Becharof Science Camp 2006

Becharof/Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge held its 9th Annual Ecosystem Science Camp starting on September 11th and ending on September 15th. Sixteen students were selected from eight villages including Dillingham and Manokotak. A new partnership with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks provided the opportunity for the students to receive college credit for the camp and also allowed us to offer the camp to students from outside the local and traditional areas. Each year this camp provides a critical opportunity for students to learn hands on about Refuge lands, land management issues and the Alaska Peninsula ecosystem. Learning modules included biology and behavior of bears, caribou, and birds. Additional modules included water quality and aquatic life, geology, plants, orienteering and stewardship. The camp also included "bridging" exercises to relate both western and traditional philosophies pertaining to land/resource issues. This year's camp was different in that it was held near the local village of Port Heiden rather than at the traditional Becharof Lake site. The camp is made possible by the partnerships and contributions from Lake and Peninsula and Bristol Bay School Districts, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Natural History Association, University of Alaska - Fairbanks, and Audubon Alaska.