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!
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| The house I grew up in! |
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| 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 12th in Seward 2,000 miles later. The scenery was insane, there was a lot of wildlife, and the cats survived!!
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I met this family along the way!
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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!
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| My Seward eagle friend says "Visit Kira!" |
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| Kenai Fjords National Park! |
If you have any questions about me, AmeriCorps, Seward, or… my cats, email me!!!
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