Travel & Lodging

As a cohort of eight interns, you will spend 4 total weeks traveling as a group to live and learn in each primary location, guided by a team of three CCE leaders. Group travel methods will include travel on small planes, boats, and in vans. Interns will sometimes live in close quarters, including bunkhouses and yurts, with other interns and program staff. During these segments of the program, interns will collaborate on cooking and sharing meals, respectfully share common space, and participate in chores and other living/working responsibilities that support the wellbeing of the whole group. Whenever feasible, interns will be housed in individual rooms at a hotel, rental house, or bunkhouse. During the program, all settings in which CCE activities take place and locations of shared housing are dry and sober. Cell phone and internet service are limited in some of our program locations. 

Program Format

Interns will be exposed to a “taster course” of many different topics within the sphere of culture and coastal ecology, and will be able to reflect on this experience both individually and within groups. A typical 7-day week during CCE might look like 4 days of program activities, 1 day of group travel, and 2 days of rest/”off time”. Program activity days can be a full day in the classroom/lab, a full day in the field, or some combination of time both out in the field and in a classroom on the same day. Examples of past program activities include: sea star wasting surveys, forest ecology hikes, plankton tows & microscopy, nature journaling, and beading salmon leather earrings with Sugpiaq Elders. 

Many field experiences during the CCE program take place outside in weather conditions that can quickly change. Past field environments have included rocky intertidal beaches; freshwater and saltwater wetlands such as streams, culverts, and marshes; and coastal forests. Summer conditions at these field sites can be buggy, rainy, muddy, and cold – part of the experience is learning how to confidently support yourself and fellow interns in learning and working in these conditions.

Connection with Home

During the 4-week program, there may be opportunities for interns to return home for a weekend, to tend to family/community needs, to reflect in a more familiar setting, and other such situations. CCE staff will work individually with interns on a case-by-case basis to determine what this will look like for each person. We want to make this program accessible for parents and caregivers, and will work with you to support your needs and commitments as best as we can while maintaining the quality and consistency of programming.

This program is a unique opportunity to explore many different fields within the realm of coastal ecology, in the form of place-based education delivered by a network that believes in healthy ecosystems, engaged and connected communities, and inspired environmental stewards. If you are considering a career change or trying to decide on a college major, you’ll walk away from this program with a better idea of what options are out there in coastal ecology, environmental sciences, and Alaska Native cultural revitalization work. If you live in or are from southcentral Alaska and want to support culture and science in your home community, this program will help you to gain the knowledge and skills to do so, while exploring career pathways.

Interns who successfully complete the program will be eligible to apply for funding which can be used to support continuing education or an extended internship with one of our CORaL Network partner organizations.