Bird's eye crew

An eye in the sky is helping Wrangell teens keep an eye on their future.

Five students from the Upward Bound and T3 Alliance programs presented the results thus far of their ongoing work to make the community better through technology.

Timothy Garcia, Nikolai Bardin-Siekawitch, William Ashton, Killian Booker and Spencer Petticrew at a public presentation Aug. 8 at the Nolan Center shared their experiences working with drones and GPS-enabled cameras to create promotional videos and map out U.S. Forest Service trails and cabins over the past year.

"Upward Bound is a program that traditionally focuses on helping first-generation, low-income students find a pathway to college," said Adam Low, director of Upward Bound and the T3 Alliance program lead at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. "Teaching Through Technology (T3 Alliance) is a program which focuses on how we find a pathway to college."

Low said doing well in school and on SATs is important, but going to college should be about having a "why" and "having something you're focused on and passionate about that you can engage with."

Part of the programs is encouraging what organizers call a "growth mindset," which includes the ability to fail if it means students can learn and grow from it.

Thanks to a $17,000 three-year grant from the Resource Advisory Council in Wrangell, Petersburg and Kake, Tory Houser, staff officer with the Forest Service, was able to contract the students to create updated imagery and promotional videos of trails and cabins at Berg Bay, Kunk Lake and Steamer Bay.

Using a GPS-enable GoPro camera, the students were able to do more than just take pictures. The photos they took were 360 degrees and are being uploaded to Google Maps. They will be used to create Google Street View imagery, giving site visitors a chance to explore remote cabin and get a feel for what the locations offer.

"We thought these students could bring their skills and they could help us figure out ways to do things better," Houser said. "We have some trails that are not well-marketed, people don't know about, and they have no idea how to get there. Now, with their (the students') help, these are up online and you can go to Google Maps. You can see the trails, you can see what to expect, and you can have a really positive experience. I ... could never have done this myself."

The Forest Service projects came on the heels of promotional work the Upward Bound students did for Wrangell-based tour operator Alaska Vistas, creating a promotional video of the LeConte Glacier.

"The LeConte trip was basically us dipping our toes into the world of making promotional videos and drone-related projects," Bardin-Siekawitch said. "It was our first experience ever as a group doing a promotional video."

Bardin-Siekawitch entered a photo from that project into a photo contest and won first place.

When the group started to work with the Forest Service, they were also asked to create condition reports, noting any wear and tear, damage or issues they found with the trails and cabins. They also noted cabins that might not be ADA-accessible.

Even though they had fun tackling the various projects, the trips didn't come without challenges.

Recharging drone batteries and other tech equipment was among the biggest challenge, as there are no power outlets in nature. "Use of the drones had to be rationed since they couldn't be recharged," Booker said.

They also had to be aware of distances when flying drones off of moving boats so as to not get out of range of the controller. "It was nerve-racking at first, but I got the hang of it after a while," Bardin-Siekawitch said. He said flying over glaciers was also a challenge as winds would blow the drones off course.

One of the biggest challenges they faced dealt more with ancient technology, one of humanity's first discoveries.

"We had the bright idea of making fire by ourselves using pieces of cedarwood that we found along the trails," Garcia said. "That took a good hour and a half of our time."

Among some of the more surprising results of their trips was capturing footage of whales creating bubble circles to feed within. "I was a bit excited when filming those because I'd never seen anything like that before," Bardin-Siekawitch said.

But not all interactions with wildlife were positive ones, he said.

"We had one incident back in the LeConte trip," he said. "We're pretty sure one of the drones got hit by a seagull. The last image we saw was blue and bubbles. It did not survive. It floated 800 feet down to the ocean floor. Water and technology don't go together very well."

The group has also been active in advocating the Upward Bound program. At this year's Fourth of July celebration, they demonstrated the drones and let the public know what they had been up to.

"This was to make a positive impression on the community and to show that kids are beneficial when they use technology such as drones," Ashton said. "And this could be through aiding other organizations such as the Forest Service or small businesses in Wrangell through our services."

The program has also led the students to think about their future careers. Bardin-Siekawitch said he is going to take the exam to acquire his drone pilot license through the Federal Aviation Administration. It will allow him to do things such as fly a drone after dark and take commercial jobs. He plans to take the test and start a business as part of his senior project.

Houser said the Forest Service intends to use the students and their services for more mapping and other similar endeavors.

"Over the school year, we intend to do mapping and drone video work at Pats Lake to help with our public planning for recreation development in that area," she said. "Next summer, we will do a similar week-long program to gather data about another cabin and trail location. It is likely that these students will be involved in teaching students in other areas to do similar work."

It's not just other students that can benefit from the group's acquired knowledge.

"Seeing what these guys and what they've done, I'm excited to get back to working with them and to see what else we can do this year," said Heather Howe, the science teacher and Upward Bound coordinator at Wrangell High School. "They've obviously learned a lot of things I don't know, so I'm looking forward to having them teach me as well."