OUR ALASKAN CRUISE: JUNE 2024

Part Five: Sitka Alaska

Leaving Ketchikan we sailed north to Sitka, Alaska. Until now the weather had been picture perfect. However, in Sitka we found the rain that everyone talked about in these parts. We weren’t too worried, though, since our excursion here would be basically indoors.

After breakfast we made our way to mid-deck, deck one, departed the ship and made our way along the pier to

the excursion terminal where in due time we boarded the bus that was to take us to the location of our excursion for the day. This worked out real well in that you waited in an enclosed terminal until your bus had arrived. Then. it was just a short walk, most of it under an over-hang to the bus door. Thus, despite the rain by and large you remained nice and dry.

While there I learned a bit about the city of Sitka itself. The town was once part of Russia and was also Alaska’s first capital city. It is located on Baranof Island and is only accessible by air or by sea. It is a true island community that lives between the mountains and the sea. Point of fact, I asked our guide What happens if you, for instance, want to buy a new car? He replied You purchase it, for instance, in Anchorage and then you either have to ship it here by barge or bring in via the ferry. Gives a whole new meaning to going car shopping!

On now to our excursion for the day.

While here we learned that the Center began in 1900 when two residents of the town of Sitka offered aid to a wounded Bald Eagle. Once others learned of their care and concern, more birds were brought to them. They continued to work at their home until finally moving to a small shed on the campus of Sheldon Jackson College (closed today). In 1991 the Center moved to its current location on 17 acres bordered by the Indian River. It remains the only full avian hospital in the state of Alaska.

Today, the Center continues to provide medical treatment to about 200 injured birds each year. Their primary focus is working with raptors, but they will aid any wild bird in need. Their main goal is to heal, rehabilitate, and release their patients back to their native habitat. Unfortunately, some are so badly wounded that they can never be released. These birds become permeant residents at the center.

There are two main sections at the Raptor Center, the one being The Learning Center where we discovered the following:

Regarding the history of the Bald Eagle. . .

In the late 1800’s North American was home to some 100,000 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles, but this number would begin to rapidly decline due to several factors: habitat loss, poaching and human overhunting of their food soucres

In 1940 The Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act was passed. However, their numbers still continued to decline significantly. During the 20th century they faced a new threat from DDT. DDT interfered with the ability of the birds to produce strong eggshells. This in turn resulted in thin shelled eggs which failed to hatch.

In 1973, The Endangered Species Act was passed and a ban was placed on DDT. At this time it was estimated that there were only about 500 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles remaining in North America.

Today, though, due to the actions mentioned above, it is estimated that there are once again about 100,000 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in North America. They were finally removed from the Endangered Species list in 2007.

Since they stated that their primary focus was on raptors, I was curious as to exactly what a raptor is and while there I discovered the following:

By the way, have you ever wondered how big the wing span of an eagle is?

This big!

From the Learning Center we moved next to

The flight center is a long rectangular room where Eagles can fly from perch to perch. It is place where injured birds, after being treated, can regain their flight skills and so prepare for release back into the wild.

Leaving behind the comfort of the indoors, we moved outside

To the habitat areas. These are areas designed for resident birds that can no longer fly. Here they can freely move about and engage in natural behaviors such as; bathing, preening, and exploring, resulting in better physical and mental health.

All to soon it was time to leave, so it was back on the bus and back to

Celebrity Summit. Time now to warm up and prepare for dinner. Soon enough we would be sailing again to our next port of call.