Dear Mr. and Mrs. Svitek

I am writing to express my gratitude for the generous scholarship you have donated to the School of Natural Resources. I was fortunate enough to be the recipient of the scholarship you offered to the school. I am currently working as an intern for the US Forest Service, in Tongass National Forest. When I first was offered this internship, I was unable to accept it as it was a non-paid internship. Unfortunately I am not in a situation where I can afford to work an entire summer and not earn any money and then still return to college in the fall. The money that I was offered through your generous donation allowed me to accept this internship, and what an amazing time I have had. I am working as a research assistant to a Fisheries Technician at the Sitka Ranger District in Sitka, Alaska. Sitka is a small commercial fishing/tourist town in southeast Alaska off Barnof Island. My job is to assist the Fish Tech in her duties, which include a large variety of projects. Each week we fly out to one of the Forest Service field camps, by floatplane. From the field camp, we either boat, hike, mountain bike, ride ATV's or helicopter out to our work site. So far some of the projects we have completed include setting up and monitoring a weir to monitor salmon smolt movement out of habitat created by the Forest Service in 1997. We also have organized and run a trout derby for the local children of Sitka (I include a picture of me and my supervisor at the trout derby), and complete several Coho salmon fry transplants in efforts to stock several rivers where fish passes have been constructed. My job is absolutely incredible, and I am learning so much.

So far I am absolutely amazed by South East Alaska. The wildlife is strikingly abundant. On one weekend long trip in the field, I average seeing 4 brown bears a day. (I tried to capture a picture of one in the film that I included). One evening we sat on the lawn of our field camp and watch humpback whales breach playfully for a half hour. Last Friday I was working at a hatchery and went down to the dock and watched the King Salmon, some 3-foot plus in length, jump out of the water as if they were mimicking whales. I have gone on hikes to alpine meadows filled with wildflowers, on mountains far younger than those of the Appalachian chain. The countryside is magically carved by the glaciers of thousands of years ago. I really am enjoying myself and I just want to thank you, because without your help I would not have been able to have any of these experiences to share with you and others, and would have missed out on what I feel will be a vital part of my education at the University of Vermont. I cannot express my gratitude enough.

Sincerely,

Jared Nunery