On March 11th, we went on a road trip to Seward, Alaska. The drive from Anchorage to Seward was absolutely beautiful! I loved the mountain views and the reflection of the sky and mountains in the water.
When we stopped at a scenic area, not only were we able to take in the amazing view, but we were also able to fill up or water bottles at a spout that had glacier water running out of it! Once in Seward, the group split off. I ended up going to the Alaska SeaLife Center, which is primarily a rehabilitation center for marine life. If the animals are not able to be released back into the wild, then they can stay at this facility permanently or they can be transported to a different facility. While there, I saw many types of sea life including bearded seals, harbor seals (which were my favorite!), starfish, crabs, sting-rays, puffins, and an octopus. It was very interesting to see the animals and learn about the types of environments they live in. In addition, I also learned about how plastic litter can impact the ocean and the sea life. Below is a photo of a piece of artwork created by the students at Kodiak High School. Everything that went into making the octopus was a piece of trash that was collected during a local coastal cleanup. The amount of trash and some of the items used surprised me!
In addition, I also learned about the different types of salmon and when the typical fishing season is for each fish. This made me think about how important the sea life is to the Alaskan Native population on the coast.
Overall, it was an awesome day and I really enjoyed seeing and learning about the marine life.
Overall, it was an awesome day and I really enjoyed seeing and learning about the marine life.