Workbook an invitation into visitor center, refuge </MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 10:05 PM on Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Workbook an invitation into visitor center, refuge

Activities unlock Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center's secrets to students in grades two through six

By McKibben Jackinsky
Staff Writer

Wrapped in brightly colored illustrations and filled with fun activities, "Be A Junior Biologist" is an attention-getting, 12-page invitation into the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center.
"The goal is to have kids interact with some of the exhibits and to have them stay around longer," Lisa Matlock, education specialist for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, said of the new booklet.
Created by volunteer Elise Kahl, working with other center staff, the booklet is a scavenger hunt that draws youngsters in the second- to sixth-grade age range into the center's exhibits. Completing the activities earns the rank of "Junior Biologist."

"I've had a lot of fun with this," Kahl said of the three-month project.
If the booklet, which has been reviewed by a large number of southern Kenai Peninsula students, does what Kahl wants, they'll be spending more time at the center, learning about AMNWR and having so much fun in the process that they'll come back to the center and again and again.
Local students Jenna Dragoo and Clem Tillion III are featured on the workbook's cover, which was designed by Carla Stanley. The cover's design is based on a photograph of refuge biologists conducting field research on Ulak Island, a tiny speck of land that is part of the Andreanof Islands in the Aleutians. Behind them and just off shore, the refuge research vessel Tiglax floats on the rippled surface of Pacific Ocean.
To date, students from Fireweed Academy, McNeil Canyon Elementary, Chapman and West Homer Elementary schools have evaluated the material inside the booklet's covers.
"We put out a call to the principals, asking for classes interested in doing it and we had great response," Matlock said.
Some changes have been made to the text as a result. And the target audience has been refined to fourth- through sixth-grade, with second- through third-graders able to enjoy the activities with the help of parents.
"The students really took to the activities and loved to be asked their opinion," Kahl said of information gathered from the evaluation forms. "It was interesting to see how much good advice they had to give."
All the activities in the workbook relate to the environment, history and the skills needed to be a biologist in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. There is a section that diagrams the food web and a section devoted to the uncovering of artifacts. Some of the learning opportunities are pulled from real events that have happened within the refuge, such as the rumblings of Kasatochi, a volcano that forms a small island between Adak and Atka islands. In August 2008, two United States Fish and Wildlife Service employees were working in the area and had to be evacuated. Considering the equipment and supplies those employees had with them, junior biologists are asked to determine what they would take and what they would leave behind when faced with evacuation.
Two pages focus on invasive species that have been introduced into the refuge and other areas of the United States. A map helps trace their origin. The text explains why they were introduced, as well as the damage they've caused.
Although everything a junior biologist needs to complete the workbook is located within the visitor center, Kahl tapped into multiple resources including refuge personnel, area biologists, the Alaska Volcano Observatory and even the Library of Congress.
Kahl is originally from Ohio and holds a bachelor of arts degree with a concentration in design from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in art and technology from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Creating the AMNWR project is nothing new for this refuge volunteer. In November 2008, a Junior Ranger workbook she created for the Western Arctic National Parklands and funded by the National Park Foundation took second place in the small book category of a competition sponsored by the National Association for Interpretation. Before coming to Homer, Kahl filmed and edited podcast videos for Katmai National Park and designed instructional materials for the Selawik Wildlife Refuge.
In April, Kahl heads to Seward where she will work as a park ranger for the Kenai Fjords National Park, continuing her work in education.
"Elise fell into our laps," Matlock said of Kahl's contribution to the refuge. "It's an incredible service to do this as a volunteer. We're providing housing and a stipend, but otherwise, it's all volunteer."
When Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center summer volunteers for the 2009 season go through training in April, they'll be introduced to the junior biologist workbook. During the summer, copies of the workbook will be available to families when they come in the center's door. After completing the activities in the book, junior biologists are sworn in during a ceremony at the center's main desk.
"Every kids gets to learn something new," Kahl said. "It's a unique experience."
McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.