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Well, I’m writing this final blog from Kansas, after having returned from my 10 ½ month term of voluntary service in Anchorage, Alaska. Looking back, I am really grateful for this year of service. For me, it was a good hiatus from academics and a time to learn more about myself and others. The most important aspect of this year, in my mind, is the relationships built and nurtured. If there’s one thing I learned it is that it’s always worth the effort to invest time and energy to get to know someone deeper. It is easy to live in the same house with someone and never get beyond a superficial relationship, even if it is one of mutual tolerance. Though I am guilty of some of this, I leave Service Adventure feeling like part of a family with our unit. To me, much of the joy of life is given from relationships with others.

As I look back to my arrival in August 2013, there are many memories I will cherish deeply. Here is a sampling:

• many sunrise and sunset photography trips to various points on the Anchorage coast
• cross-country skiing at all times of the day
• hiking many of the peaks near Anchorage and seeing a glimpse into the true wilderness of Alaska
• late-night conversations and snacks in the kitchen
• some of the most scenic locations for playing soccer and running I’ve ever experienced
• the joys of creatively cooking food for others
• the many shared laughs and jokes among the unit

I return home with new energy and excitement that will go with me as I soon travel to Goshen College to begin a new chapter of life. For the time being however, I am thoroughly enjoying being “home.” All the seemingly normal things that I previously took for granted but missed while up in Alaska… Friends and family who I have not seen for a long while… The familiar sights, sounds, and smells of home… Seeing the changes that have taken place while I have been gone…

As I wrap up this blog, I would like to say a big thank you to all my readers. Thank for your support all year, for your interest in what I had to say and show, for your prayers. I truly appreciate it.

Signing off,

Mark

Watching a winter sunset in Anchorage

On the Anvik

I regret the lack of any new material on my blog in the past couple months. To be sure, it is not for a lack of inspiration or things to write about. May and June were quite busy for us in the Anchorage Service Adventure unit. With summer in Alaska comes more daylight than one can use and a tenfold increase in energy compared to winter. In the past two weeks alone, I thoroughly enjoyed having my parents up for a visit and our unit’s  year-end trip to Seward and Homer – involving everything from a ferry ride to hiking and exploring glaciers to sea kayaking.

However, my time in Alaska is quickly coming to a close (July 14 is my last day up in the last frontier), and I’m not sure I have time to share everything I’d like too. So I’m doing to write about my latest adventure. My final four days of work at the Bureau of Land Management were spent in remote Alaska, assisting one of BLM’s wildlife biologists (Bruce) in a breeding bird survey.

The breeding bird survey is a “cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and Environment Canada's Canadian Wildlife Service to monitor the status and trends of North American bird populations.” There are many routes (our survey was one such route) around North America.

My tent the first night on a Yukon river sand bar

The actual survey only takes half a day – much of the total four days were spent getting to and from the location of the survey. Day 1 included a 320 mile flight from Anchorage to the village of Aniak, a 20 minute flight to the village of Holy Cross. Here, we picked up our boat and put in on the Yukon River. After camping on a sand bar, we finished up the 40 river miles on the Yukon and reached the village of Anvik. After filling up with more gas, we proceeded to boat 70 river miles down the Anvik River and camped, in place for the bird survey the next day.

Our (somewhat) trusty boat

Our gear in front - including a shotgun for any bears that should (but didn't)  become dangerously interested in us

Campsite on the Anvik

Bruce, a wildlife biologist with BLM and excellent bird identifier

The following morning, we woke up at 4:00 am, packed up camp, and begin the survey. It consisted of 50 three minute observation windows, one every half mile for a 25 mile stretch of the Anvik River. During each of these three-minute observations, Bruce listened and looked for any bird. Upon identifying one, he called out its name, and I checked a tally on a data sheet. I really saw the depth of Bruce’s birding knowledge, as he identified dozens of birds by their calls alone. 

recording data

After completing all 50 stops, and 6 hours later, we had identified over 40 species, from the Red-breasted Merganser to the Semi-palmated Plover, the Slate-colored junco to the Hudsonian Godwit. The data we collected will later be submitted to USGS and used to help establish trends of bird populations and, as a result, inform land use decisions.

the data sheet

Fieldwork is often romanticized and thought of as some sort of vacation. While I did greatly relish the opportunity – participating in scientific study and seeing a new and remote part of Alaska especially – it wasn’t without its difficulties. Mosquitoes are known to be quite rampant in this part of the state, and while they weren’t as severe as they might have been, I was quite glad to be using a “bug jacket” that kept out most of the pesky insects. Also, we experienced issues with our jetboat (being used instead of a propeller due to the shallow waters of rivers) – a little pump that brings water up to cool the engine wasn’t working and the engine was overheating as a result. Luckily, a remote river lodge on the Anvik had the spare part, and we did a quick change out.

I got to get in on a little boat repair!

the much appreciated bug jacket

I returned rather tired, but nonetheless definitely happy about the trip. It was my first actual experience with boat travel and it was a great way to wrap up my time at the Bureau of Land Management.

Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers as I wrap up my term here in Alaska. I’ll be sad to leave, but I’m also excited to return home!