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Youth Area Watch - Community Restoration
Project - Seward
Restoration Project Report
Beach Cleanup
Seward, Alaska
Introduction
Q: What is your restoration project?
A: Participating in the International Coastal
Cleanup. This program for us includes cleaning
beaches in the Resurrection Bay area and analyzing
the trash. Once the data is collected, it is sent
to the Center of Marine Conservation. This data is
then used in surveys which find out where the trash
on our beaches is coming from and how it can be
prevented.
Q: Why did you choose this project?
A: We chose this project because many of our local
beaches needed to be cleaned, and this program may
help prevent this problem from occurring again.
Q: What was your Plan?
A: We planned three cleanups on three different
beaches: Bulldog Cove, Fourth of July Beach, and
Seward Beach. The first of these cleanups was on
Seward Beach and was conducted by Youth Area Watch
members only. The second scheduled cleanup was on
Bulldog Cove and required the assistance of the
National Parks Service. We first obtained
permission to clean a beach on park land. They also
offered to take us to the beach and provide extra
man power. For the last of the cleanups, on Fourth
of July Beach, we brought Mr. Swanson's 6th grade
class to assist us. In this way, we included three
different organizations: Youth Area Watch, a school
and an outside agency.
We expected all of the Youth Area Watch members
from Seward to participate in the original cleanup,
which was done on April 5. For our second,
scheduled for April 26, we planned on including the
help of local park rangers. On the final cleanup,
we are expecting the assistance of Mr. Swanson's
6th grade students in picking up the trash as we
recorded the data. Also accompanying us is the
Seward Quest teacher, Jerry Dixon, with his Quest
students, and it will be recorded by the Phoenix
Log. This trip is planned for May 13th.
Plan Implementation
Q: What did you actually do?
A: We successfully completed the Youth Area Watch
cleanup on the preplanned date, April 5. The Parks
Service boat broke down a week prior to our trip,
and so the second cleanup has not yet been
rescheduled.
Q: Did you accomplish what you set out to
do?
A: Yes. We gathered information for the Center of
Marine Conservation, while including different
groups in our community.
Summary
We gathered valuable data and cleaned our
community beaches. It was a good idea that not only
helped science but also our community.
Restoration Project Report
Murre Tagging
Seward, Alaska
Introduction
Q: What is your restoration project?
A: Tagging and tracing the Murre carcasses on a
stretch of a Seward beach.
Q: Why did you choose this project?
A: Currently there is a Murre die off in the
Resurrection Bay area. This tagging helps find the
highs and lows of the die off, how long the
carcasses last on the beaches, and track the bird's
body all over the Sound.
Q: What was your plan?
A: To go out twice a week on a 300 meter stretch of
beach on the Seward Beach and tag the dead Murres.
We also planned to record the condition, amount of
scavenging, and the tag number of each bird. Before
we began, we learned from a park ranger the
procedures. This activity includes only Youth Area
Watch members.
Plan Implementation
Q: What did you actually do?
A: We were able to achieve everything we had set
out to do. We will continue these surveys as long
as the Parks Service needs our assistance.
Summary
This is a very important project that, in the
long run, will strongly affect what is known about
this die off.
Written by Seward Youth Area Watch
Students:
Erin McDonald, Jonah Swiderski, Brooke
Landenburger, Charlie Yoo, Krista Boulden
Seward
Elementary School Youth Area Watch site
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