Holy Invasives!!!

We just finished up a month long project pulling invasive weeds and man does it feel GREAT to be done! We got to venture to very beautiful places and get to know each other really well but it sure was tough staying motivated to do the monotonous work of pulling invasive plants for 40 hours a week for 4 weeks in a row! (not to mention making sure 6 teenagers stay motivated as well-yikes!) Some education: Invasive weeds are plants that are non-native to Alaska and disturb the natural ecosystems. For example, invasive plants can damage entire river systems and interfere with subsistance lifestyles that many Alaskans depend on, among many other things. It's very important work and I enjoyed it for the most part, it was just unfortunate that it was 4 weeks in a row of very repetitve work. The great thing was that we got to travel to some awesome places. We pulled weeds for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest National Park in North America. It's home to 9 of North America's 16 tallest peaks! We got to work in Copper Center, Slana, and McCarthy, 3 different towns in the park. McCarthy was by for the best. A very very remote town with only 70 residents in the summer, and 15 in the winter. It is BEAUTIFUL! The town is surrounded by the most gorgeous mountains and glaciers and we had an amazing camping spot at the terminal moraine of the Kennicot Glacier. We got to go on a tour of the Kennicot Mine buidlings that supplied tons of Copper to the lower 48's in the early 1900s. My co-leader, Beth, and I also took a day off to go ice climbing on a glaicer! It was an incredible experience!!

This week we are just outside of Fairbanks for another Department of Transportation project. I'm excited for a new project and a new location. I'm still loving my job, working outside, exploring the amazing state of Alaska, and working with some really amazing youth. I must say though, I am exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, (not so much physically since pulling weeds isn't too demanding). In the end it is all worth it and I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, but I am tired and looking forward to some independence. We only have 4 weeks left with the crew and I know it's going to fly by and the second we all leave I'll want to go straight back. I am just soaking up every moment I can!

Mud Face Paint!

Hiking to a Fish Weir on a Flooded Trail! SO FUN!

Bear print on the trail- HUGE!

Showing off our weed pulling

 Fun times in freezing cold lakes

We shaved mohawks for all the male crew members-they look very hard core :)

Lounging in the weed barn where we store bags of invasives

After pulling 180 bags of invasive weeds we got to burn them all!!

Our beautiful campsite in McCarthy

The view from just outside my tent of the Kennicot Glacier in McCarthy.

Ice Climbing on Root Glacier! Sooo cool!

Climbing up an ice wall

Seward DOT

It's Saturday after our first week of work and we have had an awesome time so far! We traveled down to Seward for a Department of Transportation (DOT) project. We worked along the Seward highway clearing brush from under and around gaurdrails. This work is important for a few reasons. First of all, it's important to clear the line of sight around tight blind corners so that cars have more time to see any obsticals in the road (accidents, animals, etc). Second, animals are everywhere and the more distance between the road and the brush means the animals are more visible for drivers and they will have more time to slow down and avoid hitting those animals. Lastly, the Seward highway is a gorgeous drive and is a designated Scenic Byway. We cleared an entire forest of Alder trees to open up a view of Kenai Lake for tourists and locals to enjoy as they drive past. This part of the project was so rewarding because shortly after we cleared an opening to the lake, some tourists pulled over to the side of the road to check out some moose near the lake. If it wasnt for our work, they wouldn't have been able to enjoy that beautifulview of the lake and moose.

Working with teenagers has been such a blast. They are so hilarious and make me laugh all the time! After just one week I have already grown to love each one of them and I'm so excited to spend the rest of the summer getting to know them even more.

The youth crews making smores during their training week.

A baby musk ox and its mom at Alaska's Wildlife Conservation Center
Never in my life would I have predicted myself to be wearing a hardhat, a reflective vest, and a face mask, working on the side of the highway with a bunch of teenagers. It sure is a blast though!! This is me using a brusher (a weedwacker on steriods) on our DOT project. Power tools are pretty fun!!
Two crew members and I decided to see if it was possible to stuff 100 M&M's in your mouth at once. Chris succeeded but Kellen (pictured) and I had to chew a little before the last ones would fit.  
The view of Kenai Lake that we opened up. You wouldn't have even known a lake was there before we started the project.
Meet the Barrell of Monkeys, the best Serve Alaska Youth Corps Crew ever!!
We took at trip to Seward's Sealife Center and I finally got to see puffins!!! Such crazy birds!!

A fur seal at the Sealife Center

Sea otters may be my new favorite animal. They are SOO awesome! We got to watch them swim and play in the water everyday on the drive to and from work.

Crews are here!!!!!

The youth crew members have finally arrived and our projects will start in just a few short days. The crew members are all from Alaska and are ages 17-24, with the majority of them 17. A number of them are from Anchorage, but others are from as far away as Barrow (on the Arctic Ocean!!) and Brevig Mission (close to Nome). They have been here for 4 days and it has already been such a blast getting to know them and see their personalities come out. We have been craming the 3 months of training we had into a one week crash course for them before we all head out on our first projects next week. I've been having a blast playing games with them, chatting around the fire, and learning about where they are from and what their lives were like growing up in Alaska.

Tonight we find out which youth will be on each crew so I'm really excited to find out. I'm not worried at all because they are all so awesome that no matter who ends up on my crew, I know we'll have a blast. They are all so eager to work hard and learn and give back to their state. I'm so impressed with their motivation and passion for this summer!

A close encounter with a moose right in the way of the trail!  

A Humpback Whale's skeleton at the Native Heritage Center in Anchorage

Hiking in Chugach State Park on the Power Line Pass Trail

Just a reference for how bright it is at night! I haven't seen darkness for a few weeks now!!!

Serve Alaska Youth Corps 2010!!

This is all the team leaders and the crew members getting sworn in to their term of service with Americorps!