Making a Difference: New York Elementary PS-91
By Tina M. Adair

Advocating for Alaska’s environment and wildlife is hard work, even among those who live among and enjoy its natural beauty. It’s an even tougher battle for a group of kids who live thousands of miles away and have never even set eyes on the things they’re fighting for. But one group of New York elementary school students will tell you that there’s no greater cause.

In PS-91 in the Bronx, Maryanne Fisher’s fifth-grade class started off the year with a virtual cross-country trip across the United States. They studied many cities and sites, writing about their travels in journals as if they were really there. In February they arrived in Juneau, where they spent time learning about Alaska via books, video, and the Internet. As many have been who visit the Great Land, they were enthralled.

The mountains, glaciers, forests, and wildlife were so fascinating that the kids wanted more. A study of the aurora borealis elicited “oohs!” and “aahs!” for its “magical glory,” according to Fisher. They studied Native Alaskans and indigenous cultures with unabashed pleasure.

But then, says Fisher, “Dum-de-DUM-DUM . . . we read about the Exxon Valdez oil disaster. The kids were heartbroken. We read about the animals and the terrible damage to their habitat and our environment.”

At the same time, ironically, they learned about the Prudhoe Bay spill that leaked more than 200,000 gallons of oil and the Bush Administration’s push to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. The revelations energized them to action. After discussing the rights and responsibilities of citizens toward their environment, they wrote more than 400 letters to Senators and the President, expressing their opposition to drilling.

But they didn’t stop there. The kids decided that it was important not only to protect the environment, but also to also raise others’ awareness of the issues. They wrote poems about Alaska that are posted in the school hallway for all to see—along with many of their letters to Senators. They’ve started “Stop the Drilling” petitions. The school had a Penny Drive, and Fisher’s class was allowed to award the proceeds because of their dedication to their cause. They donated the money to ACF.

Fisher’s students are also producing brochures on how to save energy, which also urge readers to send letters to “Save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!”

Their next project is a mock trial where they will sue Exxon Mobil for the 1992 Prince William Sound spill. To make their case, they are studying the viewpoints of salmon fishermen, Alaska Natives, biologists, engineers, and others. They also plan to sue the President for not adequately protecting the wildlife and environment of Alaska. The Exxon trial will be filmed so that other students can share the experience.

Fisher’s class is impressive in their fervent efforts and their desire to continue the fight to save Alaska and its wildlife. They plan to make sure others are just as informed as they’ve become.

“We’re simply doing what school learning is ultimately for,” says Fisher, “having a voice in the world, and taking the responsibility to make a difference!”

Making a Difference: Jean Tam

"We moved to the Connors Lake area in 1988 and got interested in a pair of Pacific Loons that nested there. We watched them for a couple years, but they weren’t producing. "

After she heard a presentation on artificial nests at the Anchorage Audubon Loon Festival, Jean and her husband Scott Christy built a simple log island for the loons.
Each summer, they put the island on the lake and pulled it out before winter. Three summers passed, but no loons. Finally, in the 4th year, the loons used it and have every year since.  They also started having chicks. Jean remembers thinking there was going to be a problem with the eagles in the area.

“[Other birds] also nest in the area, and the bald eagles were picking off ducks and geese. We knew they were getting loon chicks too,” Jean explained. So they added a burlap canopy to the log island.

“Now the eagles can’t see the nest,” she said.

The birds have been coming back every year to use the nest. Three years ago, Jean got the idea of putting up webcams after researching similar nest boxes. “I thought, ‘I could do that for the loons. They come every year, but from shore, you can’t see what they’re doing,’” Jean said.

Curious, she looked into how to set up webcams, and with grant funding from ACF and Anchorage Audubon, Jean leased and set-up a two-camera system in the summer of 2003.

“It worked great! The loons mated on the nest, and I had my VCR set up to record.” Even more exciting, the loons laid two eggs and fledged two chicks, Jean recalled. “At the end of the summer, we captured the female and banded her.”

Following this bright start, Jean gathered donations and ACF and Audubon provided additional funding to purchase a one-camera setup. In 2004, the same banded female returned to the nest, possibly with another male. Again, the loons laid two eggs and fledged two chicks.

Thanks to Jean’s efforts, the Connors Lake pair of Pacific Loons became the most successful pair in the Anchorage Bowl. In 2004, Jean bought a second camera system and set it up on shore, making it possible to see the whole lake and activity going on.
“It’s nice, now I don’t have to go out and look,” she said with a laugh. “Mosquitoes are bad in the summer, so I would have to put my hat with the netting on to go out and see what’s happening.”

The project required a hefty investment of time: Jean maintains all the computer equipment to run the cameras.
“When there were problems while I was still working, it’d have to wait ‘til I got home and could reboot the computer,” she explained. “That first summer, I was always there. I put in a lot of hours, but it was so exciting to be seeing things for the first time.”

With all she put into her loon project, Jean decided she didn’t want it to end with her.

“I would like this to continue if I’m gone; to have ACF continue the work and promote loon conservation.”

ACF had several estate planning options to help Jean achieve her goals of protecting the Connors Lake Loons and promoting loon conservation efforts in Alaska. Jean chose to make an endowment to ACF and fund it with a bequest of her assets.

“ACF has a good reputation and will be around for awhile. I put my trust in them that they will do the right thing for the loons.”

Though the cameras have become much of the work of the project, making this important commitment to loon conservation means more to Jean than just ensuring they will continue to showcase the loons’ nest activities.

“Loons are a symbol of wilderness to a lot of people,” Jean said. “There are fewer and fewer of them in Anchorage. The fact that we can help the ones there, it means a lot to me to contribute that way.”

This article is featured in the Winter 2006 issue of the Dispatch. To read more Dispatch articles, check out the list of past issues.

To learn more about the Connors Lake loons and see the webcam, visit www.anchorageaudubon.org.