Glacier Bay from Above

Students Participate in Scientific Studies

Students Participate in Scientific Studies

NPS PHOTO Fairbanks, AK - "Vole wranglers, it's time to head out," announces Melanie Flamme, biologist with the National Park Service. And so begins the annual effort to monitor the small mammal population in Denali National Park. The small mammal monitoring project has been running for almost 20 years, but it's just not the large dataset and informative science that makes this project so interesting. Each year, field work for the project is conducted by high school and college students - the next generation of scientists. Julia Brice, now a sophomore at University of Alaska Fairbanks, started volunteering with the program when she was a freshman in high school. "It was a totally new experience for me. I had never been camping before, and we stayed in a tent for a week during the project. It was really exciting and fun," says Julia. She and the dozen other students who have been involved with the project over the last five years learned about it from an outreach program Melanie and Tracie Pendergrast, a National Park Service Education Specialist, gave to their biology classes at West Valley High School in Fairbanks, Alaska. "Mel did a presentation on her job as a biologist for the National Park Service. It was a really eye-opening and interesting presentation. At the end of it, she told us about an opportunity to volunteer on one of her projects. I'm into biology and animals and thought it would be cool. Mel has been an amazing mentor to me and the other students." Julia has spent the last five summers studying small mammals and became an employed bio-technician this year. A major in wildlife biology, she is currently taking an ecology class. "My teacher uses a lot of case studies, and my experience helps me grasp concepts in class like the idea of a keystone species. The voles are studied [by the National Park Service] because they're a key source of food for so many other animals. There's a reason why they choose specific species to monitor. We can learn a lot about the ecosystem based on what the vole population looks like." The small mammal project is one of several carefully selected monitoring efforts conducted by the Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service. The species, physical features, and processes monitored are called "vital signs" because they indicate the overall health of natural resources in the national parks over time. One of the lessons Julia and the other students have learned as a result of their involvement in the monitoring program is the amount of careful planning, preparation, and training that goes into conducting field-based studies. "The experience has helped me learn great organizational skills. People need to eat and have a place to sleep, and then there's the science that must get done. It's a balancing act between basic human needs and making the science work. It's empowering to know how to do that," Julia says. For more information on the monitoring efforts conducted in national parks, visit nature.nps.gov or join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter @AlaskaNPS.

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Application Period for Summer Seasonal Positions

Sitka National Historical Park (November 22, 2011) - Are you interested in working for the National Park Service this summer?Sitka National Historical Park will be hiring seasonal park rangers, park guides, and one seasonal law enforcement ranger.

Please visit the federal jobs website at http://www.usajobs.gov/ to learn how to apply for Sitka National Historical Park's available positions.Summer positions will be announced beginning November 23^rd.The open period for applications will last three weeks from the date of the announcement.

Each job announcement on USAJOBS contains complete information about duties, qualifications and evaluations, benefits, and detailed instructions on how to apply. Be sure to read each announcement fully and carefully. Contact information for additional questions about the job are also listed in each announcement.

All federal job vacancy announcements, including permanent, temporary, and seasonal National Park Service jobs in Sitka National Historical Park, are advertised on www.usajobs.gov-the official job site of the United States federal government. Browse, search, and apply for jobs online; search by keyword, job title, occupation (e.g., "park ranger"), location (e.g., "USA," "Alaska," "Sitka" or "Sitka National Historical Park"), type of work, pay, and more.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the job announcements, please stop by the Administration Office at 103 Monastery Street or the Visitor Center at 106 Metlakatla or call 907-747-0110.Inquiries may also be directed to becky_latanich@nps.gov.

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Sea Wolf Adventures Wins National Accessibility Award

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Since 1998 the National Park Service (NPS) has been recognizing outstanding efforts by NPS staff to improve accessibility to national park areas through the National Accessibility Achievement Awards Program. In 2011, for the first time, the NPS opened the nominations to recognize the efforts of concessioners operating in the national parks.

