In 2015 we were funded by the National Park Service’s (NPS) Shared Beringian Heritage Program to work closely with biologists and the municipality of Nikolskoye on the Commander Islands to encourage connections between the youth living on the Commander and Pribilof Islands. This included penpal communication between students on the three islands, shared activities throughout the summer and school year, and a culminating visit in 2017 where students from the Commanders attended Seabird Camp on St. Paul. See blog posts.
We have just received a second grant from the NPS Beringian program to continue communication and build on these connections. In the final year of the project we will bring Pribilof students and a biologist from the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge over to the Commander Islands to attend the summer ethno-ecological camp and meet with biologists at the Commander Island Nature Reserve.
Our schedule for this project is adjusting with the coronavirus, but we look forward to nurturing friendships among islands, and continuing to share and learn together over the next few years.
Students attending the annual ethno-ecological camp Camp on Bering Island in 2019
Where are the Commander Islands? The Commander Islands are located at the end of the Aleutian Islands, and about 110 miles east of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Learn more about the historical link between the Commander and Pribilof Islands from Aquilina Lestenkof, director of Cultural Affairs at the Pribilof Islands Aleut Community of Saint Paul Island.