot of the projects have to do with getting citizens involved in scientific monitoring for invasive species, potentially threatened species, weather, and changes in sea ice conditions or shoreline appearance. Due to the vast and remote nature of the state of Alaska, involving citizens in this way makes information gathering much easier and allows people to be directly involved in efforts to protect and preserve their community. Another project that the department is working on is project GYRE which combines science and art to inform the public about marine debris and provoke positive change. It’s an expedition and an exhibition! Read this http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/galleries/gyre/ to learn more and definitely watch the video!

Marine debris

WHERE: I grew up on the top of wooded hill in a dome house in Marion, New York, a small farm town in the finger lakes region. It’s much smaller than Seward so I am definitely used to a rural way of life although the fact that Seward is about 2.5 hours from the next town (Anchorage), is a bit abnormal.

The house I grew up in!

My children, Azazel and Myrial!

WHEN: It took me 10 days to get to Alaska. I flew with my two cats and my mother to Seattle from NY, picked up my car and belongings stashed there from my previous AmeriCorps position in Washington, hopped on a ferry out of Bellingham, had a few day journey through Alaska’s Inside Passage, arrived in Haines Alaska, drove through the snowy slush ice of the desolate Yukon, and finally arrived on October 12^th in Seward 2,000 miles later. The scenery was insane, there was a lot of wildlife, and the cats survived!!

I met this family along the way!

WHY: With a degree in public policy and a love for the environment and animal welfare, I knew immediately that a position as an AmeriCorps member in the conservation department of the Alaska SeaLife Center would be the perfect fit for me and my career path. To say I was excited when I got the job is an understatement! The bonus to the position was that it was in Seward, Alaska! Seward is a tourist town for a reason- it’s beautiful. You can’t walk outside without seeing a snow capped mountain, some crazy wildlife, or a bright blue glacier!!! I also did AmeriCorps again because it is a great program. You only get about $950 a month, you’re eligible for foodstamps, and you have to pay for your own housing but you get amazing job experience, free health insurance, an education award, and student loan forbearance. Good deal!

My Seward eagle friend says "Visit Kira!"

Kenai Fjords National Park!

If you have any questions about me, AmeriCorps, Seward, or… my cats, email me!!!

americorpsaslc@gmail.com

Our Saturday nights are spent feeding otters!

PARTY!

The SeaLife Center has an adorable 6 month old, 24 pound, sea otter named Corky and we are in love. Tim in the rehab department was kind enough to show us how to take care of rehab patients and scheduled us this past Saturday night to take care of this little guy from Kenai. He was found by the side of the road and had apparently gotten lost a few miles up a river. Poor Corky the sea otter was pretending to be a river otter!!! He does have a strain of bacteria in his blood that has been an issue for other otters in the area but luckily he seems to be doing quite well- eating and grooming- so everyone is hopeful that he will be ok and can be released.

Sara making a party platter

Mmmm pill filled clam!

HOW PRECIOUS IS THIS FACE?!??!?!

Kira feeding an otter!

Recycling Orca FILLED!

We made a huge orca out of chicken wire and paper mache for America Recycles Day on November 15th. We set it out at the SeaLife Center and challenged the community to fill it up with aluminum and plastic recycling and they did indeed! Printed on the orca were a bunch of facts about the harmful effects of trash and pollution in the marine environment as well as a place to enter a raffle to win donated prizes from the SeaLife Center, gift certificates at Hotel Seward's Ms. Gene's Place Restruant, and movie tickets to the Liberty Theatre. Thank you to the donors and congrats to the winners!

Our orca on November 15th

Our orca on December 1st filled with 53 pounds of recycling!

SUCCESS. The orca is now living at the elementary school for a few weeks while the 4th graders do their recycling unit. Have an idea of where she can go next?! Let us know!!!!!!!!

Hello my name is…

WHO: Hi! I’m Sara Ann, and I am the 2011-2012 Avian AmeriCorps Member at the Alaska SeaLife Center. In 2009, I graduated magna cum laude from LUC with a BS in Biology: Ecology and a minor in Biostatistics. I am now pursuing a career in wildlife conservation/care and environmental education. My dream job is to be director of my own Nature Center or curator of a Children's Zoo. I love alternative forms of transportation and did not get my license until I was 22. I love being creative and fabricating things out of cardboard, pipe cleaners, wood, pvc, etc. So next time you have a craft project or need a birdhouse, call me. I also like volunteering and am up for pretty much anything in the name of a good cause. My favorite game is Scattergories, but no one will ever play it with me (they don’t know what they’re missing). Also, I love Halloween because haunted houses are so much fun. Although I've lived most of my life in Chicago, I'm also part Floridian. Generally in life, my hope is that I will make a difference in the world and be happy.

WHAT: You may be wondering what it means to serve at the ASLC in the Avian Department. Well, for four days a week, I serve alongside the avian crew. I have been working in the Seabirds Exhibit with our permanent collection of birds. This includes completing food preparation, head counts, general cleaning, observations, medical care, feedings, training sessions, enrichment, and habitat maintenance. The exhibit is open air so dealing with the weather is challenging, but working with all of the birds is extremely rewarding. Everyday is similar but vastly different and fun. I will share more updates about what I do with the Avian Department in the future. Then one day a week, I dedicate my time to AmeriCorps and community service. Along with the other AmeriCorps members, I complete at least one service event a month like participating at the Community Halloween Carnival in October. I also perform weekly community service on this day for four hours. I have chosen the Boys and Girls Club of Seward to serve at throughout my term. We will keep you posting on our upcoming community projects too.

WHERE: I was born and raised in The Windy City where I also attended college at Loyola University Chicago. I was always interested in animals and visited Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, and Brookfield Zoo numerous times as a child and adult. I loved living in Chicago, but my passion for wildlife conservation has led me away from my hometown. I have lived in the Sunshine State for 11 months in Naples exploring the beaches and everglades. Now, I live in the small, remote town of Seward, Alaska in a winter wonderland. I reside in an apartment with fellow AmeriCorps member, Kira, and our two cats. Living in Seward has been an adjustment, but I’m looking forward to exploring all that Alaska has to offer.

WHEN: I arrived in Alaska on October 11^th in Anchorage and began my AmeriCorps service on the 14^th. I will be serving until September 14^th 2012.

WHY: After graduating, I had an unpaid internship in animal care at Cosley Zoo in Wheaton, IL were I assisted in all the zookeeping tasks with a wide variety of animals. After my internship ended, I headed down in Florida where I worked as an Education Conservation Associate at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. I cared for fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds in the permanent education collection and delivered a wide variety of educational programs including a summer camp. I also volunteered with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic and the Naples Zoo. I wanted to continue working in the animal care and education field especially with birds if possible because I have always been interested in birds and bird watching. Working at the ASLC with the avian department seemed like a perfect fit for my interests, goals, and skill set. AmeriCorps seemed like a great step towards my goals as well. I was excited to travel to a new area of the country, continue to gain valuable career and life skills, and receive a stipend and education award. Also, I have always been involved with community service and truly enjoy volunteering, so being part of a national service corps greatly appealed to me.

I hope that gives you a little background of who I am, what I do, and why I’m part of AmeriCorps. I will keep you posted on how my AmeriCorps experience progresses, what new adventures I go on, and all the great tales of my service. Later Gators!    

Mote Marine Lab- Sarasota, FL