For many years, Kimberly Owen, of Sea Wolf Adventures, has quietly (and passionately) developed special equipment and staff skills to enable a broad range of park visitors, in particular those with mobility challenges, to experience, first hand, both traditional small vessel sightseeing as well as off-vessel wilderness activities such as kayaking and shore excursions. This included major modifications to her 97 ft. converted WWII minesweeper to accommodate mobility impaired passengers, and systems implemented to facilitate wilderness adventure activities. The modifications include widened passage ways, lifts to all decks, and wheelchair-accessible cabins and public areas.

In recognition of this effort, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve nominated Sea Wolf Adventures for the award, and is very pleased to announce that Kimberly has been selected as the national winner. Kimberly was presented her at award at a ceremony in Washington DC on November 3 by Julie Washburn, NPS Associate Director for Interpretation and Education.

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Bears of North America Evening Program and Book Signing

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Sitka National Historical Park (November 25, 2011) -Please join Matthias Breiter, author of Bears-- A Year in the Life (2006) and The Bears of Katmai (2008) for his evening program, "Bears of North America." The program will take place on Thursday, December 8^th at 7:00 p.m. at the Sitka National Historical Park Visitor Center Theater.

Breiter, who is presently finishing his Ph.D. thesis on aggression in bears, has been a frequent lecturer at zoos and also the Smithsonian Institution about bear biology and bear conservation. He has worked as a cinematographer with the National Geographic Society, Discovery Channel and several other TV producers on documentaries both on polar bears and brown bears.Breiter is deeply involved with conservation efforts involving the American and Canadian Arctic and Subarctic and is a founding member and fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP).

A book signing will immediately follow the presentation. His four publications, Inside Passage ($39.95), Wild Alaska ($39.95), and Bears-- A Year in the Life ($24.95) and The Bears of Katmai (19.95) will be available for purchase through the park's Cooperating Association-Alaska Geographic.

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2012 Denali Bus and Campground Reservations Available Beginning December 1

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Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, the transportation concessioner for Denali National Park and Preserve, will begin accepting advance reservations for the 2012 visitor season for shuttle buses and the park's four largest campgrounds on Thursday, December 1, 2011. Reservations will be available by phone, on-line, fax, and mail.

Approximately 65% of the shuttle bus seats and 100% of the campsites in the Riley Creek, Savage River, Teklanika River, and Wonder Lake campgrounds can be reserved in advance. The remaining tickets are made available for advance or walk-in reservations two days before the travel date. The Riley Creek, Savage River, and Teklanika River Campgrounds are open for tents and RVs, but the Wonder Lake Campground is tents only. Hookups are not available in any of the park's campgrounds.

The shuttle bus system is designed to provide transportation into the heart of Denali National Park and Preserve for visitors who wish to view the park's scenery and wildlife, access campgrounds, go hiking for the day, or take an overnight trip into the park's backcountry. Drivers will answer questions and help visitors spot wildlife. The shuttle bus system will operate from Sunday, May 20 through Thursday, September 13, 2012, weather permitting.

2012 shuttle bus prices for an adult single trip fare:

Toklat    Eielson Visitor Center         Wonder Lake          Kantishna
$26.75  $34.00                 $46.00                  $50.00  

The camper bus fare (for campers in park campgrounds or with backcountry permits) is $34.00. On all buses, children 14 and under ride free and young adults age 15-17 ride for half price.

A maximum of eight shuttle bus seats may be requested with each reservation, and ages are required as age discounts may apply. Please provide alternate dates and times when possible. 

Phone reservations can be made by calling (800) 622-7275 nationwide or (907) 272-7275 for international callers between 7:00 am - 5:00 pm (Arizona time). The web address for on-line reservations is www.reservedenali.com. Forms for fax reservations are also posted at www.reservedenali.com. The completed forms should be faxed to (602) 331-5258. Mail-in reservation requests should be sent to:

ARAMARK /Joint Venture Reservations
2445 West Dunlap Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85021

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