Catherine Berg, Fish and Wildlife Service contaminants biologist, talks to a student about her job.

East High School student examines a polar bear track, hide, and skull at the Fish and Wildlife Service booth.

Students interview a geologist from the US Geological Survey's Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Geologists from Conoco Phillips demonstrate their research equipment for students.

If you find an eagle feather lying on the ground, are you legally allowed to pick it up?  What Alaskan volcano produced the largest eruption on the planet in the last century?  What kinds of recreation are allowed on Alaska’s national wildlife refuges?  These questions were part of a scavenger hunt as a component of Anchorage’s third annual Natural Resources Career Fair.  This year’s Fair, at East High School, offered over 1,000 students the opportunity to meet with around 40 professionals working for 17 natural resource agencies and organizations.

Freshman, Sophomores, and a few upperclassman, perused each agency or organization’s booth, searching through a scavenger hunt list or conducting interviews about jobs they were particularly interested in.  Students talked to biologists, geologists, chemists, cartographers, law enforcement officers, educators, environmental advocates and other professionals to learn what a particular job is like, what degrees and classes are needed for that job, and how to prepare in high school for a scientific career.

The annual Anchorage Natural Resources Career Fair is hosted in partnership between the Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Field Office and the Visitor Services Division within the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge System.  The Fair is offered each year, rotating among local high schools.  The goal of the Fair is to introduce Anchorage high school students to the wide variety of careers available to them within the natural resource profession.