An Earth Work Quest intern helping to band eiders at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

Interns on an eight mile backpacking trip during the Summit Gathering.

The Earth Work Quest Internship Program was initiated in 2006 through a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Challenge Cost Share grant, with a mission to inspire student interest in natural resource careers; build a natural resource workforce from northern Alaska rural communities; and bridge the gap between rural communities and natural resource professionals.

Students applied for Earth Work Quest by submitting applications to Tanana Chiefs Conference.  At the end of April 2006 a selection team interviewed all prospective candidates to find possible fits between students and identified internships.  Internships came in many forms.  Some were paid internships through Tanana Chiefs Conference if the students were from a TCC supported village and the students met certain income qualifications.  Other internships were paid through federal programs like the Youth Conservation Corps or Student Temporary Experience Program (STEP).  Finally some were purely a volunteer experience that reimbursed the students a small daily stipend.

Ultimately twelve students from the communities of Arctic Village, Eagle, Fort Yukon, Stevens Village, Nome, and Fairbanks participated in the 2006 Earth Work Quest program.  Their internship experiences included bird banding, trail building, taking salmon DNA samples, assisting geologists, natural resource computer work, monitoring peregrine nest sites, and staffing visitor centers. 

The internship experiences culminated with a summit gathering of the individual interns, from July 31-August 4, 2006.  It was based out of the Chena River State Recreation Area, some 30 miles from Fairbanks.  Presenters included elders, agency representatives, and educators.  The interns also engaged in team building activities and took part in an eight mile overnight backpacking trip.  The experience ended with an evening banquet at Chena Hot Springs Resort where interns gave a presentation on their internship experiences and were able to interact with assembled natural resource professionals.

A host of organizations were involved in the inaugural 2006 Earth Work Quest Internship Program, including: Alaska Bird Observatory, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Alaska Public Lands Information Center, Alaska State Parks - Northern Division, Bureau of Land Management - Northern District, Chena Hot Springs Resort, Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments (CATG), National Park Service - Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, National Park Service - Yukon Charley Rivers Preserve, Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Northern Alaska Fish & Wildlife Service Office , and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.)

For more information regarding the 2006 Earth Work Quest Internship Program, please contact Barry Whitehill at (907) 456-0409 or barry_whitehill@fws.gov  Additional photographs are available upon request.