Alyssa on Aqua Kids in Alaska!

Well, the time has come to share this hilarious video with the world!

Back in July 2012, I was interning through the Student Conservation Association for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the Kenai Field Office.

That's a mouthful.

I lived in Alaska for 3 months. Yeah, I know...it was amazing!

A perk of the job, was that when a children's TV show came down to spend the day with us, I got to explain my internship on camera to be shared with children far and wide. It was a hectic day, hilarious, stressful, unnerving, but fun. To see the back story, check out my blog entry: Aqua Kids in Alaska!

That picture above is myself with the cast of Aqua Kids TV: Katie (pink), Clark (yellow), Rachael (orange), and Drew (blue). 

Skip ahead if you just want to see "my" part at ~12:28. But anything about the Funny River was pretty much my day to day job this summer. 

And if you can't view the video on my blog, click this link to get to Alaska 2012 Salmon Urbanization on YouTube.

Hope you enjoy it!

Bald Eagle tracks at Kenai Beach, Cook Inlet

Right before I left Alaska, a dear friend and her family visited me on the Kenai Peninsula. Before I got the job with the USFWS, Nadia had been planning a trip to Anchorage, AK to visit a family member. When I got the job just 3 hours from there, she promised she'd come visit me.

Nadia, her husband David, and sons Oliver and Griffin, picked me up one morning at my cabin and we spent the day sight-seeing around where I had been living for the summer.

The 'A' is where I lived in Soldotna, and the large blue expanse of blue that curves up to Anchorage and beyond is the Cook Inlet.

We spent a lot of our time on the beach of the Inlet that morning, walking the shore. The Inlet has a huge flucuation in water levels when the tide goes in and out. When the tide is low, it leaves a wide expanse of scary, "quicksand-like" mud, that animals and people alike have gotten stuck in, and then drowned when the tide comes back up. I explained to the boys to not step in the mud, and they had a lot of fun chucking rocks into the sludge instead.

We saw cool stuff like:

Shells

Dead salmon sharks

And many other dead fish, like this flounder and...

 

...whatever this thing is. Not a salmon, so therefore: out of my range of knowledge :)

 

What I was most excited about seeing though, was this immature Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus):

We watched it come in to land, and it first landed on the ground, and took a few steps around. Then he or she sat on that stump for a long time, just taking in the sights and watching us. We eventually got too close though, and it took off. I wandered up there, to check out the spot and see what was so interesting. I was rewarded with some beautiful tracks in nice moist sand.

This bottom picture is just of the single left track in the first track picture. Sorry for not using something for scale...but you can see how big it is in comparison to my hand.

 

This was the first time I think I have found nice bird tracks, that I KNEW who they belonged to. I've speculated and said "duck" or "goose" or "songbird", but I saw the Eagle leave these tracks.

 

I referred to easily one of my new favorite guides, Bird Tracks and Sign: A Guide to North American Species by Mark Elbroch with Eleanor Marks.

 

Their measurements for Bald Eagle tracks are: 6-8 1/4" L x 3 1/4-5 3/4" W, on average, for an adult. As you can see, this bird is an immature. It's not that dark brownish black, with the distinctive white head and tail. Bald Eagle's can take up to 5 years to completely mature, and I'm not expert on micro-aging. So all I can say is this bird isn't a chick, nor a true adult.

 

By my judgement of the size of my own hand, and a ruler I have now here in my kitchen- those tracks seem to be on the small side or just under, average.

 

Other notes that Elbroch and Marks have written about the characteristics of Bald Eagle tracks:

 

-Classic bird tracks.

-Very large.

-Anisodactyl (3 toes pointing forward, one toe (the hallux) pointing backward).

-Toe pads very bulbous and rough.

 

-Trail (or I like to call it 'Track Pattern'): Walking with strides of 4-11", on average, for an adult.

 

They go on to say:

 

-"Predatory birds don't often stroll...if an eagle is on the ground, there is often food nearby. Look for signs of feeding, such as fish or carrion remains."

 

Well, as shown in the above pictures, there were dead fish everywhere. Lot's of scavenging opportunities each time the tide receded.

 

I love tracking, I think it offers so much insight into the animal's life and movements. In this case, I lucky to see the tracks be left behind, but that's not always the case!

 

 

 



The SCA, CDIP and USFWS!

I'm still getting caught up on Alaska entries, and I really wanted to share my room mate's story...even though I've been back for 3 weeks now.

Mercedes was involved in a really cool program through the Student Conservation Association, of which we were both interns. The Career Discovery Internship Program (CDIP), is a partnership between the SCA and the USFWS. It is designed to recruit traditionally underrepresented students for summer internships in the conservation field. Mercedes came all the way from Georgia where she's an undergraduate in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. Her time in Alaska was not spent in the field office that I worked for, but she worked at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, where we both lived.

Founded in 2008, CDIP introduces culturally and ethnically diverse college freshman and sophomores to careers in the USFWS. The internship equips SCA members with the hands-on learning they need to begin pursuing professional work in the conservation arena.

