Healy(Denali National Park)

Location - Horseshoe Lake

The Healy/Denali National Park ALISON observatory was located on Horseshoe Lake at 63° 44.51’N, 148° 54.51’W, fairly close to the visitor center at the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve. Situated above and to the west of the Nenana River and below the Alaska Railroad tracks, it is a very scenic spot that is popular with visitors, particularly in summer. We are grateful to the National Park Service for permission to study the ice and snow on Horseshoe Lake.

A map showing the location of Horseshoe Lake in relationship to the Nenana River and the Denali National Park Headquarters.

For the school year, 2008-2009, Tri-Valley School acted as 'citizen scientists' in partnership with Denali National Park and Preserve and the Murie Science and Learning Center.

ALISON PROJECT began with a Family Night which included the parents, students, teacher, ranger, and Kim Morris and Dr. Jeffries and ice cream for refreshment. This meeting brought together the people, the plan and the purpose of ALISON.

The plan for this school year followed our procedures from 2003. Students were bussed from the school site to Horseshoe Lake Trail Head. Parent chaperones, Teacher Dorothy DeBlauw, Education Specialist Kristen Friesen and 12 5th grade student embarked on a hike to their study site. After a mile of hiking through a boreal forest, the group gathered on the shore of the lake and organized their game plan. With clipboards, thermistor probes, tubes, digital readers, battery and alligator clips, the students hiked to assigned spots and jobs. The activity level focused as the students recorded measurements, took snow samples, manipulated the TWIT, and observed the conditions. After about 45 minutes, students collected the TWIT and snow samples and joined their classmates to monitor progress on the transect line. Once ALISON measurements were completed and equipment was packed up, the class was led in inquiry-based problem solving activities. Afterward, the group participated in a fast-paced moving activity before the return hike. Along the trail back, the group was on the look-out for signs of wildlife. After breaks for rest and water, the students arrived back at the warm school bus and back to school. At school, the students reorganized equipment and outdoor gear. They measured the snow samples. This was a time for reflection and discussion of the project and the science that occurred on their trip.

From 2003-2005, the ALISON observatory measurement program at Denali National Park and Preserve was a shared effort between Tri-Valley School in Healy, the National Park Service and the Denali Institute. For Tri-Valley School, the ALISON observatory was an activity for Patty Gallego’s 3-5th grade ecology class.

Patty has taught at the elementary level for 15 years throughout Alaska, and received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching in 1998. Working with Patty was Pam Sousanes, a National Park Service Environmental Specialist, and David Tomeo, Program Manager at the Denali Institute.

Patty Gallego and Marc Gould pause for a photograph on Horseshoe Lake, Denali National Park.

In 2005-2011, the Horseshoe Lake site was run by Dorothy DeBlauw and Kristen Friesen. Originally from Nebraska, Dorothy has taught at Tri-Valley School, Healy, for fourteen years. She currently teaches a mixed 3-5 grade class at Tri-Valley School in Healy.

Dorothy made measurements at Horseshoe Lake, Denali National Park, in partnership with Patty Gallego during winters 2003-04 and 2004-05. Patty left the school at the end of the 2004-05 academic year, but Dorothy continued with ALISON. She was assisted by Kristen Friesen, an education specialist at Denali National Park. Kristen taught for six years in rural Alaska, including Anaktuvuk Pass and Wainwright in the North Slope Borough School District.

Data

Download data for these graphs and other ALISON data.