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Life after SCA

By Andrea Willingham / Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

I thought I would be working another SCA internship this summer, but as it turns out, last month I was offered a full time park ranger position back at Bering Land Bridge. It just goes to show what an amazing opportunity the SCA is for helping gain experience and qualifications for beginning a career in the conservation field ... read more

From the Tropics to the Arctic: First Winter

By Andrea Willingham / Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

Perhaps I missed out on some things by growing up in the subtropics: no sledding, or snowball fights, or "White Christmases," or slipping on icy sidewalks. But I think there's also something to be said for experiencing these things as a young adult; to see the world with childlike wonder anew, to ponder the mysteries of hibernating ground squirrels, to revel in the splendor of the northern lights, and to be truly thankful for places like Bering Land Bridge that protect and celebrate little pockets of awesomeness like this on our planet ... read more

Adventure on the Tundra

By Andrea Willingham / Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

Bundled up in my sleeping bag, I'm sitting in a tent in the middle of the tundra, getting pounded by sideways rain and 35mph gusts with temperatures hovering just above freezing. I've been in here for almost two days... ... read more

A day at the (cold, isolated, practically Arctic) beach

By Andrea Willingham / Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

The pilot pointed out a dark mass shimmering on the horizon. "There's a big herd of reindeer coming this way," he said, rather nonchalantly. Sure enough, in the time it took us to load the plane, a herd of about 300 reindeer made its way up the beach to us. ... read more

From the Sunshine State to the Last Frontier

By Andrea Willingham / Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had my sights set on Alaska. Growing up in the sunny, steamy, swampy subtropics of Florida, I could hardly imagine anything so different as this dramatically sublime land in the Great North. I never imagined I would actually make it out here – much less for my first post-graduation job.... ... read more