 

 

To read more about her experience in Barrow, check out the article she wrote for the Peninsula Clarion: Lemmings: Never Too Small to Make an Impact.

 

I had been wanting to share her experiences, to expand on what the Student Conservation Association has to offer. Several other past classmates were and are working for the SCA currently. Please check out their blogs at: Gawn Wilder and Kelly Manktelow. I can not express enough what the SCA has done for me, and I am hoping to get hooked up with the National Park Service partnership for next summer, if I don't go back to the Kenai Peninsula. EVERY conservation student, regardless of age and level in school, should know about this awesome organization.

 

 

Eilson Visitor Center, Denali National Park and Preserve, AK

Rest in peace to those who were apart of the 9/11/01 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

 

 

 

Aqua Kids in Alaska!

At the very end of July, I was afforded a really fun opportunity. A children's television cast and crew came to the Funny River Weir to film us and learn about the project! The Aqua Kids travel the country filming about awesome aquatic and marine research going on, and present in a way that's appealing to kids. I think their target demographic was the "tweens".

My boss, Ken, told me that morning that he wanted me to do the talking. I was flattered of course, because that meant he trusted me to represent the Service well, the office, him, and myself...and I that knew what I was talking about.

The day was, of course, overcast and threatening rain. I think the previous WEEK of weather was blue skies and sunny, so of course according to Murphy's Law, the day we'd have filming equipment in the field, it would be wet out. When we got to the location, we were briefed on the process, topics of questions, ways to stand, answer questions, "never look at the camera!", getting microphones hooked up, sound checks, lighting checks, etc. It was a bit intimidating, but really neat to watch.

Photo credit: Katrina Mueller/USFWS

Getting my microphone hooked up by George, the producer.

 

Photo credit: Katrina Mueller/USFWS

And the filming begins!

 

Photo credit: Katrina Mueller/USFWS

Showing the hosts, Rachael and Clark, a spawned-out dead female chinook salmon. It was DISGUSTING, but I was coerced into handling it for the show :)

 

Photo credit: Katrina Mueller/USFWS

Myself, Rachael, and Clark in the trap! I was walking them through how we take biological samples from the passing chinook salmon.

 

Photo credit: Forrest Hannan

Quiet on the set!

 

Then it was Ken's turn to film. He took care of explaning how the underwater video surveillance system works. It's his baby, it was only right!

 

Photo credit: Forrest Hannan

And finally, a picture of myself and the cast!

From left to right: Katie, Myself, Clark, Rachael, and Drew.

 

It was a really fun day, and I had a great time with them. I can't wait to see the episode when it airs later this fall...I'll be sure to share the air date if anyone is interested in viewing :)

Camera Trap Collection

While I was in Alaska, I just got back to the East Coast about 12 hours ago, I had my Cuddeback Attack Flash set up for most of the time. If you've been following along, you've probably read my complaints that I think this camera is a lemon. It just doesn't work like I believe it should, and how I've come to expect Cuddeback products to perform.

Nonetheless, I was able to get some great shots...and the following are my favorites. Some might be repeats from earlier posts, but I wanted to share them all in one place!

Snowshoe hares

Grizzly bear

Red-backed vole species (unknown)

Porcupine

Snowshoe hare

Moose

Red squirrel

Coyote...talk about timing!!!

And can you believe she was out at that time of day?

Lake Trout Acoustic Tagging on Hidden Lake

During my stint in Alaska this summer (2012), working out of the USFWS Kenai Field Office (Soldotna, AK), I've been involved with several projects. One of the projects I've been involved with is the tracking of acoustic-tagged lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) on Hidden Lake within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

To see another entry I wrote about this project, see: Tracking Hidden Lake & Kokanee Otolith Removal.

Hidden Lake has been historically sport-fished for lake trout, and apparently over the last 'X' number of years, there have been complaints by anglers that the fishing is drying up. So, the task has been given to the biologists out of this office to do some research and try to get a population estimate, and also where the trout are hanging out throughout the year, specifically during the fall spawning season.

During this entry, I'm going to share this project and what I literally get paid to do.

Go fishing.

My last few days of work this week consisted of heading to Hidden Lake, which is about an hour from our office, loading gear into a boat, and going fishing. All lake trout that were caught had measurements taken, and some had acoustic tags surgically implanted.

Our days began at 5 am at the office, which is early for me. As the boys I work with learned, this girl is NOT a morning person. But, I had an hour drive to wake up and prepare myself. After unloading the boat and finally getting on the water it was around 6:30 each morning...and we had a gorgeous morning on Thursday (8/15/2012)...

Sunrise over the mountains surrounding Hidden Lake.

The crew: Ken (project biologist), Lucas (seasonal technician), myself (SCA intern/seasonal technician), and last and least, Kevin (seasonal technician)  :)

Captain Ken manning the helm and watching the fish finder...

Lucas

And Kevin teaching me how to "reel down"...

