Virtual Alaska - Day 9: 10-01-99

I've had two great days at school. On Thursday - yesterday - I visited with three classes and told them about our GeoBear Project. They were pretty excited about it.

When I visited the first, second, third grade class and the four, five, six class they each agreed to accept responsibility for a bear. Courtney Hughe's bear went with the 1, 2, 3 class. They will find someone to take him somewhere. They also said they'd be in touch with Courtney. The 4, 5, 6 class took responsibility for Rachel's crab.

I talked to the seven/eight class about the project. I didn't have a bear to give them, so they've decided to do the GeoBear Project themselves. One student in the class is planning to have a ready by today - Friday - to send with his parents to England. I've talked to the computer teacher also, and we are going to try to arrange for a video teleconference between students at Skagway School and Willis sometime in the near future.

Today - Friday - Mr. Pickett's marine biology class went to Long Bay, out toward Dyea, to collect marine plant and animal specimens. Mr. Pickett's students are responsible for watching the tide schedule and when a student comes into class and says the tide is OUT they drop everything and head for Long Bay or other locations to gather specimens.

The hatchery class students were able to do an "egg take" today. We jumped in the van at the beginning of hatchery class and headed for the weir at Pullen Creek. The students found a large female pink salmon in their trap that was ready to have eggs taken. So, the students killed her, cut her open, and removed the 3,000 or 4,000 eggs that she had in her. Students put the eggs in a plastic container. Then they took two large male pink salmon "milked them" to fertilize the eggs.

From the Pullen Creek weir the eggs were taken to the student-run hatchery where they were bathed, sanitized and placed in an incubator where they will stay for about three months. After three months the fry will be transfered to a big tank through which stream water circulates. They will stay here until they are large enough to be released back into Pullen Creek to begin their several year and thousands-of-mile-long journey around the northern Pacific Ocean and ultimately...maybe...if they survive...back to the Pullen Creek where thy were conceived today.

I spent the rest of today making preparations to return to Delaware. I have a ticket on a little bush plane out of Skagway tomorrow - Saturday - morning at 8:00. But the weather is deteriorating. Clouds are getting thicker and are forming at lower elevation. The wind is picking up and gale force winds are predicted for tomorrow. Several people here in Skagway have suggested that I not count on my plane being able to fly in the morning because of the weather. There is an Alaska Ferry, the MV Matanuska, leaving Skagway tonight at thirty minutes past midnight. I'm told that I should take the ferry if I want to be sure to make it to Juneau on schedule and be back in Ohio by Monday morning. So I plan to be on the ferry.

I will have supper and spend the evening waiting for my ferry at Mr. Pickett's house. I'm looking forward to my ferry ride and to returning home.



HOME