NPS Photo / Melanie Flamme

Engaging Students in Laboratory Research and Science

This summer, six interns joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service environmental contaminants lab to address emerging conservation questions involving Red-throated Loons. In summer, these little loons breed along coastal areas of Alaska and winter in nearshore areas of Alaska, Russia, and Asia. Concern for this species is mounting as recent evidence suggests increased exposure to several environmental contaminants. Red-throated Loons may be exposed to toxins from industrial effluent when foraging in nearshore marine environments. In addition, Alaskan waterbirds and their eggs may be harvested as subsistence foods by rural and Native Alaskans, creating a concern for human health.Our environmental interns received on-the-job training and wrestled with this developing dilemma in the laboratory. Mentored by previous interns and experts from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Contaminants Program and National Park Service, they processed bird eggs and mammal hair samples, created a poster, and presented their experiences at the Alaska Bird Conference and the Alaska Forum on the Environment meetings. Through this internship, these young professionals developed into next-generation scientists and highlighted an emerging resource management issue in species of concern.