So not to be immodest, but before a series of unfortunate events (which I will eventually get to), I was whooping butt on the fish catching. Ken gave me several options of lures, and I picked the "pretty" one, since I have no idea what works and doesn't. Well, apparently pretty worked!!! I chose a single-hook, blue/silver, KwikFish lure. And the fishing was hot! I have to give credit to Ken for figuring out where the fish were hanging out, and guiding me...but I caught 4 nice lake trout that day that I was pretty proud of!

Photo credit: Ken Gates

Photo credit: Ken Gates

As this was my first lake trout, they initiated me into the "club"...and strongly urged that I kiss my fish!

Photo credit: Ken Gates

I'm an "instant gratification" type of person, one who enjoys seeing a tangible result of effort. So, catching fish when they're biting is really satisfying!

If we caught a female, she would get processed on board the boat. We were only tagging healthy males, and the reason being apparently females can/will skip spawning some years. The biologists are really interested in knowing where the lake trout are spawning in Hidden Lake, so tagging a non-spawning female would be a waste of time, effort, equipment, and stress on the fish.  

Photo credit: Ken Gates

We'd fill a tote with lake water, and that was the holding tank for the fish. We'd try to keep them in the water as much as possible to lessen the effects of being handled.

Photo credit: Ken Gates

We'd then take 4 measurements: a fork length (tip of snout to the fork in the tail), total length (tip of snout to the tips of the tail squeezed together), girth (just forward of the dorsal fin), and a weight.

All of that would take about 5 minutes, with each of us with a "job". Getting the fish in/out of the boat as fast as possible, safely, was key. Of course handling a wild animal always causes some amount of stress and damage, but it's a necessary cost to be able to study and learn.

When one of us caught a male, the protocol was a bit different. We had the processing station set up on an island, as there was too much stuff and not enough room on the boat.

The fish that were deemed healthy enough and of course male, were brought to this spot in their tote, and then were subjected to a bit more than the females.

The same set of measurements were taken (FL, TL, girth, weight), but the fish were also anesthetized to render them still and I'm sure ease the pain of the implant.

A solution of mainly clove oil and water was used, and then the fish was placed in that for a few minutes for it to take effect. The whole thing was really interesting to watch. I couldn't really help, other than take down data, so I was able to really pay attention to the whole procedure. I admire Ken's ethic and attention to detail. He has a protocol, assigned us all a task, and the whole effort moved smoothly. I'm reassured that my personal need for this type of organization and control is necessary.



Ken taking measurements on the left (fish in the clove oil solution), and on right, Ken instructing Kevin on keeping the gills irrigated. There was one container with the clove oil solution, and then when they were finishing, one of fresh water to begin bringing the fish out of it.

After measurements were taken, the fish was then implanted with the Lotek acoustic tag.

Going...

Going...

Gone!

Then Ken stitched the incision back up, and applied a kind of "super glue" to keep the suture knots tight. The thread will eventually dissolve.

After all of this, the fish was moved to the "recovery" cooler, filled with fresh water, and was given probably between 5-10 minutes to come to.

Nurse Kevin, tending the fish :)

The last piece was to get the fish some final bling-bling. The fish would get one of these placed near it's dorsal fin, and the gray part is outside of the fish, so it can be visually identified by us, or another angler if it's caught.

The "Series of Unfortunate Events" that I mentioned earlier HAD to be shared on my blog, as they will make tagging lake trout forever memorable to me.

On our second morning, there was less down time for us. We knew exactly where the fish were hanging out, what lures were working, and we got to business. Within 5 minutes, I had a nice male on my line. We brought him in, and proceeded to implant him with the monitoring devices. When we were back on the water, and the fish was revived, Ken asked for someone to release the fish.

Lucas started to lift the tote, but I jumped in and wanted to release "my fish" back to the wild.

Photo credit: Lucas Young

The tote had more water in it than I expected, and when I lifted it over the side of the boat to dump, it quickly filled with lake water and pulled me off the boat.

I fell OFF the boat!

Photo credit: Lucas Young

Who does that?! I've taken the NYS Boating Safety Course, and the Department of the Interior's Motorboat Operator's Certification Course, American Red Cross life guarding courses...and grown up in/around water. And I fell off the boat! In the middle of the lake, fully clothed and in rain gear/boots too. I was wearing a life jacket though, and popped right up and stared at the guys in the boat in complete disbelief that I was no longer in the boat. It was like slow-motion too, as I was dumping the tote, I said out loud "Haha, I'm sooo going to fall off this boat!". And then I did.

After a beat, I was offered help (amongst much laughing), and I denied it opting to swim to shore instead. It wasn't that far and I was so beyond mad at myself I needed to cool down (literally, figuratively). The water was in the low 50's and the air temp maybe in the high 50's, low 60's, so it was breath-taking, but not immediately debilitating. Many thanks to coworker, Lucas, for acting quick to capture the following moments forever...

Photo credit: Lucas Young

Photo credit: Lucas Young

I think Ken was in disbelief that I wasn't accepting his offered help!

I was SO mad at this moment, but now that I'm reliving it through pictures, I'm cracking up!

No harm, no foul! A great way to end the season and my work time here in Alaska!