Morning: After breakfast at the camp, we will head to the Homer Spit, to see the town known as the halibut fishing capital of the world. We might even see some of the catch brought in by tourists and commercial fisherman.

Our primary objective today is at the boat dock to look for and identify invertebrates such as sea stars, urchins, sponges and crabs. Students will learn about the different phyla and the unique physical characteristics of each.

Afternoon: After a picnic lunch and a chance to explore the ice cream, candy and souvenir shops of the spit, students will meet with an environmental educator to learn about ocean acidification and its implications on the marine food chain- from invertebrates to otters and whales. 

Evening: We return to camp at Seaside Farm. The farm hostess will take the group on a guided tour of the organic farm and give students a chance to meet a local Alaskan and to learn about her farm.  Dinner at camp and camp fire. 

Meals: BLD

Morning: Depart camp and head east toward Seward. The drive is about 4 hours with a stop for a picnic lunch. 

Afternoon: Around 2pm, the group will arrive in the seaside town of Seward and take a water taxi across Resurrection Bay to Kayakers Cove, our lodging for one night. Tonight students can explore the intertidal zone and enjoy having access to wilderness! The property is right on the ocean so it is possible to see whales, otters, eagles and other wildlife passing by. 

Overnight at Kayakers Cove.

Meals: BLD

Morning: Participants will take a guided kayaking trip into Resurrection Bay and explore a side of the bay most tourists don't get a chance to see. Learn the basics of sea kayaking, maneuvering and water entry and exit. Then spend half of the day in and out of our tandem kayaks as we explore the bay, islands and shoreline.  In addition to beautiful mountain scenery, we could see whales, puffins, sea otters, harbor seals, bald eagles and bears. 

Afternoon: Picnic lunch at Kayakers Cove, then take a water taxi back to Seward. We will take a short drive down the Exit Glacier road to the Kenai Fjords National Park. We will stop at the visitor center to pick up our Junior Ranger books that need to be completed over the next few days in order for us to receive our badges. We then take a short hike to the foot of the glacier. Here, students will walk through young habitats, learn about glaciology and search for evidence of climate change in the park. 

Evening: Check in at Moby Dick Hostel, our private lodging for one night. 

Meals: BLD

Today, students will meet with two organizations in Seward that are helping to protect animals and habitats of Alaska.

Morning: Students will visit the Sea Life Center and have a chance to explore their exhibits to learn about fish, birds and mammals that can be found off the coast of Alaska. They then go to the onsite education lab for a hands on science class to investigate sea lion poop and to learn why their populations are declining. 

Afternoon: We meet with members of the Qutekcak Tribe in Seward for a special cultural program. Tribe members and local youth will teach us about Native Youth Olympics, where members of indigenous youth meet up each year to compete in events. Each event is rooted in hunting and survival. Students will get to try some of the events to see how easy (or difficult) it was to survive in harsh environments without modern technology. 

Evening: Check in at the Yurt Village or the Nauti Otter. Students can work on their Junior Ranger books.

Meals: BLD

Morning: We arrive at the boat harbor about 9:30am and students can shop and walk around the pier. 

At 11:30am we board a boat for a six-hour wildlife viewing and glacier cruise, into the Kenai Fjords National Park. We will go right up to an active tidewater glacier.  A tidewater glacier terminates in the ocean. It is common to see chunks the size of cars falling off into the green water.

Wildlife is abundant throughout the national park and tidewater glaciers. This voyage also offers the best opportunity for whale watching in Alaska, along with the possibility of seeing porpoises, sea lions, sea otters, seals, bald eagles and puffins. Lunch is served onboard.

5:30pm return to Seward.  Students will explore Seward in small teams by foot as they look for items on a scavenger hunt that will take them to historical landmarks that will help them learn about Seward and its history. 

Overnight at Nauti Otter/Yurt Village. 

Meals: BLD

Morning:  We take an easy and beautiful hike to Tonsina Creek. We pass through amazing old growth Sitka Spruce forest, walk over a salmon river and end at the beach for spectacular views.  From there we then loop back toward our campsite. Along the way, participants will learn to identify some common plants that can be found in the temperate rainforest. 

Afternoon: We enjoy a picnic lunch by the sea and then we meet up with the Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance to help them restore a native plant garden at the local elementary school. Students will learn about non-native plants and spend a few hours removing "weeds" from the garden.

Evening: Group dinner at lodging. 

Meals: BLD

Morning: Breakfast at our accommodations. Then drive into Seward to the Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center where we turn in our completed Junior Ranger books and take part in our swearing in by a park ranger to be official Junior Rangers. You will wear your badges with pride!

About one hour north of Seward, you will stop for two more learning experiences before you go home. 

First, a resident biologist from the Kenai Watershed Forum, will share the mission of the organization which is to identify and map baby salmon habitat and why this is important to protecting wild salmon populations. Students will learn about and get a chance to test the tools used by scientists in the field. 

Second, we will visit an archeological site called K'beq which means Footprints in the Kenaitze language. The site is next to the beautiful blue Kenai River with an interpretive trail that goes through Sika Spruce forest. Students will walk the boardwalks and learn about evidence of people who lived her before European and Russian settlers. 

Late Afternoon: The groups are dropped off at the airport between 3:30-4 pm for 6 pm flights back home.

Meals: BL